Day 29 Post 18 - Day of Shopping

Today got off to a rough start. At 6:30 am I got a call from work.  An employee didn't show up for work. We couldn't get a hold of them. I am am a little concerned about them. A supervisor had to go in and cover the shift. I am hoping the supervisor got someone to cover tomorrow's shift.

I finally got up and went to town with my husband and son. We spent the day shopping. We went to a pawn shop and looked at some sewing machines. Well, I looked at sewing machines while they looked at guns. Then there was another gun/pawn shop which was disappointing. Then down to the flea market, where we did pick up a sewing machine in a table for $10. Not sure we are going to be able to get it fixed but I think I can put my mother's machine in the table. Then off to another sporting good store.

By the time we got home I was wiped out. I am not recovered from the asthma episode from Thursday. I slept for a little while and then came out and watched tv with my husband. It was basically a Lazy day.

I may regret not getting more done later on. But I am glad I took it easy today.

Day 28 Post 17 - Home Sick

Yesterday was a clean day for one of the production lines at work. This particular production line is right next to my office. With the negative air pressure in the plant the fumes from the chemicals flow right into my office. For most people the fumes are just unpleasant. For me, they are a trigger for an asthma attack. So I always work up front when they clean that line. 

Since I schedule swabs, I know what days they are cleaning that line. Yet I never remember on the day that they are cleaning it until the chemicals come out. Yesterday was particularly bad because I had to gather paperwork before heading up front. So my exposure was longer than usual. I ended up using my inhaler twice at work. By the end of the day, as I was driving home, my lungs felt like they were wind burned. I was supposed to meet with one of my employees but I canceled because I felt so crappy.

I haven't had a reaction that strong for months. But I think it was probably intensified by the stormy weather. That and the kids have had colds so my immune system might be a little compromised.

Any way last night I didn't sleep well at all. Twice I woke up wheezing and coughing. I did my nebulizer and was able to get back to sleep. The episodes were about 3 hours apart so I don't think I over used the albuterol. But I was worn out this morning. I had very little voice and my lungs still feel dried out. Being exhausted from lack of sleep and just not feeling well, I called in sick. 

I spent most of the day in bed. But I did get up and process the scraps left from the quilt I finished yesterday. So the day was not a total waste. Still I hate using vacation time to be home in bed. I'd rather be getting stuff done.

I kind of resent being sick some days. My time off is limited and very valuable to me. I don't want to waste it.  Do you every feel like being sick is a waste of time? 

Day 27 Post 16 - Rainy Day

 Today is kind of a Ho-Hum day. It is gray and rainy and the thunder storms just aren't that awesome.  I struggle is rainy weather. Don't get me wrong I love a majestic thunderstorm. I even enjoy the rain when I can get out in it for a little while. but the grayness is what gets to me.  I am a creature that needs light.

Although I have never been officially diagnosed with Seasonal Affective Disorder, I have had more than one doctor tell me I most likely have it. It all came to a head when we were living in Washington state.  It is always overcast there and I struggled with depression. Not the I'm going to kill myself depression just the sadness and tiredness type of depression. 

Anyway I am so much better off down here in the Sunny South. But when those rare rainy gray days do come, I do notice how it affects my mood. Now that I have asthma, it also affects my breathing. The change in barometric pressure does something to me.  So not the greatest of days but honestly it wasn't bad. At least I got the binding done on my quilt.

How was your day?

Day 26 Post 15 - Good Day/Trying Something New

 Today was a good day. We had a customer audit at work that went well. I was able to leave work at 4:00pm and come straight home. (only a 9 hour day)

Once home I rested for a bit. I was tired. But after I talked on the phone with my husband. I got to work and trimmed up the quilt and got the binding on. I am trying something new with this one. I am going to fully machine bind it. I usually stitch the binding onto the front and then turn it to the back and hand stitch it down. This time I stitched the binding to the back and am turning it to the front. I will stitch it down with a decorative stitch. I even have the machine set up to start on it.

