finishing

I have been looking at who visits this blog (which isn't much) and it mostly seems to be coming from a different country.  So, I am moving my favorites lists to a different place on the computer so I can still visit them (which is mostly what I do with this site anyway) and will not be posting anymore.  Perhaps I need to go back to plain old pen and Paper to do my journaling with.

Signing off for now!

Summer preparation

Well, our oldest is almost done with his first year at college.  Probably didn't do a very good job of it.  His ADD makes learning new systems challenging.  He is also struggling with keeping his spending in line (he likes gadgets and going out to eat!).  Anyway, he really didn't save any funds up and is now indicating that he will be moving home for the summer.  That isn't necessarily a problem.  The problem is that his job at the food service on campus is only open during the school year and so he needs employment for the summer.  We have been prodding him to get some applications out for a summer job but he doesn't seem motivated for that.  Then he informed us that he is planning on just doing "odd jobs" this summer!  PROBLEM there!!!  We think that is code word for just being lazy most of the summer while we pay the bills.  Needless to say....I am pretty ticked-off about that!
So, husband and I are going to sit down with him and let him know that if he doesn't have a 20+ hour a week regular job (or combination of regular "odd jobs") then he will need to sign up for some summer classes at the college.  AND possibly go on a summer mission's trip of some sort. 
I think that our son is in for some painful life lessons pretty soon.  This makes me sad but I am definitely praying for him!  Praying that he learns his lessons quickly and without too much pain.  It is hard to watch your child learn to fly! 

Weather???

Is anybody annoyed with the weather this spring?  We have had some summer-like days that required me to drag out shorts & t-shirts.  And now it is back to spring weather with temperatures around freezing at night and long-sleeved weather in the day!  At least there is no snow in the forcast :-)

The nice thing is that garden clean-up is great!  Pleasant days and NO BUGS!!!  I've enjoyed working through the areas that I clean-up last year with extensive weeding and mulching.   This year, those areas are just a quick run through for weeds and ready for action.  However, I am now ready to tackle our west fence line where I really haven't done much work and I know that it is going to be HARD WORK!  I will start with the deep pruning of the forsythia bushes (needed to do that for a couple of years now) and deep cleaning with a paper barrier and mulch on top.  This method keeps the weeds back well and eventually breaks down naturally. 

Mid Life Crisis??

This year I will turn 48!!!  Crazy.  So much closer to the dreaded 50 :-)  Anyway, I am finding this stage of life to be more enduring than ever.  There is definitely this feeling of "I'm just settling" right now.  Part of it has to do with the kids and not trying to upset the flow of things.  This is especially true for Lydia.  She struggles with change and has commented several times that we cannot move or anything until she graduates from high school.  Considering her personality...this is true and we have resigned that we will just stay in this holding pattern for now.  It's a comfortable life but not overly inspiring.  Somehow, I always imagined I would be doing something more "out there".  I think that I would enjoy some short-term missions work but just don't see that happening right now.  So I guess that I'm in a mid-life crisis of sorts.  Wishing I was a couple of years farther down the road but desperately trying to keep my focus on this present moment.  Wishing that we attended a church with a more vibrant life and enthusiam in youth ministry but settling for what we have here and supporting the great pastor we have (and our church doesn't necessarily embrace).  I just need to keep laying these things at the feet of Jesus and TRUST that he will bring me through this part of life! 

Another Idea

Okay....this is not original but it is a good idea for a business.  The idea is Create Something Inspiring.  (CSI)  Focus on the inspiring Part (craft theme...decorating theme....etc).  Try to incorporate a local mission to support with it (Like or Habitat for Humanity chapter).  The business could just open on Saturday and then have a window display the rest of the week of ideas for folks to get inpired from.  Hmmm....still thinking about the business!

more tinkering...

I'm thinking something like "Creation Station" or "Craft Hackers".  Offer a recycled craft source area and then die cuts, accessories, fabric, ribbon etc.  People could bring in their own stuff and use the hardware to assemble a product OR they could visite the recycle area and bag up stuff. Could charge for the new stuff and/or charge by size of project.  IE....like their item would fit in a certain size bag  and price it by size of bag.  Have classes....open for party or clubs to resource together.  Hmmm.....

Further thoughts...

I've decided that I don't want to be the "manufacture" person of a business but rather the person that inspires creativity.  Having beautiful foundations for folks to work from.  Maybe offering "fulfillment" process where I would create something to go with an event they are planning.  Fabric, die-cut services, craft findings, classes for different art forms AND maybe an area to showcase a local artist.   Seems like ideas are starting to come together :-)

New Year

The new year started off with the oldest moving up to campus!  So exciting for him....hope he does well at school with that arrangement.  Enjoyed cleaning up the remains of his room and making the bed in there and actually leaving the door open!  Moved some of hubby's instruments and his "tool boxes" for instrument repair in there as well.  He had been piling those things up in the newly refurbished "study room" (what had previously been his office but really was more of a junk room).  Probably will do a little more cleaning and sorting in there and just leave it alone.  It will be used by him during his off-school time when the dorms close down.  I'm enjoying just looking in there to a nice and neat area!

Husband will be talking with him (during their weekly leadership one-on-one meeting) about him gearing up for some sort of summer employment.  He is assuming that he will be able to work at the summer camp but I'm not getting a good sense from leadership that he will be able to do that.  We want to get him thinking of other options and ideas for the summer months.  Maybe even getting a word in now of his availability to work at Penn with their summer maintenance work.   Just don't want him to sit around the house all summer with nothing to do.