A Blessed Mess Blog

Can you believe it's New Year's Eve 2012?  I can hardly wrap my head around the fact that 2013 is just hours away!  It would be an understatement to say 2012 was a great year because it has been so wonderful.  We've seen our ups and downs like any other family, but it has been an overwhelmingly great year.  The most recent event, of course, would be my job change.  It's been a little under 2 weeks since I said farewell to my job as a medical transcriptionist, a career that spanned nearly 17 years of my life, two weeks shy of 13 years with the same company.  Since my departure I've been an emotional rollercoaster, but the past few days I've been at peace with my decision and am really excited about starting my first of two new jobs this coming Friday at Valley Baptist's MDO program.  A HUGE change it will be, but one I'm excited about and looking forward to.  Next Tuesday, January 8, 2013, I will work my first day at the First Baptist MDO program....

Ever wonder why some days you just feel incredible, happy, and like things are just wonderful and then some days you just want to cry and for what seems like no reason whatsoever?  Well, I'm having one of the latter days today.  My day, Monday, started at 4:00 am today with work so typically Mondays and Tuesday (which start at 4 am) have a slow start and really never seem to speed up, but as most of you know this is my last week doing medical transcription and hopefully my last week to ever HAVE to get up at 4 am to work.  Sophie has been sick this weekend and she had to miss the church kids Christmas musical which she had practiced diligently for these past months.  I went to check on her and assess whether she'd be going to school today and couldn't get much from her except that her throat still hurts.  All of her tests were negative and her antibiotic isn't working, so I'm at this point thinking she's fighting something viral and will basically have to j...

As I reflect on this wonderful Thanksgiving Day, I can't help but smile.  This holiday was different for us this year.  I'm so thankful Travis wasn't on duty and we were able to spend it as a family together!  This morning was a "late" day for me work-wise and I didn't have to start until 8 am, so we even got to sleep in!  That was great even though Sophie woke us up at 6:30 am to tell us she felt better after a night of nausea and just feeling bad.  Of course, I couldn't go back to sleep, so I ended up getting out of bed around 7:20 and starting work a little early.  To my delight, I was out of work around 9:00 am so I managed to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with my crew.  Usually our Thanksgiving mornings when Travis is home are filled with rushing around trying to get a few dishes made to take to his family's for dinner.  This year his parents went out of state to spend the holiday with his younger brother, so our day was left open ...

I'm at a loss for words, y'all.  So I've had my2sweets for a few years going.  I've sold to friends, friends of friends, church friends, you know, nothing real big.  I did the Rhea Lana sale twice a year, which was big time for my2sweets.  I retired from RL last fall and went out with happiness in my head.  It was a great 6 sale run.  So with a job change looming (oh, man, nothing looming about it---it's elation, to be honest!!!) I tried focusing on my awesome little booth at The Bees Knees where I hang my American Girl doll clothes I sew.  I post pics from time to time on Facebook to show others.  It's pretty fun.  Christmas is nearing so I have a great idea from a friend, Ms Jamie, to make clothes for the popular little Elves...you know the ones.  I can't really TYPE their name, but you know what I mean :)  Anyway, around October or so I start talking about it.  Not much comes from it.  A sweetheart friend from church an...

Wow, what a difference a week or so can make.  I've worked so hard to stay positive and have positive, upbeat entries.  However, this one will be nothing of the sort.  The past few days have been some of the darkest, hardest days I've dealt with.  What is sickening is that my trouble is not from the loss of a love one or devastating news.  It simply is because of the job I've been in for the past almost 13 years.  Many of my posts reflect my woes with my job and time to time I'll have a post where I'm doing great, being positive, and things are just rolling along.  I've had some errors come back on me in the last few weeks that I've struggled with, but all the while I was thinking I had it under control.  This week I've lost that control.  You know, I've struggled with bouts of depression all my life and have managed to overcome them either with the help of antidepressants, therapy, or just prayer.  This time, however, I'm deeper than I'...