Tomorrow before work I will try to get the binding turned and clipped in place. Then when I get home. I will stitch it down.  I am pretty stoked to get this one done. I am not happy with the quilting job I did, but I have learned a little more about my machine. And since this is a house quilt, trying something new only makes sense.

Have you tried something new lately?

Day 24 Post 14 - Good Day

 It was a good day despite getting up early. Despite going into work 3 hours early. Despite working 12 hours instead of 8. It was a good day.

I got into work early and connected with an employee I don't get to see often. I got all the paperwork done before a last minute meeting. The meeting was facilitating coordination efforts with another department on a plan of attack for some issues. I was able to work on some projects. 

Then I came home and finished quilting the quilt I that I put on the long arm this weekend. I had so much trouble with this quilt but I think I figured out where my problems lie. It feels good to just have it quilted. Now to make the binding.  

I am feeling like I got stuff accomplished. It was a good day.

Day 23 Post 13 - Choosing the Better Part

 This past week was filled with long days at work. Between meetings and trainings, there was the usual work and projects to handle. Plus there have been a bunch of personnel issues to deal with. Not a lot of fun. On top of that my husband was home this week.  I had very little time in the evening and I could either spend it doing my evening routine or spend it with him. At first, I tried to do both. that didn't work.

On a podcast that I listen to the host talked about the 5 love languages. that was really what spurred the decision to put my husband first. I thought about where I was placing my priorities. While my inner peace is important, so is my relationship with my husband. Since he travels so much, we get very little time together. I needed to make the most of the time we had to be together.

So I made the better choice. I let my evening routine go and spent the time with him. I did miss blogging. I really missed the deep scripture study. (I did do a little bit of scripture study) But I had time with my husband. I even went and walked the trees with him one day and I never walk the trees. I made the right choice. 

He leaves again tomorrow for a week. I will get back to my normal routine tomorrow night. Tonight I will enjoy the evening with him and the kids.

Day 18 Post 12 - Ups and Downs

 Today was an interesting day at work.  We had some DEI training/discussion that I really did enjoy. Then I got done several things on my to do list before a meeting. But I did not do one of those things in the manner that my boss' boss wanted. 

That resulted in a terse e-mail to me with my boss copied on it. To be fair I didn't understand what he was asking for. At times he can be as clear as mud.  Apparently the email upset my boss. It also upset the plant manager. After my boss and I talked, the plant manager sought me out to make sure I was okay. I was. I am not going to let little things upset me.

I talked with the guy and I have a better understanding of what he wants and why. I have a plan in place to placate his wants.    

But honestly after all the nit picking the past 2 days, I am more than willing to talk to the next recruiter that calls.  I do know how to do my job and having to defend my actions is not a way to get me to trust you. Nor is it a way to make me want to stay.

I am choosing to look at this whole thing as him trying to develop me. If I don't, I wouldn't be able to continue in that environment. He is a good guy and I don't think he always sees the whole picture.  I don't believe he was trying to come down on me he just wants more from me and for me.

Still, any recruiters out there, I'm listening.

Day 17 Post 11 - Frustrating Day

 I knew it was going to be a long day. I Just expected things to go smoother than they did.  Plus I didn't expect to be challenged by my boss and his boss on a principle I had been well trained on. Oh well, I persevere.

Tomorrow will be training and meetings and lots of explaining of plans. This week is going to be brutal any way you look at it.

It all is making me hope that I hear back from that recruiter.

Every have one of those days?

Day 16 Post 10 - Busy Few Days

The past couple of days have been a whirl wind of activity.  Friday was a very busy and log day at work. I actually napped after coming home. Then I went to pick up my husband at the airport. We had a late night and an early morning on Saturday. Well, mine wasn't that early, I didn't get up until 7:00am, but Kim woke me up with his moving around and getting ready to go cut wood.

When I did get up I struggled to get on with my plans for the day. I just wasn't motivated to get the quilt in the machine. I did cut up more scraps and picked up a little in the studio.

