Oh, YEAH!

So, if you know me well, you know that I have been longing to get a job as a school teacher for several years. My degree is in education, and I was working in flute repair because I thought it would be good for a music teacher to know how to fix instruments; as a flute player myself, I thought it would be especially good for me to specialize in my own instrument. I don't begrudge the years of experience; it's been an incredibly stable job, I've enjoyed my coworkers and the vast majority of my clientele, and I have become (as several of my customers and flute friends have informed me) one of the best flute repair specialists in the nation. But when an opportunity comes along that is what one has been waiting for... well, it would be foolish not to jump at the chance!

I've recently been hired as a music teacher at a preschool! I'm really, really excited about it. It's part-time, but it's such a wonderful opportunity! And, I'll be able to continue part-time at the shop, as well. Which is also a very good thing.

To be perfectly honest, I had all but given up on finding a teaching position in music. I was starting to think more about doing additional certifications just to make the field a little wider. So many districts want previous experience, and so many were puzzled as to why I'd chosen to work in a repair shop for so many years and was "just now" trying to find a teaching job. Meanwhile, all these younger folks were graduating from college with their new shiny teaching certificate, fresh from their student teaching and full of verve and excitement for their chosen field. I, too, am full of that enthusiasm, but it seems that the fact that I chose a non-education job first might have made me a less viable contender. But it looks like my chance has finally come!

It was so serendipitous, too; a couple of our close friends heard about the position opening, because their child attends the school. In the matter of one week, I heard about the position, talked to the preschool director, came in for 2 interviews, and was hired. Thanks, Cheryl!

I'm also really glad that I'm able to stay on at the shop, too. I have a super apprentice who has become one of my closest friends, and even though she's learned a lot and has progressed rapidly in the world of advanced flute repair, it wasn't going to sit well with me to leave her "high and dry" if my boss decided that having me there part-time just wasn't good enough. So, good things all around!

I start my new job next week. I cannot wait to see what the world of teaching has in store! Updates (however sporadic...) to follow.

On stress-filled days

Well, today was something of a blur... We had a lot of employees out of the office, so it fell to me and my trusty apprentice, "The Chels", along with another of our cohorts (we shall refer to him as "Joshel") to hold the flute fort, so to speak. Mainly, we just answered phones and went about our normal jobs. However, it got to be 1:00, and The Chels and I had no idea how it had gotten to be the afternoon so quickly. Normally, this is a good thing; but today, we were really trying to get a lot of stuff done, and by 1:00, we weren't quite where we wanted to be with our schedule, so... well, you get it.

But, as I was on my way home, I decided to focus on the positive aspects of the day, and to think of at least five things I like about today. So, here they are:

1. Friendly/chatty employees at my local Target store. So helpful, and so pleasant!
2. All my (admittedly few) grocery purchases from said Target store fitting into ONE reusable shopping bag (the only one I had with me!). No extra plastic bags hanging around the house! Yeah!
3. Skorts: the skirt and shorts combo that are absolutely wonderful in the summertime (and so slimming, too!)
4. Happy fluffy doggies at home, always so excited to see me. There's just something about a grinning fluffy dog that can brighten one's day..
5. Musicals that have been made into movies, so that those who can't make it to Broadway can still enjoy a good show in the comfort of their own home.

That's all! I hope reading this list will give you food for thought, and that you will have thought of at least five things that you like about today, too!

No more wimping out!

HA!
I did it. I walked around the neighborhood, and met a good deal of my neighbors. And I'm glad! The ones I met are really nice!

So there.

I'm not a wimp. Not today!

And the award for biggest wimp goes to...

Me.
It goes to me.
Why, you may ask? Well. Let me tell you...