It seems like its been a week, but in reality we've only been here at Arkansas Childrens Hospital 2-1/2 days.  We found ourselves here when Ruthie Belle couldnt hold ANYTHING down and got dangerously dehydrated.  By the time we reached the ER here she had ketones in her urine, had ketones on her breath, had lost an entire pound in 24 hours since her visit at Primecare the night before, and was refusing to talk because her throat hurt from diagnosed Strep.  She was also refusing to swallow her secretions, therefore refusing any further attempts at taking in any liquids.  She was one sick little girl.  She was lifeless in Travis's arms as we waited to be taken back to an ER bed.  There she received her IV and her infusion began.  Now 2-1/2 days later she is STILL receiving IV fluids.  She was dry.  Even her saliva was elastic like and tacky.  No oral intake at that point for over 24 hours, only 1 potty,  no #2 for 2 days since he...

So I've been trucking right along with work, right?  My attitude adjustment seemed to have made just the difference I was needing.  Things were going well, work was flowing, and I thought I'd achieved the change I was looking for, a change that took place right at my same job!  My supervisor had agreed to let me try a new work schedule where I could work early hours 2 days a week and start at 8:00 am Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.  I was stoked!  At the same exact time my company began working with a completely new platform that was actually pretty awesome.  It sped up productivity and had lots of neat features that helped me get better line counts.  And, like I had told my supervisor, having to work while my kids were getting ready to school was not efficient and my stats showed me to be "inactive" over 30% of the time I was supposed to be working.  Within the first 2 weeks of my new schedule I had whooped that down to a super-duper 8.8%! ...

This is the moment I've been waiting for!  First of all, I am overwhelmed with joy.  I feel like I'm smack dab in the middle of a stage production of some kind!  It's like God has dropped this amazing gift on me that I'm not worthy of, but He still chose to answer my prayer.  I've been asking Him for a while to bring about this change and He's listened to me day after day, more like hour after hour.  I never gave up hope, God.  I may have wavered in my strength and faith to a point, but I never completely lost hope.  I acknowledged that it would be on Your time and I did my best to stay strong and carry on.  And You were faithful to answer my prayer and I am SO thankful!!!!  It's not what I would call a 100% perfect solution, but it is YOUR solution and therefore I know it is what's best for me!!!!  Thank you, Jesus, for interceding on my behalf!  This change will allow me to ready my kids for school without the extra pressure of wo...

It's gonna be another positive post from me...if you can believe that!!!  Why wouldn't it be?  I'm alive...I am healthy...my family is healthy...I have a job that helps provide for my family even if the hours aren't ideal...I am saved by Jesus and know where my destination lies...and to be negative or down would be an insult to all the blessings He has provided me, blessings that are abundant and so overflowing!  This morning when I was making Ruthie Belle's bed out of the blue I started having feelings of being left out and not really accepted and liked.  It was probably when I was smoothing out her flat sheet when they crept in my head.  For a split second I stopped what I was doing and started thinking about it, but thank the Lord just as quick I said, and I said it outloud mind you, "Uh-huh.  No.  Don't do that.  I am accepted and people do like me just the way I am.  Nice try, devil.  But, you're not gonna win this one.  I'm sp...

Sometimes it's just plain hard trying to act like you've got it all together, that everything is just peachy keen!  You know, I wonder if sometimes you can actually see me physically cracking right before your eyes?  Funny, right?  Well, maybe.  This waiting for another job opportunity to come along has proven to be way more difficult than I had first anticipated.  Maybe I was crazy to think I'd post a few resumes, take a few typing tests online, and whammo!  I'd have a new job!  I guess so because this journey has been far from that.  I've taken I don't know how many typing tests, posted dozens of resumes, and have either heard back no, not right now, or just plain ole nothing!  It's hard to keep from doubting myself, my abilities, my skills at what I do, but I'm trying my best to keep a positive attitude and to truly believe it when I say that I know God has a plan for me and is working behind the scenes to prep me for the next step in my j...

