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Busy

1/27/2014

I am unemployed and not actively seeking employment.

I am a stay at home person. I'm not a mom, but I stay at home (mostly because we only have one car).

People often say to me, "I couldn't do that, I'd go crazy! What do you do all day?" I've mentioned this before. You know, I often wonder that myself. What do I do all day?

Whatever I want.

I finally have the time to do all of the things I've always wanted to learn how to do. I finally have the time to invest in the hobbies I actually enjoy doing. When you get down to it, I am actually quite busy.

I have a cooking blog that I research and experiment for. Cooking takes up a large portion of my time, and I enjoy it. I spend a lot of time researching gardening methods and learning about which plants grow where under what conditions and how to save seeds. I implement my ideas and sometimes they work... and sometimes they don't. I've been learning how to forage for plants and use herbs in medicinal ways (I still need a lot more experience in this category). I am learning about all the different ways to compost and what would be most effective for us. I'm helping plan a trip to Scotland. I'm editing pictures (a huge amount of time is required for this, but I really enjoy it). I am scanning photos and editing old pictures as digital copies for my family. I spend as much time as possible outside with the dog. I sew and knit when I can manage to find the time and have all of my craft stuff set up.

So, I have lots of stuff that I do, but I also have a very flexible schedule. I can hang out with friends at a moment's notice (if transportation is arranged or I have the car). I rather enjoy it. I just really wish people would stop assuming that, since I don't have a job, that I sit around the house and watch TV all day. I get a lot done. I am a surprisingly busy person. As I am writing this, I have a stack of notebooks sitting next to me, waiting for me to fill their pages with research. Two for Scotland, one for permaculture, one for recipes, and one for plants... so many empty pages... so much information to discover. It is a good life.

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A Personality Post

1/6/2014

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I have become more aware of how my personality comes off to others. It's not really a pleasant thing. Luckily, I have friends and family who will call me out when I am being harsh. Also, I am so lucky to have a husband that understands and is not offended by what I say or how I say it. I am a harsh person, but I am also so much more than that. I'll get to that in a minute. I understand that not all people operate like me, and I am more tolerant with people I don't know very well. I guess I should clarify something. I am not rude. I sound harsh when I say certain things. I am not trying to hurt anyone. I am honest, but not mean. I am frank, but not hurtful. ...Or at least that's my goal. Maybe you'll understand me better when I explain some rules of my world. After all, I love rules.

The Key to Me is Communication:

I will ask for help if I need it. If I don't need help, I won't ask for it, and please don't try to help me unless it's obvious that I'm going to hurt myself or someone else (by accident). Side note: I know that most other people don't operate this way, and I try to offer help whenever I can. If the person doesn't want help, usually they will tell me. I think the key here is asking to help before jumping in and helping. I will love you even more if you offer (communication) and wait until I respond and then act accordingly. If I am making chili and someone comes in and starts seasoning and stirring and things... I will probably get inwardly annoyed.
When I ask someone to do something, I usually want it done right away unless a different timeline is stipulated. This sounds rude, but I only ask for help when I need it. If I'm asking you to do something, I need it done. If the person waits around and slacks off, I'll end up doing the request myself, and I probably won't be too pleased about it. If the person tells me (communication) that they are busy and can it wait a few minutes. If I say yes, then awesome!! If I say no, then the other person is totally safe to tell me that they can't do it. I have no problems with that.
No means no. If you bring your child over to my home and I ask them to please not do a particular thing, I expect them to not do it. They get three strikes. I will put your child in time out if necessary. Example:

Me: Please don't pull on the blinds, it could damage them.
Child: Oh okay.
5 minutes later and child is pulling on blinds
Me: Child, would you please not pull on the blinds, I wouldn't want them to break and I definitely don't want you to get hurt.
Child: Oh.
5 minutes later and child is pulling on blinds
Me: I asked you nicely to please not pull on the blinds. Do not pull on the blinds.
Child: No.
Me: This is my house, and these are my rules. You will not pull on those blinds.
Child: *wide eyed and shocked*
Me: Thank you.

Meanwhile the parents are just sitting there watching this whole thing take place and not saying anything. I'm not going to tell you how to raise your kid, but when you are in someone else's home, they need to follow the rules of that home as well as the parent's rules.

I hate lateness. I hate being late, and I am not a fan of when other people are super late. I don't mind a few minutes late, but more than that and I should be informed that I will be waiting for another 30 minutes outside in the cold. Seriously, this is not just me, if you are going to be more than 10 minutes late, let the other person know (communication) so that they can maker arrangements if necessary. Common courtesy.

If you have made it this far, you're probably thinking, "Well, she's a total nutter. Why are we friends?"

So, here are some good things about me to remind you why you like me.

I am an extremely loyal friend. But we've only met twice. Yeah, but as long as you make an effort to keep in touch with me, I will be there for you.
I am a good listener and observer. I don't like to give advice unless someone asks for it.
I'm hilarious! (I made you laugh, didn't I?) My husband seems to think he is the funny one in the family, but we all know the truth.
I dabble in a lot of topics, have read a lot of books, seen a lot of movies etc. I can keep a conversation going with almost anyone.
I love to learn. Do you have something practical to teach me? I would love to learn it from you, but remember, if I need help, I'll ask for it. :)
I love to teach. Interested in learning about gardening, knitting, canning, traveling etc. I will gladly help you out.
I am honest, but not rude. Person: "Does this dress make me look fat?" Me: "I think the last dress you tried on was more flattering."

So, there you have it. A brief look into dealing with me and why I act the way I do and why we should be friends.

What spurred this post? I took a personality test that was probably the most accurate personality test I have ever taken. Here is a link to the description of my personality type: The Individualistic Doer.
http://www.ipersonic.com/type/ID.html

If you want to take the test:
http://www.ipersonic.com/test.html

Thanks for listening!

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Little Moments

1/1/2014

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As each year does, this year deserves a retrospective. It's coming.

This post is about something important. It's about quality time with my husband.

It's New Year's Eve. What did we do tonight? We spent the evening playing board games. It's just the two of us, but we work together and still manage to be a little competitive. It's wonderful.

I will soon post something with pictures about the things that happened in 2013, but right now, let me tell you about the things I treasured about last year.

The After Grocery Shopping Moments:

TC and I go grocery shopping once every couple of weeks. When we get home from grocery shopping, we spend that time processing the foods that need to be processed (example: today, we made veggie smoothies and froze 6 quarts for future use. It took hours, but was totally worth it). I love spending that time with him in the kitchen although he probably doesn't realize it.

The Playing with the Dog Moments:

Sometimes I go outside when TC is playing with Rommy out there. I just sit on the porch in the nice weather and think about home much I want to keep those moments forever. I try to remember the lighting and the smells. I try to remember the laughter and the Rommy jumps. It's one of my favorite things.

The Board Game Moments:

Tonight we played board games. Pandora played everything from oldies to opera to modern violin (i. e. Lindsey Stirling). We played board games for hours, and we laughed, we plotted, we schemed, we cooperated, we suffered defeat, and we occasionally saved the world from epidemics. It was fantastic.

It really is all about the little moments. TC probably doesn't realize how much those moments mean to me, but they are my favorites. I want to keep them forever. So, my 2014 will include so many more of these "little moments". It will be an unforgettable year. Will yours be?

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