Job Hunting

I hate job hunting. I hate change at work. I like to go in and do my job that I know well. I like feeling like I've accomplished something at the end of the day.

Yesterday was the final straw that has forced me back into job hunting. After setting up several policies that amounted to over 10000 in premium, I got told that I didn't do anything. Not in those words exactly but that was the meaning behind the statement. I feel I put in quite a bit of work. I even do things on the weekend that I don't get paid for cause I'm salary. I'm often working more than just 9-5 and resented the sentiment that I don't earn what I make.

Time to look for a new job. A job with benefits like retirement plans, maternity leave, health insurance, sick days, and a chance to work my way up in the company. The looking has begun.

Babies

Dh and I sat down and talked last night and came to the conclusion that we both are ready for kids. I need to get another pap exam and a cat scan first to make sure my liver will handle the stress of pregnancy and those exams probably won't happen till feb or march of next year but we decided to start trying after that.

I went to bed feeling a little giddy. At 5 am, I woke up to a sound of what my sleep fogged brain thought was a baby crying. I dragged out of bed and wandered down the stairs to see what was making the noise. In the middle of the kitchen sat Mischief howling at the top of her lungs and making a cry that seriously sounded like mama. I checked all the cats and could not find a reason for this cry. She was fine. Everyone else was fine. I tried to rub and she ran away so I went back to bed. She proceeded to cry for another 10 minutes or so and then left me to sleep finally.

After going back to sleep, I dreamed that Mischief was sitting on the pillow talking to me. I guess that isn't a surprise since Dh and I were talking about kids and then she wakes me up crying like a baby... its like she knew what we were talking about and decided to give us a taste of the crying baby in the middle of the night. Crazy cat!

Round 2 Results

Cat - 2
Sleep - 0

I'm gonna kill the cat

Mischief has decided that I don't need to sleep. DH was very late getting home last night because he went to a Braves game with his co-workers. I tried to go to bed before he got home but Mischief sat and cried as loud as she could at the door so I got back up and stitched some more. After DH got home, I went to bed and the cat was silent.... until 6am when she started mrowling and yowling and scratching and nudging me and pawing at the curtains and making a general nuisance of herself.

This isn't the first time she's done this but she is starting to do it more often. I seriously thought about giving her a dunk in the bathtub this morning since I had less than 5 hours sleep cause of her. I even debated if getting up and dunking her enough to get wet so she'd go off and bath for several hours would wake me up too much to go to sleep.

Model Stitching Addiction

When I first started model stitching, I wasn't sure I was gonna like it. I knew I would enjoy the paycheck. I thought it would be a good fit for me when I started because I do stitch rather quickly. I would be stitching in the evening anyway cause it relaxes me after work. I'm finishing things faster than I can afford to frame them. My walls are filling up and my list of people that I will give finished cross stitch pieces to is getting smaller.

The first pieces were published designs. I was able to look at the patterns and the finished pieces as I worked. I found that I work even faster when I have a deadline whether the deadline is set by me or the person wanting the finished piece. I had a little bit of trouble with letting the finished pieces go the first couple that I did but after that, everything thing seemed to smooth out. I was sad when my job stopped cause I missed doing the model stitching and I mourned the fact that another local store had closed.

I went a while without doing any model stitching and found that I missed it. I had talked to Stacey since she did some designing and asked if she knew anyone that needed a model stitcher. She told me she would ask Jo about it. I got impatient and emailed Jo when I hadn't heard anything and she was willing to give me a chance. As I was stitching the first model, I got to a part that I wondered about, went to look at the picture and then it dawned at me -- I am stitching the piece that is going to be the picture. WOW! Everyone is gonna look at what I stitched for reference. They are going to use the picture of this stitched piece to decide if they like the pattern. *GULP* I took even more care about my stitches looking even and the back looking good. I was extremely happy with the finished pieces. I looked at them and I felt pride that I had stitched it. This was new for me. Usually I'm just happy that it's done and I'm off to the next one.

I sent both model from Dinky Dyes back to her on Saturday. I didn't feel the loss of letting a stitched piece go but I did feel pride that I was able to do such a good job and get it done so quickly. I hope that Jo likes them. I have also started to wonder if I should contact a few more designers to see if they need a model stitcher since I had so much fun doing this and so much pride in the finished work.

I know there are people out there that don't believe my stitching speed. I even had someone tell me to my face that I couldn't stitch as fast I said at CATS Nashville last year but I don't really mind that. Jo now knows I stitch fast cause I did both models in 5 days. My friends in the GSFL know I stitch fast cause they see all the finished pieces that I get done in between meetings. I know how fast I stitch cause I can see the fruits of my labor on my walls every evening.

currently feeling: proud and happy

Working Away

I'm working hard at work again. We've picked back up and gotten busy again. This makes the days goes quick and it's evening before I know it.

I finished my first model and I'm half way through the second. The models are keeping me busy in the evenings which makes the evenings go quick and it's bedtime or well past bedtime before I know it.

I'm trying to get a few surprises in the works for friends as well but I'm not having a lot of luck at it.

WooHoo

I'm 20 queen stitches away from finishing my first model. Jo was so happy at how quickly I finished that she's sending me a second model that should get here Thursday or Friday. If nothing else, I have learned that it's a bit unnerving to be working on a pattern and stop to look at the pattern picture for reference only to remember that there is no picture and it's your piece that everyone is going to look at when they look at the pattern for reference. WOW! It's a little humbling too. It also makes me worry about making a mistake so I'm being extra extra careful which slowed down my stitching a bit so that the first model took 3 days instead of 2 but that's okay cause I know that I've stitched it as perfectly as I could.

Boss is back from Italy and should be coming in to the office either today or tomorrow so my rest time is over with now. :(

My dad called to let me know one of my uncles on his side passed away and they are having the funeral on Thursday. I felt kinda bad cause his death didn't mean anything to me. I hadn't seen or talked to the man since I was 12. I have vague memories of him and that's it. Does this make me a bad person?

I'm very tired today

And it's all Stacey's fault. I got my first model in the mail yesterday. It was so pretty that I started stitching as soon as I got home. Before I knew it time had slipped away from me and it was after midnight and I was still stitching. I almost completely finished the model last night. I have about 3 hours to go on it and it will be all done. So pretty. Can't wait till Nashville so I can show everyone.