When the grandkids got here, we headed to the Mayhaw Festival in Colquitt, GA. It is a small festival that is held on the square. Craft booths, food vendors, some game type activities for kids and just a great small town vibe. I have never really been to Colquitt, just have driven through it a couple of times. I think it actually might be a nice place to live. It just felt very inviting.

After the festival we came home and they started working on prepping for a weenie roast. I had to run to work for an errand but came home just in time to eat a couple of hotdogs and toasted marshmallows.  The kids went home and we had a quiet few hours before bed.

Sunday, was church. I had to give a talk on Preparing for the Second Coming.  I think it went okay.  We came home and I cut up some more scraps. I then folded the laundry that I had been putting off folding for a week. Afterwhich, I took a nap for several hours. I was exhausted. I got up and paid bills. It feels nice to know that we are digging ourselves out of debt, building savings and still had the money we needed to cover an unexpected expense without dipping into savings. Financial blessings have been plentiful lately. 

How did your weekend go?

Day 13 Post 9 - Taking on More

 In my company, as part of their DEI commitment, they have Employee Resource Groups. I sit on the steering committee for the women's group. These ERGs have been running for a couple of years now. Unfortunately, they are mostly reaching office workers at Headquarters. We are talking about pushing the program out to the Satellite plants. 

In our steering committee meeting last week, I mentioned that the HR rep and I were talking about starting a women's support group. They loved that. But this week they started calling it a Mentoring circle. I told them that I would rather call it a support group. I feel like we will lose people if we call it a mentoring circle. But we have some women who would hear the word mentoring and feel like they didn't need that.  So many of our women think they know everything they need to know.

I admit I am passionate about the whole thing. I feel that women supporting each other would go a long way to improving morale. Plus I really would like to see the women at our plant start to work on advancing their careers. We have some talented women who are being held back by lack of skills and/or GEDs. 

The upshot of the whole thing is I am going to be heading up the Support group here in Georgia. I may have to develop 2 different groups to allow all women to attend. I may be biting off more than I can chew but I am going to be working to get these ERGs going at our plant.

Starting to see that work life balance disappear.

Have you ever been part of a support group?

Day 12 Post 8 - Grateful

 Yesterday was a little bit rough for me. It was my Mom's birthday. Writing the date all day long, (because I have to date lots of documents for work) just reminded me of her and how much I miss her. Thirteen years used to seem like a long time but it doesn't seem like she's been gone that long. I do miss her and Dad and Steven.

I am grateful for the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation. I am grateful for the resurrection. I am grateful for the promise of Eternal families. I am grateful that Mom and Dad were sealed in the temple and that all of us kids were either sealed to them or born in the covenant.  

I am also grateful for the times I feel her and Dad near by. I know that they are watching over us. Steven is too. I have felt them and dreamt about them. It always brings me peace.  I am so glad that I was given the gift of being able to feel or sense them nearby.

What are you grateful for?

Day 10 Post 7 - Long Day (a little out of balance)

 I had to take my husband to the airport this morning, which meant a 3:00am wake up. We did manage to get to bed a little earlier than usual but still it was a long day.  

I did get a lot done and managed to fix a lot of errors that were made while I was out last month.  But instead of leaving early, I left later than my normal working hours. So an 11 hour day. 

My work life balance is tipping towards work again. I need to get it tipping back towards life.  

How is your balance going?

Day 9 Post 6 - Easter Weekend

It has been a busy few days. Kim came home Thursday night fairly late. We slept in Friday morning. Then we picked up the local grandkids and kept them the rest of Friday. Also on Friday night, the newest grandchild brought her parents to grandma and grandpa's for Easter. 

We did have a scare Friday night when the TK and Jeramie were sideswiped. The other driver took off. But she was found and brought back to the scene then arrested. My daughter has some minor injuries but everyone else is okay. We are thankful for the Lord's watchful protection.

