Verbal Vomit or Some things I’ve been thinking about
1. I’ve exercised three days in a row. This is huge for me. I’ll wait while you applaud. I actually did really well with exercise when I had a gym membership because it took care of my two biggest exercise issues. #1 I have a whole mess of kids- they make exercise at any sane hour of the day next to impossible. #2 Motivational peer pressure. The gym had a child care center and the classes were killer- but being the competitive being that I am I can’t quit once I’ve started if anyone can see me. I know, I clearly have issues. But I’ve not wanted to (or Steve won’t let me) join a gym again. So last week I ran into some ladies from my old ward (congregation) and they were encouraging me to come work out with them. I started this week. I’m blathering on here, I’ll get to the point. They exercise Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the church and their kids run around at the other end of the gym playing with toys. One of the ladies was a really mean exercise instructor in a previous life and they do toning on Mondays and either step aerobics or interval training on Wednesdays and Fridays. It works with my schedule, the kids love playing, the peer pressure is there and it’s free. Tuesday I even rode my bike because dang I’m out of shape. I know it’s obvious to the rest of you but I’m a little slow. But it’s the peer pressure thing- I need to be able to keep up.
2. The cake thing. I got my first negative feedback this week. It was hard to hear. Thing was that I probably deserved it. I had an ‘off’ day in the kitchen and rushed things too much. I’m actually still reeling and trying to mentally deal with it. To the point that I’m thinking maybe I should step back and not try to do this as much as I’m trying. But in the last 3 days I’ve gotten two orders (both for birthday cakes) and a tasting (for a wedding cake) scheduled. But how do I deal better with ‘off’ days. I need to figure something out so that off days don’t happen- or so that I learn to compensate better. I’ve been evaluating how badly I really want to do this and what my limits are or need to be. At this point in my life I don’t want a full time or even part time job. Is it worth doing at all other then the occasional birthday cake? Is it something I’ll ever take to the ‘next level’?
3. My cake website. I’ve taken it down for now. It was severely neglected and I’d changed prices in my price matrix on Excel without changing them on the website- bad idea. Maintaining the website was difficult and cumbersome- I’d like to change it to a Wordpress blog format- something that I’m familiar with and really could set up much easier- but I have to install Wordpress on it. Wordpress has a ‘free’ install service- but it’s only for non-profit blogs (like this one which they did). I need someone smart to install it for me in exchange for cake or something. Know anyone? Which leads me to…
4. I think I need to take a computer class. Seriously I know enough to be frustrated that I can’t do what I know can be done.
5. I think we may be buying a house on April 24th. At least that’s the date that the people we’re buying it from want to close on- but seeing as they’ve not responded with a formal counter offer (without ridiculous contingencies) I don’t think they’re that serious about it. This will make our fourth move in 3 years. Hopefully the last for a very long time. (knock on wood). Anyone have any moving boxes? (Seriously).
6. I was at Saver’s (a thrift store) tonight looking for some books for Ashley and an aerobics step for me and happened across some pink cowgirl boots in Annika’s size. Pretty sure I win mom of the year for that $1.99 purchase.
7. I can’t wait for April 15th. Steve does taxes ‘on the side’ which means he comes home from his day job and works until midnightish on taxes for the month of March and half of April. It’s good supplemental income and it’s better then when he worked for the CPA firm where he worked those same hours- but from 20 minutes away rather then downstairs where I can bug him for a minute or leave for a massage (like tonight) while he’s still working and not worry about the kids. But I’m ready for him to be ‘done’ for a while and to have him back.
8. I used to love Spring. It used to be my favorite season. But here? It’s a form of torture. One day it’s beautiful and sunny and you have lovely little flowers like these:
then 3 hours later it’s snowing on those lovely little flowers. Sucks big time.
9. I need to purge. I was thinking about this in my closet today. I’ve got several boxes of clothes in the bottom of my closet that I’ve not even looked at knowing that they don’t fit. Why am I keeping them? I know there’s the whole, “I’m going to lose weight and then they’ll fit thing” but really some of them I’m not sure I’d wear even then. I need to get over my hereditary hording tendencies and purge so I don’t have to move stuff that I’ve already moved 4 times without unpacking because I don’t need it!