As I expounded upon in my last post, I have recently become a Pampered Chef consultant. I'm really excited about this, and I want to dive right in and get started doing parties and cooking and having a great time, but I'm having difficulties. I can't even explain it! Let's take today:

I have been planning (since last week!) to go out on Saturday afternoon with an armful of catalogs and order forms, as well as my planner, and take orders and book shows. I didn't get to go out yesterday, because I ended up having to stay late at work, so I decided to go out today and do this. I got my catalogs and order forms together, donned my Pampered Chef apron, and grabbed my planner and one of my favorite cooking tools (to show), and I was ready to head out. I proceeded to rehearse with Bob what I was going to say, and answers to possible questions I might receive. I was ready to head out the door, and my goal was to go to at least 10 houses, or collect at least 10 orders.

I went next door, and I saw that my neighbors were busy out back; no prob, I thought; I would just come back by later. So I went to the house across the street and rang the doorbell. And waited. Mentally rehearsed what I would say. And waited.

No answer.

At this point, I should have gone on to the next house. What I did instead?

I turned tail and went back home. After only attempting to visit 2 houses.

I just started second-guessing myself, and got freaked out, and then thought it would be best to just go home. In short, I totally wimped out.

How am I going to succeed in this business? I'm reserved. I'm shy. EVEN AROUND PEOPLE I ALREADY KNOW. I feel like I've exhausted the people I know; the ones who are going to hold parties have either held them or have told me when they're going to hold them, and the ones who aren't interested have either told me, or my personal favorite, not said a thing. And I'm not one to press the issue.

I'm not a pushy salesperson. If I like something, or believe in a product, I'll tell someone about it; but I don't ever want to feel like or have them feel like I'm pushing it down their throat.

I know I'm essentially just complaining that this isn't coming easy to me; but I wish I didn't feel so intimidated by self-promotion and prospecting. I just feel... inadequate. But I'm sure I'll get over it.

I'm back! And with updates:

Well, I've pretty much given up on the "blog every day" agenda. It's come to my attention that I'm busy enough day to day that it might not be feasible for me to write a little somethin'-somethin' every single day. So now, it's pretty much gonna be whenever I feel like it. Much like the majority of the other bloggers.

Oh, how nice it would be if writing were a full-time job... for me, that is. I quite like writing. And not just the occasional/sporadic journal entry, either! I have so many story ideas that just haven't been fleshed out yet. I remember when I used to have time to write; I wrote fanfiction. Did you know that? Fanfiction. I even got all sorts of glowing reviews! In fact, out of 170+ reviews on the 2 stories I posted, not a single one was pejorative. (That's a fancy word for "not positive".) Anyhoo, there's been several things going on in my life as of late, so there's not been a lot of time for recreational writing.

The latest news is that I've finally taken the plunge to become a Pampered Chef consultant! Doing the parties is so much fun (much as I thought it would be), and the food is just fantastic. And it gives me an element of teaching, too; I get to teach the party attendees how to make a really yummy recipe, and also how to use the products that are featured in the recipe. Now, I know that I'm not what one would call a "pushy salesperson", so this might seem to be an odd fit for me; the thing is, I think Pampered Chef makes really wonderful kitchen tools, and I know from first hand how much easier using these products can make cooking. And I LOVE cooking!

You know, I wish I'd gotten into cooking a lot sooner. It's sad that I had all that time in college where we actually had a functional kitchen, and I basically knew how to make meals from a box (Mac-n-cheese, tuna helper, pasta-roni, etc.). Don't get me wrong, I think those are fine, and it's a good place to start, but I had all that time where I thought that cooking from scratch with fresh ingredients was so difficult and so time-consuming, that I would surely never get the hang of it... without actually ever trying! I was operating under a preconceived notion that I would stink at cooking, and I did nothing to correct that presumption until a few years ago. And now I think it's great! Especially baking... Oh, I adore baking. Mmm..desserts.

Those who know me well know that I don't like to "toot my own horn", so to speak; I try really hard to make sure that I don't come off as braggy, or a show-off, or a know-it-all; so when I say that I'm really good at cooking, it's not being said in a spirit of boastfulness. I'm acknowledging that the Lord has blessed me with a talent, and I am sure not going to bury it. When I'm in the kitchen, delicious things happen.