It was too rainy to cut firewood on Saturday, so those plans went out the window. We did go to the local livestock sale to buy a new Billy. We ended up with 2 new Nannies and a billy. One of the Nannies is needing to be milked, which was a little unexpected. We also came home with a little kitten. But the kitty went home with the local grandkids.

Easter Sunday, I made quiche for breakfast and we got our easter baskets. Then we went to Church. The program was well done and spiritual. Afterwards, we hurried home. Zach scattered the eggs for the kids' egg hunt and I started on dinner. Kim made the tomato cucumber and onion salad. I made Hot potato salad and put the ham in the oven. Perigrine did the leg of lamb when she got home froom work. Tats did turnip greens. TK and Jeramie did mac and cheese and Carrots. We also had a mixed berry fruit salad. All in all a yummy meal. 

The kids found most of the eggs in the first hour. But they needed their aunts help to find the last few.  Emerson picked quite a few Mulberries off the tree to add to the berry salad. Emerson and Dorian were sampling the Ham to make sure it was okay for everyone to eat, while we waited for the last few dishes to get done. 

It was a good family filled easter and I quite enjoyed it. The grand kids and their parents all went home by 5:00pm because tomorrow is a school day and a work day.  I was sorry to see them go but I am also ready to call it a night and it is only 6:22pm. But we will be getting up early so an early night is in order. 

I hope your Easter was a pleasant one.

Day 5 Post 5 - Hectic Day

When I left for work this morning I was wondering if it was going to be worth unpacking my lapt top. The day was really overscheduled. I was supposed to be in training from 9:00am to 10:30am. Then go to inspect the outside warehouse with the corporate visitor. After the inspection He and I were going to lunch together. There was a plant wide meeting scheduled for 2:00pm. And I needed to leave at 3:00pm for a dentist appointment at 3:50pm.

I got a slightly late start this morning and I arrived at work about 10 minutes late. After doing my normal check-ins. I took my computer to the training room. The person doing the training called and said that the training was canceled. I was able to go back to my desk and get to work. I was able to get lots and lots done in the morning. Well, the project I wanted to work on anyway. 

The inspection went well and lunch was good. The corporate visitor is a vegetarian and we went to a mexican restaurant that had several vegetarian dishes. I was able to get a grilled shrimp salad that was delish. We talked about our careers, our goals, our families, how we are trying to get that work life balance. In fact we talked about balance in everything. Both of us have been on a journey to improve ourselves. After lunch it was back to the plant.

There was a half hour before our meeting, so I went back to my desk and got some more work done. The meeting was good and only lasted about 20 minutes, so back to my desk to finish up and close out the day.  I left on time for my appointment.

The visit to the dentist was uneventful and I was able to get some Easter shopping done and get home about the same time as I had been leaving work. Only one more day of work this week. I am looking forward to having some down time.

How did your day go?

Day 4 Post 4 - Sleepy

 I have not had caffeine in the past 5 days. I am finding that I am having trouble staying wake. I doesn't help that I have been putting in long hours at work. Or that my asthma is acting up a little bit. But I know if I push through this I will be sleeping better.  My sleep has not been good for the past few weeks. At first I was blaming it on the trip, what with the time and schedule changes. But I should be readjusting by now. I did sleep better last night.

On top of the sleep issue,  I am craving sugary things. Fudge, chocolate chip cookies, brownies, etc. I am really struggling with not eating them. I need to get back on track and that stuff isn't going to help me reach my goal. I trip set me back a little bit.

That's the thing with making improvements in your life, you have to push through the hard stuff to reap the reward. I have to keep reminding myself it will be worth it in the end. But I still wish I could have my caffeine and sleep too. (Also cookies, brownies, and fudge)

Day 3 Post 3 - Monday

For a Monday things went pretty well. Work was uneventful except for the Tornado Warning. We did have to shelter in place for about a half hour. The rain and wind were intense. I didn't notice any damage near the plant or around Bainbridge but as I drove through Climax, there were a lot of trees down. Hopefully no one was hurt.