10. I’m excited to go camping this summer! We’ve ‘tentatively’ planned a handful of camp outs and trips for this summer. I’m excited to go-which reminds me I need to get new poles for our tent. We’re planning Bear lake, Yellowstone and then a couple of short camp outs that are a little closer. We kept ‘planning’ on going camping last summer and never followed through. Steve and I have also decided to go to San Fransisco for our anniversary trip. I’m getting excited for it.
***How do you feel about Spring?***
***Do you have boxes, an aerobics step or computer knowledge?***
***How do you part with stuff you ‘might’ need down the road?***
***Do you feel like hording is inherited?***
***Do I talk too much? Seriously- you’d think this blog was about me***
Filed under: Uncategorized
I feel hording is inherited.
Jon’s mom loves books and has a lot.
Jon loves books and has a lot.
I fear that my children are doomed to make their husbands pack all their books and move them.
I’m also sorry that you’ve had an off day with your cake making. That’s totally how I felt with my truffles.
ready?
nice work on the excersize. I wish I could work out with you. Im having the “too many children, not enough time” problem.
sorry about the badish cake. Im no help with computer stuff, I just bug relatives to do it for me.
I feel the same way. I know there is stuff in photoshop I can do, just no idea how to do it, and a husband too busy to show me. Ive talked about taking a class for ages.
score! on the boots. awesome boots solve everything.
hang in there, its only one more week!
Utah spring is nuts. A total tease. Especially this year
Ive still got my skinny clothes too. I cant part with them because that means I will be fat forever. I cant handle that thought. So even though the clothes are ten years old and probably out of fashion, I keep them for mental sanity.
I Heart camping. You all should drive allllll the way up here and go camping with us.
Becky’s last blog post..I NEED a baby girl…
I’ve got lots of boxes. Feel up to a drive?
I am sorry to hear about your cake comment that is sad. I say get rid of the clothes…it always makes me feel better to clean house. If you haven’t worn them in a year…you probably don’t want to so donate them. Lastly, I just saw at our Costco here that they are selling moving kits: boxes, tape, little packing materials. You should check that out. Good luck on all of it!
Hannah’s last blog post..Holy Static
I love Spring. I hate the spring-winter-spring-winter-spring-winter thing, though. I went running Monday morning and noticed it was starting to rain. By the time I got the kids up an hour later there was an inch of snow on the ground. Of course it was all melted by noon. Craziness….
May I suggest a phone call to McDonald’s for boxes? I worked there in high school, and the fry boxes are a perfect size for moving. They just crush and recycle them.
I’m a baby at computer stuff. Sorry. No help there. I too have a goal to take a computer class and figure out what the heck I’m doing. No aerobics step either.
I only have modified hording tendencies. I get a rush out of getting rid of stuff, but there are some things I can’t ever seem to part with despite having not touched them in years. My hubby is waaaaaaay worse. I unearthed an entire box of newspapers from his Junior High school. He didn’t even write for the paper or anything - just kept them.
Hording is a genetic trait…very difficult to overcome.
Off days happen. I think you’re quite brave for diving into cake making and catering period. I get too much performance anxiety : P.
Heidi V.’s last blog post..Even more good stuff
My sister has a tiny closet and had clothes she had hung on to since the 80’s (bold colors, shoulder pads, acid wash…I don’t miss those days!) so I helped her clean it out one day and was awarded the title of “closet nazi” (I have also been a “kitchen nazi” on another occasion). I basically threw away anything that I didn’t think she needed. Maybe you need an outside opinion while you are purging…I live 30 feet away! (and I’m mean!)
Is this house the one that you were looking at before or a different one?
Sorry about the cake thing…I think your cakes are awesome…I want to be just like you!
The negative feedback wasn’t actually on a cake- it was on cookies. I’ve actually never had negative feedback on a cake (although I’ve felt like I’ve deserved it).
LM maybe I’ll take you up on your offer. We’ll see how well I do first though.