Okay, so the interview this morning didn't quite work out.  The recruiter was great and very upfront which I appreciated.  Unfortunately, the position required weekend work...again.  So maybe I should be more thankful for the position I do  have.  I don't work weekends right now.  Maybe the early hours aren't so bad...no...it's hurting my family so I must press on!  I feel so strongly that God wants me to look elsewhere for better hours so I can make my family life better.  It's just going to be harder than I thought.  As a matter of fact, I submitted inquiries to 2 more companies just this morning.  I even went so far as to call Baptist in Little Rock to see if they offered at home positions in the transcription department, and of course they're all in-house.  So now I have this new laptop, this state of the art top of the line foot pedal with top of the line software that didn't come here for free and I have yet to find a way to g...

You're probably not gonna believe this, but I'm actually going to do a positive blog entry!  Yep, I know!  You're as stunned as I am!  It's not something I do very often, if ever, even.  I'm just reflecting on things and how life is going.  All that whining and complaining I do day to day has a way of chipping away at the joy God has given me.  No matter how bad things get, there is always something good in the midst of it... always.  My failure to see that is just a reflection of how weak I am and how easily I let my faith fall flat.  You see, I have a job, granted it's not the most wonderful job in the world and I don't make a whole lot of money and the hours (as you have heard me gripe about more than you want to) are bad, but it's a job.  I am healthy.  My family is healthy.  This will not always be and I know that.  God has allowed me to wake up another day and I have the assurance of knowing I am saved by His son, Jesus, ...

I'm trying to type this as quietly as possible so no one will hear me.  It's 11:50 pm on this Wednesday night.  We managed to get into bed, Sophie, Ruthie Belle, and myself, before 9:00 pm which is great being it's the first week of school.  Sunday night, though, Sophie was up literally all night throwing up with diarrhea so her first day of school was delayed until Tuesday.  All the while little RB talked of her turn getting sick and when it happened would I take care of her?  I reassured her all week as did Travis when he was here.  Still, she kept waiting for her turn to be sick.  Amazingly, her turn came tonight around 10:30.  I was sound asleep.  I awoke to gagging and the ominous sound of upchucking coming from her room followed by her soft sobs and tears.  "Great" was the first thought that ran through my head followed quickly by "not again."  Please don't think of me as inconsiderate because it broke my heart to have another...

Yep, it's been a while since my last entry.  Life gets so busy who has time to actually sit down and blog...not me I guess.  But today I'm making myself take the time to stop long enough to make an entry if for no other reason than to just vent and maybe find a little relief.  So this morning work-wise was pretty awful.  My day begins at 3:30 am, so that in itself makes for a pretty jacked up day.  Basically I just sit down and type in the quiet of the night/morning, whichever you think most appropriate, while the rest of my household sleeps like normal human beings.  Only the dog is up with me...actually she goes back to sleep as soon as I drag her little bed into the office.  She's in the room with me physically, but otherwise she's in la-la land.  I do have my trusty TV overhead to keep me company.  Typically it's Law and Order CI, but this morning the TV was on Animal Planet so Gator Boys was on.  I found it kind of exciting to hav...

So it's been a while since my last entry...been busy with life I guess.  Soph finished school Friday, RB the previous Friday, so now summer break it on.  Sure wish it was for me, too, but oh, well!  I'll continue to start work at 3:30 am like usual.  At least now I can work through and not have to stop to take kiddos to school!  So we've had end of school awards, touring of the new middle school for Soph, lots of field trips, closing ceremony of Awana at school, and so much more  And we're still working on renovations to the house.  Our addition is all done, but the updates and things to the existing house continue on.  It's now up to Travis to open up the girls' bath and make it bigger and then he'll finish the hardwood floors and he and Jason will put down the living room carpet.  It's been a loooooong project, about 6 months longer than we anticipated, but the end is in sight.  We look foward to that wrapping up!...

I write this entry with a heavy heart.  Since the prior entry, the decision was overturned and we were granted Glory.  In fact, some of my church friends in our exercise group even met her.  She was a fantastic little girl and she loved me and the girls so much.  We had a 2-1/2 week trial with her and at the end of that trial we returned Glory to her foster home.  There were issues that we couldn't resolve and her caseworker assured me she would return to her foster home she knew and as of last Thursday she has is back in that home.  The decision I made still haunts me and it is my sincere prayer to God that He will help me through it and continue on.  There will not be another dog anytime soon and I will have to come to terms with that.  I pray that God will help me do that because He's the only one who can help me in this situation.  And I'm crying out to Him for that peace that only He can give.  The girls are healing and doing w...