After work, I went to the pharmacy and picked up prescriptions, bought some groceries, then headed home. The only residual effect of the storm is the cooler temperature.

The one bright side of the day was I scored an old Kenmore sewing machine in a table.  I saw it on market place this morning for $75.00. I asked if it was still available. The seller wanted it gone and just gave it to me. I had Killian pick it up after work. By the time I got home he was already looking at what could be wrong with it. I know it sounds silly but that just tickled me to death.

It was an awesome score and we need to have machines to be working on so we can develop our skills.

What are you looking forward to?

Day 2 Post 2 - Focus

 I am convinced that I have ADHD. I have never been diagnosed as such and I don't really feel the need to be diagnosed. I have a son who was diagnosed with ADHD. As a result of his diagnosis, I started learning what I could to help him along the way. 

Here is what I know about me. I lose focus easily. I am impulsive. I lose items I need to complete tasks. I forget to do daily things. I am easily distracted. I talk too much. I interrupt other people's conversations. I blurt out answers to questions and struggle to wait my turn. I put off or procrastinate tasks that I don't enjoy doing. I struggle to organize my time, space and home. (That is everything except my crafting stuff and lately that is slipping.)

All of these are rather classic symptoms of ADHD. None of which have really impaired my life. While I am convinced that I do have ADHD. I am also convinced that it is mild.

But lately it has been a struggle for me to focus. This week in particular has been rough. I left for work without my glasses on Wednesday. I went back to get them. I forgot to put my dentures in on Friday. I did not go back for them. I almost forgot to take my medicine yesterday. The past 2 days I've struggled staying focused on any task. I am fliting from one task to another.  Plus I am totally unmotivated.

Part of what keeps me on top of things is the fact that I have routines. If I can stick to my routine, I do everything I need to do. On the weekends, the routines tend to go out the window. Also I have not been good about laying out plans for the weekend since they tend to get derailed. If I don't set myself up to do things right away, plans just get sidetracked. This all leads me to wandering through the day doing a little here and a little there and not getting anything accomplished.

I am sure the lack of caffeine the last 3 days isn't helping either. Caffeine tends to help with the focus but I am trying to get off it altogether. So routines will be even more important. But I am going to push through today. I will get the laundry folded. I will whittle down the scrap pile. And I will stitch a little bit for my sanity's sake. Oh and I better do the bills. See, unfocused.

How do you keep focus?

Day 1 Post 1 - True Self Care

Here it is April already. I am not ready for it to be April. I'm not ready for it to be March but that's over with. The old adage that time flies as you get older is true. But why is it true.

I think it is because as adults we have more responsibilities and more obligations. So our time is allotted to so many things that we don't always get to do the things we want to. My sister once commented on one of my posts, that I needed to quit my job if i was going to make all the quilts that I want to make. She's not wrong.

For me it has been a journey to find what works for me and what I have to prune out of my life. The last few months have been pretty chill for me. I do my morning routine, which gives me a spiritual boost and feeds my creative side. I call it my morning Zen. I am much better able to handle the so called  crises that spring up when I do this routine. In the evening, I blog, do scripture study, and I read. Usually I read a spiritual or self improvement book and then a fun or relaxation book. This gets me in the right state of mind to settle in for a good night's sleep. About the only time I watch TV these days is if I am really tired or my husband is home and I am being with him.

The thing with these routines is, they are feeding my soul. I am finding life is much better when we feed our souls. This is true self care. The other thing is I don't' feel guilty about not getting things done because I am not wasting time in front of the TV or playing computer games.  I am being productive. Just not always as productive as I would like. But self care is also recognizing your limitations.

I am still setting goals. I am still learning and growing. I am just not sitting and daydreaming or wishing for things to happen. Don't get me wrong, I still dream about winning the lottery or getting a huge windfall. But I am not sitting around and waiting for that to happen. I am taking steps to make it happen. That is also self care.

What are you doing to improve your self care?