Let the Sun Shine In :)

 

We had the tree cut down in the back yard today! I'm quite happy, although I love trees, there is still a very, very large stump in the corner, so I don't feel like it's gone completely.

I took this picture to show how open and lovely the sky is now that the tree is gone, and I didn't even see the bird when I took it... but the camera did! I love autofocus, at least sometimes.

And of course the photo wasn't EXACTLY this color... but Picasa just let me play with the colors a little, which I love to do.

I can't wait for the weekend, the back yard swim club is opening for sure!

Camping Weekend!

 

Just got home from a great weekend camping. I've gotta get my husband to start joining me on these trips! It was Venturing, which is the co-ed Boy Scouts program for older kids that Nick is in. The kids are getting so old I barely need to do a thing! And that includes cook - this weekend included a dining hall, so we had all of our meals served to us. Sure, it wasn't the greatest food ever, but as long as someone is bringing it to me, what do I care?

Saturday was beautiful but today was raining. But - again, very simple trip - it was a cabin. So I don't have a wet tent to worry about. I just wandered around all day Saturday, taking photos of things, watching the kids, and going to seminars.

I sat in on part of a GPS seminar, and I learned about planning "super-activities" -- like maybe international trips. The kids like to do something BIG. One girl is hoping to plan a trip to Germany for our crew. I like the idea, but I don't know how to fundraise for something like that. But really, it's up to the kids to plan whatever they want, and that includes planning how to pay for it, too.

OH well, on to the laundry!

The Sun is calling my name!

We went to the Beach this weekend, and even though it was chilly, it was a beautiful day!

 

It's hard to be motivated in work now, knowing that my job is meaningless. I thought that this was the job that I was going to be in for the next 23 years... really, that's what I hoped! Now that I'm being cut, I'm glad to collect a paycheck for the next weeks. I have until June 30. But the Sun is calling for me to come outside and play... my blogs are calling me... my camera is whispering in my ear...

Nesting

I'm trying to look at everything differently.

 

I don't think about money as much as I should. When I think about my career ideas and my goals and aspirations, money has never been a priority. My priority has always been the kids, what they need, and how I can get it to them.

Now, what the kids need most is to be kicked out of the nest. So that's what I've been working on. It's been progressing great with Frank, and Nick isn't quite at that point yet, so I feel like I'm in fine shape.

But I still have a lot of life yet, and I don't plan on any more little nestlings to work with... so what shape should the nest take now?

What am I going to do?

 

I just read that 1 in 10 people in Jersey are out of work.

So I'm completely unsure about what I'm supposed to do now that I'm losing my job.

At first I was sure that it was a good idea to stay home and blog. And then I started wondering if I'm making a mistake, because how am I going to make money? I already blog. No one pays me.

Plus I noticed my point of view and energy level changes when I'm just sitting home. Everything seems possible when I've got the energy from running from job to home to job to home, it all seems possible except that I don't have the time to make it happen. When I'm just HOME? Everything seems less possible.

I have to reinvent my life. My thoughts so far have been

-I need less stuff than I think I do, so cut back ...
(is this possible? It should be. What do I really NEED? And yet, I still manage to NEED stuff.)

- Garden and eat cheaper...
(even the seeds I started cost money)

- I'm planning on paying for the seeds by selling some of the plants I've started...
(but will anyone buy them?)

- try to write those magazine articles I've been thinking about for ages...

- blog for money...
(notice my new ads? Sorry.)

- Maybe offer a crafts class over the summer? (Would anyone sign up?)

- babysit again, starting in the fall...(I miss the kids anyway. Or DO I?)

- paint and enter the local art fair and art association. (I'll be enjoying myself, at least.)

- or... maybe I should just write up a resume and try again to get a real job?

How am I supposed to know? I have no idea. Anyway, I guess the only thing to do is to keep moving forward.

Well, at least I'm still in a good mood.

Hello, my peeps!

 

I've been off this blog for a while, doing other things, and I thought I'd just check in and say HI.

Hi!

So what have I been doing with myself lately?

Well, in preparation of losing my job, I started a new "for profit" blog, with advertising. (This blog here, it isn't really for profit. It's just for fun, obviously.) The way the for-profit thing works is that google ad-sense gives me a few pennies each time someone clicks on an ad. (in case you were interested in helpin' me out.)

The blog is called Iselin Times, and it's all about my hometown. It's rather tongue-in-cheek, because it's a blog, really, not the news. Obviously. But I live in a very big town, and no one is really covering it. There are plenty of newspapers that cover the whole area, but they are bigger and I'm more micro. So if you are interested in taking a look, please do.

My goal is first, to build up content. I've been working on that, and I've got a lot more work to do. Second, after I have a lot for people to read, I'm going to try to get more readers. And after I have a bunch of readers, I'll try to get more advertising. Well, we'll see how that all works out. I know I can spend 40 hours a week writing... I just don't know if I can actually get PAID for it. But that's my best effort right now.

Other things I'm working on? My garden. I figure I'll have the summer off, so I'm trying to work on a good garden because I'll have the time to take care of it. And I'm cleaning my house. And obviously, taking pictures of flowers.

So that's what's new here. What's new by you?