And that's why you should book a Pampered Chef party with me! We'll have a great time, enjoy really good food, and I'll go the extra mile to make sure you get any and all host discounts, specials, and freebies.

Well, I didn't really mean for that to be an entire blog post of home-based business self-promotion, but that's just the way things turned out. So, to round things out: if you're interested in booking a party, or you know someone who might be, please give me a call or drop me an email! I'll appreciate the business, and to show my appreciation, I will work my hardest to make sure your party is a smashing success!

That's all from me for now! :)

So Much for Every Day...

Yeah, so apparently blogging every day was not in the cards for this week...

One evening, I totally forgot. The next evening, I was so tired, I fell asleep as soon as I got home from small group. Last night (Thursday night, as this entry counts for Friday night), I was busy with housework. Becaaaaause...

It's party time tomorrow! Pampered Chef party, that is. And a movie party to follow! Or rather, the Pampered Chef party will morph into a movie party. The movie I got for it is "No Reservations", which I've never seen. According to the family movie rating websites, it's fairly safe. Hope it's good!

I'm pretty excited about the food for tomorrow; the recipe we're making is "Strawberry Coconut Tres Leches Trifle", and I've got a few other goodies planned for a "tapas-style" dinner experience. I got most of my shopping done this evening, although I forgot the artichoke hearts for the artichoke dip! Back to the store tomorrow...

Tonight I ended up getting home rather late, as I had a nightmare flute I was working on; I've never seen a flute that was just so terrible in my time at the shop! It's not that it was terribly broken; it's just that it was made of such cheap metal, and the pads were so old, that any adjustments were simply impossible. Long story short, we ended up not cooking the soup I had planned for tonight. Instead, we went to Freebirds.

And again, SOMEHOW, my small burrito was labeled as a regular-size burrito. *SIGH*

The good news is, I didn't overshoot my points, unlike last week. Also, I got a good amount of physical activity in this evening (as well as a 15-minute workout this morning! Go me!), so I'm not too worried.

Well, as it's late and I don't want to turn into a zombie tomorrow, I think that's all I'm gonna say for this evening.

Morning.

Whatever. :-/

A Success, regardless.

Tonight was my weigh-in... and it went pretty well! It showed that I am only up by 0.6 of a pound. Why is a gain still a success, you might ask? I shall endeavor to explain.

Last week, I opted to use my "No Weigh-In Pass" (referred to as NWIP, henceforth), because the preceding week was rough in terms of my tracking success. I decided that, no matter what, I would definitely weigh in at today's meeting, even though I might still show a gain. My goal? To make it not as much of a gain as it might have been otherwise.

I believe I have succeeded.

All that's left is for me to keep improving on this week's success. I've also set a goal for the week of attaining no less than 8 activity points by working out on my Wii Fit. This means getting up earlier, but it will all be worth it. I'd really like to spend some time working on my flexibility, as well as toning my arms and shoulders. Ergo, I'll be spending the heavier portion of my workouts on Yoga and Strength training.

Bob was reading over my shoulder for a moment there. He probably finds this a fairly dull blog; little does he know he gets a mention every now and then! BWA HA!

Dinner was pretty good tonight! We tried a new recipe (a fairly simple one, at that!) we got from the PBS show, Every Day Food. I recommend this show to anyone who is learning how to cook or just wants to have some simple, delicious, go-to recipes. I don't think we've made anything from those shows yet that we haven't enjoyed! In addition to good recipes, the people on the show are very informative. Check it out if you get a chance!

Anyway, we made Linguine with Garlic and Breadcrumbs. Although, I didn't get around to making the breadcrumbs, and I hadn't bought any pre-made at the store (why buy pre-fab breadcrumbs when you can just make your own with a piece of bread and a food processor?), so we ended up skipping that part. I don't believe the recipe suffered for it; it was still garlicky and delicious!

The one thing that made me a little nervous about trying it was one of the ingredients: anchovy filets.