This is harder to do than I thought it would be.  I guess it's because I'm having to face my emotions and further deal with what has happened as I'm typing this entry.  I'm guessing it's become obvious to you already what I'm referring to, especially if you follow my blog.  My last entry was upbeat as I was trying to overcome my adoption fears and convincing myself it was okay to let another doggy into my heart in that space, that void, that Missy left when she left us back in 2009.  The blog introduced you to Glory, the little crazy looking dog who'd captured our hearts simply by looking at her picture.  Well, try to imagine how captured we were after spending an hour with her in our home this past Tuesday.  It took a week, but we finally waited out the other possible adopter to pick another dog.  And by then we'd also lined up another dog to visit with, a little black chihuahua/min pin mix, Patsy.  We arranged to have both dogs come to our ...

It's been a great week for my2sweets.  Happy to report all is well and I am still working on multiple orders I hope to fill over Spring break.  But, today I wanted to blog about something not business related.  In case you didn't know, 6 months before Travis and I married we adopted together a dog, Missy.  She was a rat terrier mix with spirit and such uniqueness!  She lived with him until we married, and from then on out we became a special family of 3.  She was our everything .  She ruled the roost, to be honest.  We were devoted to her and were in love with her completely.  After being dropped off in 2000, BG joined our family after we fell in love with her.  She was an enormous chocolate lab who was the most kind, loving animal I have ever seen to date!  When Soph arrived in 2003 Missy's life changed and she became second to the baby, but she was still such a special girl.  BG seemed indifferent to the new addition and lo...

Oh, yes, I am so enjoying my first week back from Rhea Lana!  It's work as usual, but wow, no long, long hours like last week!  Yes, I'm still up at 3:40 every morning typing, but at least when I'm done with my shift, I'm done!!!  I miss the friends I have there, but life is keeping me busy.  My supplies are still empty, but this weekend I plan on getting the goods I need to complete a few orders I have.  I am honored to be making Kristie (the owner of Searcy's Rhea Lana" some bedding for the bunkbeds she bought from me (YAYYYYY!!!!) for her daughter.  I consider myself blessed beyond measure to be a part of Searcy RL and to call Kristie my friend.  She has been sooooo good to me, as have all the great girls at RL, and it is so exciting everytime she or her daughter choose to buy anything from me!  The color scheme is completely gorgeous and fun (lime, electric blue, zebra, hot pink) and I can't wait to put something cool and unique together for ...

Wow!  It's been over a week since my last entry and yep, the big Rhea Lana Searcy sale is all over with, done, and put to bed!  Yes sir, I am absotively and posolutely glad that it's all finished!  I'll try not to make this entry a novel, but I do want to share a few things from the eventful event.  Monday was fabulous!  It took me longer to set up my booth because I had so much more stuff than normal.  I more inventory, more props for my table, more everything !  So, after I got set up I was able to visit with some of the returning vendors and get reacquainted.  I especially love The Shifty Fox (Stephanie Price).  We were both buddies last sale and I grew to totally love the girl.  We are from the same hometown, but we had so much more in common.  She's a total sweetheart and I love her stuff.  She is successful and very deserving so.  God is doing great things in her life I tell ya.  I grew to love her even more t...

So here it is...the eve of manning my booth at this Spring's Rhea Lana sale.  Am I ready?  Well, I guess I have no choice, right?  Haha!  Yep, I'm ready.  I did a dry run this afternoon with all my stuff on my display and it looked pretty good, only wish I had more .  You know, I have more this sale I think than ever, I just wish I had about twice as much as I'm taking. My competition will be fierce and the more ammo I have the better, so now I'm left wondering how much she will have flower-wise.  For the past 4 sales she's tried to put hers out and the girls at RL have stopped her, but this year its open for all to do whatever.  I make up several bows, but not as many as I would have liked.  She specializes in bows and I can't compete with that, so I'll be tickled if I sale any of my bows.  The amount of doll clothes I'm taking is pretty good, so now let's hope they sell!!  Scared doesn't even begin to explain how I'm feeling thi...