I also have two different sizes of clothes other than the ones I am in, so even though I think you should get rid of them, I haven’t. Hoarding is genetic my mother has a full basement full of things she doesn’t need and will probably never use. I try to fight against that current, but sometimes I don’t make it all the way up stream. If you would just buy a Mac you wouldn’t need computer classes because like the commercials say it really is intuitive. Last but not least, I love the way you write, I think on top of being a wife, mother of 4, and baker that you should write a novel. Maybe you could be the next Stephanie Meyer.(no pressure though)
Good for you on the exercise thing!
Sorry for the critical review. I am not good at taking that kind of stuff.
Spring this year sucks big time! I just want to get here and STAY here. NOW!
Jo’s last blog post..A Year of Posts!
Hording is HEREDITARY!!! Especially the emotional attatchment thing. “I already have that, and I will never have one exactly like THAT again!” Or, “I wore that to *insert special event here*! It’s stupid, but it’s true.
Hope always says, “If I loose the weight, I deserve new clothes!”
I always end up spending more on clothes, especially pants, because I’m so freakin’ short, they are hard to give up!
I’ve had “off days” too, with my job. But, it’s not personal, it’s business… (except, yours is more personal. It’s your art work/Craft) It’s like, if I sing at a church poorly… it hurts.
I’ve been excersizing more, but eating more to compensate. I need to watch that!
No opinion on the spring thing. We have about 37 seconds of spring in Texas. My little bro is a computer whiz. He set up all our family blogs on wordpress. I’m sure he’d be glad to help you, if you didn’t mind a complete stranger. I’m a hoarder too. But I choose to call it being prepared and thrifty. Someday I might actually need that stuff . . . or not. . . . hmmm. I like the long posts because frankly, you’re entertaining! So, there you go.
Yes, I do think we learn this in our family of origin (either by extremes - my friend’s theory that a hoarder raises pitchers and vice versa - or by example). I was surprised after I wrote my post about my pack-rat tendencies (called “A Night of Nostalgia”) to hear my cousin discuss her parent’s pack-rat tendencies. I do remember hearing my mother complain about how our grandmother had thrown away all of her toys and now her kids couldn’t play with the toys she grew up with when we visited grandma’s house.
It is a very HARD thing for a pack-rat to be married to a pitcher/neat-nick, but it does help me try a little harder to go against my natural grain. I was at a thrift store tonight and had to verbally talk myself out of several things that would just end up being clutter - books I could really get at the library, etc.
I love your Comment Luv thing - Hopefully some of your friends will visit me and read about my pack-rat tendencies (even though it is not my most recent post)!
Wendy’s last blog post..Why Do They Do It?
1. YAY. I’m happy for you.
2. We all have our off days. I rarely have a cooking/ baking failure, but when I do they are usually spectacular.
3. Better to have it down, then end up giving unintentional discounts or having disgruntled customers.
4. Do it.
5. Good luck.
6. You know how I feel about thrift shopping and yeah, you’re mom of the year.
7. I may ask Steve how to work my taxes for a sole proprietorship - I’ll give you a break after April 15th, first!
8. hah! that’s what you get for moving away from the desert.
9. Get rid of it. If you lose weight, you deserve new clothes. I went to an organizer presentation and one of the things she said that stuck in my heart was, “The world has more of what I need.”
10. Yay camping. Go to San Franciso when it’s hot. I hear it’s often windy with a cold wind off the ocean.
Hope’s last blog post..Very tired.
Congrats on exercising 3 days in a row! That would be huge for me, too.
And ouch about the negative cake feedback! I remember once when a former coworker complained about a wedding cake I’d done on the side for her friend. She even described the horrible facial expressions of the bride when her husband fed her my apparently horribly dry cake. I took some consolation in the fact that the cake looked beautiful and I’d at least given them a HUGE deal, but it still hurt. But that said, I wouldn’t let one person’s negative feedback set you back TOO much, especially if you knew in the back of your mind that you’d had an off day in the kitchen. I’m sure you’ll learn from your mistake and not repeat it, and from what I’ve seen of your work here, you appear to be VERY talented!
Sugarmama’s last blog post..It’s a nice day for a white onesie
I hate off days. I always have them when I cook for others. I could never do what you’re doing. I think it’s amazing!
I have the same clothes thing in my closet. I keep them with the thought that I’ll wear them again someday, but I’ve just decided that if I lose the weight I deserve a whole NEW wardrobe, so why keep it? None of it is in style anymore anyway.