I can hear the "EW!" and "BLEAH!" already...

Seriously, though, I had my doubts. And I'm not what one could ever describe as a "picky eater". But, true to what the lady on tv (as well as other food network cooks/chefs) claimed, the filets simply melted (that's right. MELTED.) in the pan! All that was left was a kind of lightly nutty flavor. No fish taste, overpowering or otherwise, at all! I was impressed.

Yet again, I have left blogging for a later hour. If I'm going to get up early enough to work out, then my bedtime is a little bit... past. Until tomorrow...

The One Plus Is...

Today was kind of a tough day.

Mondays are usually pretty long for me, because I go right from work to chorus rehearsal; basically, I leave my house at 9:00 a.m., and I don't get back home until roughly 10:00 p.m. (ish.)

Work was extra stressful today; we had a lot of instruments due today, and we were rushing to beat the clock all day. Normally, stress leads to "stress-snacking", but, whether or not it's because I've gotten into a regular schedule of eating or because there was literally no time for me to stop what I was doing to reach for something tasty, I did really well today! And, when I stopped to grab some dinner on the way to chorus, I had Pei Wei make my lo mein dish with "velvet stock", and they cut the portion down to the kids' size. That made it healthier and just the right amount! Also, it was delicious.

In other news, Kiba (my mouth-y Keeshond) ate part of a small ping pong paddle this evening. Bob thought he had a rawhide, and I was checking my email when I heard Bob suddenly exlaim, "Oh, no! KIBA!" I'm hoping that he'll be okay; he chews things pretty thoroughly before swallowing them, so it's possible he didn't end up ingesting any of the wood before he was discovered. Splinters.... *shudder*

Well, it's been a long day. Time for sleep.

This counts for Friday, too!

Yeah, I'm gonna hafta come back and enter more later... All I can say is, bah! 3 days in and already I missed a day. But I did have good reason! We went to Cedar Hill last night to pick up Bob's cousins (the fam is visiting from Lake Charles, LA), and after visiting and driving back, I was too sleepy to write last night.

Yes, I also have a good excuse for why I didn't do it before: we were doing some finish up work to getting the house ready. So there.

I'll finish this posting later; we're on our way to Stonebriar to go a-malling. And possibly look at trombone mouthpieces, too!

Laters....

*****************************************************************************************

I'm finally finishing this post!

We did, indeed, find a trombone mouthpiece for Bob's cousin, David. It sounded really good!

I had a bit of trouble staying within my points today; it's really difficult when you go to restaurants where they don't offer nutritional information. But, at the one we went to for lunch, Bob and I split a sandwich, and for dinner I just paid close attention to my hunger signals, so I didn't over eat in that way... I still probably went over, but perhaps it won't be as bad.

On the plus side, I did get a little workout in this morning! Oh, silver lining. You are shiny.

Why, burrito? WHY???

I love Freebirds burritos.

Maybe not as much as Chipotle burritos, but I have Chipotle so infrequently (one burrito from there practically wipes out ALL my WW points* for the day).

I really like that Freebirds has nutritional info available online. It made it easy for me to calculate the points on what I wanted, and before we even left, I already had in mind exactly what i was going to get. And it was going to work so well! I was going to get their smallest size burrito (which is plenty). Unfortunately, the dude who was building my burrito misheard me (easy to do, since it was so crowded and noisy in there!), and thought that I'd said I wanted the next size up from the small. I didn't realize it until I got to the table, and saw that Bob's burrito (which was the small size) was, in fact, smaller than mine. Ruh roh.

After returning home, I recalculated the points, hoping that maybe there wasn't going to be a really big difference in the amount of points my burrito ended up being; sadly, my hopes were not realized. I ended up going over my daily points by 10. That's a lot! I mean, I still have some weekly allowance points, but not many after this evening. *Sigh.*

On a happier note, I did manage to increase my workout time this morning! I did 16 minutes instead of the 10 from yesterday. Tomorrow, my aim will be 20 minutes.