Oh what a happy ending to this beautiful Saturday!  So, I sat down to make another 2-piece American Girl Doll outfit today and prayed while I started stitching like I do with each creation.  I pray that God will guide my hands and help me make it a quality item and that if somone comes to buy it that they will be blessed by it in some kind of way.  To my surprise I managed to complete it under 2 hours and for me that is incredible !!!  A few hours later I decided to post a pic on Facebook and within 5 minutes I had a friend inquire about it and she went on to make it hers!  She asked about other items I had so I posted pics and amazingly she bought 4 more pieces!  Another friend inquired about the outfit I posted yesterday, and this friend who bought the 5 pieces wants yesterday's outfit is my other friend doesn't!  Words can't express how this makes me feel!  After a dry spell and only a few dollars worth this new year sold it sure gave me h...

Oh my word, I am so excited today!  Why, you ask?  Well, let me just tell you.  As you probably know, I've only been sewing since last year, probably a year in April or so, but the Lord has blessed me with the ability to learn pretty quickly and work even without a pattern most times.  So, the excited part...today I made a cute little American Girl Doll outfit...YES, OUTFIT as in 2 pieces that coordinate!  This is far bigger than my AGD maxi dresses and purse sets, this is BIG people!  The top is a halter top that resembles the maxi dresses, only a top and the pants are white with the ankles in the same material as the top!  That is a FIRST for me!  I actually used 2 materials on the pants!!!!  I topped the little shirt off with a white fabric flower from the same pant material. I hope you're not saying, "okay, what's the big deal and the excitement all about?"  For me, a novice seamstress, a wanna-be pro seamstress, it's just an ac...

Wow!  It's officially less than 2 weeks until I work at the my2sweets booth at the Rhea Lana sale here in Searcy!  I'm scared, but so excited!  This will be my 5th time to have my2sweets at the RL sale and each time has been pretty fun.  I've met lots of people from all over the state and have had the opportunity to just visit with most of them and just get to know them.  I've had sales as small as $1 and much more.  One of my most memorable was last August when a young mom bought 29 of my crocheted headbands for her daughter and a friend who had just had a little girl. Of course I remember her and hope she visits me again this year!  As far as my competition this sale, I have less, but they are very good at what they do.  M's Creative Designs specialize in hairbows with bottle caps, something I definitely don't do, so I really don't consider them direct competition unless they start selling headbands!  And, everyone knows the Bow Lady....

So here it is just shy of 2 weeks before the big Rhea Lana sale here in Searcy.  Boy am I excited AND nervous!!!!  Last night I laid all my current inventory out on the kitchen table to gauge what I had to take with me for the booth.  I was pleasantly surprised to see I had duplicates of most color flowers and bows, but I would love to have 4, maybe 5 of each one day!  But, I can't complain.  I sure have come a looooooong way since that first sale back in 2009!  Today we ventured to Hobby Lobby for me to get some last minute tulle so I can whip out a dozen or so more tutu poofies in a few more colors.  I guess they're my favorite item to make and sell.  They're unique and so whimsical!  I even managed to grab a sweet little roll of cute teal fabric with birds on major clearance to hopefully make an American Girl Doll dress and tote!  Trust me...finding a gem of a fabric deal makes even the most exciting day shopping even more exciting!...

Well, I did it...my2sweets has just joined the world of business...the world of paying taxes...the world of reporting monthly to the government how much (or little, in my case) I make!  This decision came after lots of thoughts, prayers, and soul-searching.  In order to continue vending at the local Rhea Lana's Children's Consignment sale in Searcy I had to make the move to obtain a tax ID thereby registering my2sweets as a real, tax collecting and paying business.  I must admit, I wasn't into it at all at first.  I was pretty sure I'd have to pass because my2sweets is such a small b usiness, but after lots of thought and lots of prayer Travis and I came to the decision that I should at least try it a year which would be 2 RL sales and see how it goes.  Like most small business, my2sweets probably will never turn a legitimite profit when I do my books to the penny and account for all expenses I have and when it comes to that point in time I may have to reevaluat...