On a different note, I managed to April Fool a co-worker today; I convinced him I was pregnant! (Admittedly, it didn't take much; he's been certain for months that I'm "concealing pregnancy without a license") Later, this led to a discussion of names for my hypothetical child. Fun day.

That's it! Day #3. And now, to work on cleaning my house. That's gotta be good for some activity points, right? Right??

*WW points = points are the means of calculating how much food you can eat in a day with the Weight Watchers program. For anyone who wants to know. :)

The Call of the Cupcake

So far, the challenge is going pretty well... I actually felt like I exercised a bit of foresight today! But I'm getting ahead of myself.

This morning, I didn't wake up as early as I should have to get everything done in a timely manner that I needed to accomplish; as a result, I only did a 10-minute workout on the Wii Fit, then I had to have Bob help me assemble my lunch while I scarfed my breakfast cereal and did the prep work for our slow-cooker meal for dinner. After that, I think I set a new record for getting ready (admittedly, I didn't get to blow-dry my hair, but everything turned out ok!).

I did really well in planning out my meals for the day; I was really excited about the crock pot meal, too! We made "Apple Cider Chicken" from my Weight Watchers "Slow Cook It!" cookbook. It turned out really well, and Bob did an admirable job in doing the finishing work on the recipe. Unfortunately, our flute choir rehearsal at work ran a bit late, and so I was really late getting home, which in turn made us pretty late for our Wednesday night small group. Thankfully, our group rarely starts on time (we like to fellowship a bit first), so it was all okay.

Here comes my amazing bit of foresight: early in the day, I realized that I was going to have an excess of points after dinner, and I was seriously considering having a snack in the late afternoon. But then I thought, what if someone brings some kind of yummy dessert item to small group tonight? I don't wanna miss out on that! And, in an odd stroke of snacking luck, one of the girls in our group had made cupcakes! So, I was able to have one because of my willpower (and also the motivation provided by some of my coworkers). And that cupcake? Delicious.

Speaking of cupcakes, I got a new cake decorating tip from the store this weekend! It's a large round tip, and it's supposed to be what one would use to make big, spherical dots with icing. I can't wait to try it out!

My goal for tomorrow: get up early enough to do a 30-minute workout. It should be helpful that I will not be assembling a crock pot meal tomorrow morning... that should buy me some time. :P

And Awaaaaaay We Go...

It's finally happened.
After years of enjoying the blogs of others, and telling myself, "Oh, maybe I'll start a blog one day!", and then doing a stint of blogging on DeviantArt (a web journal that I still have, though I have infrequently updated it since about 2008. I think.), I've finally taken it upon myself to launch one of these sites.
Hooray for me! :D

On an off-note, I think my husband might be about to fall off the kitchen counter... he's attempting to replace a light bulb. Nevermind, he's doing fine! No falling today. Always a good thing.

*Ahem.*

Anyway, what finally lit the fire to start this was an idea to help me "stay on task" where my Weight Watchers is concerned. I figured, if I write a little bit everyday of how I'm doing, it'll help me stay accountable. I already have some really great accountability buddies, but this will help me be honest with myself.

I've already come a long way... I started my weight-loss journey in December of 2006, shortly after I became engaged, so that I could lose some weight before my wedding. I chose Weight Watchers because all I'd heard were good things about it; and I've never regretted the choice. I was able to lose about 20 lbs before my wedding! And then, as so many young married folks experience, I started to slowly put the weight back on. I was not "watching" as carefully as I should have, which made me not want to go to meetings to face how much progress I'd lost. Sporadically, I would get back on the program, and follow it really well, and then just yo-yo back and forth, becoming complacent with my little successes.

This time is different.

I am determined to reach my goal this time. It is going to happen this year!

Thus begins the April-August challenge: by August 1st, 2010, I will meet my goal. And everyday, I will post an entry detailing my progress.

And also some non-challenge related things, too. Because really, I am, in fact, that random.