Daily Joy Project 2011 - Feb 16

 Like I stated in yesterday's posting, I will post my daily joys to keep my attitude in check. So here goes it for today!!

DAILY JOYS: WEDNESDAY

1) had a decent day at work even though I wanted to strangle several members

•  This is a great praise as I was extremely moody when I woke up this morning. If I could have, I probably would have stayed in bed all day. The sun was not out and I was just frustrated at life, even though nothing was really happening. The phone calls today were difficult, but I took deep breaths and got through it.

2) I found out that in January I averaged 6 calls per hour, which I can improve on

• This seems like a lot if you think about it on an eight hour work hour scale. I pretty much average around 48 calls per day. I though know that I can do better than that. I need to learn how to talk and type at the same time and make my notes while I am speaking with a member or provider. I then also need to place myself back into the holding cue rather than wait for my phone to do it for me. I am going to challenge myself for the rest of the month to try and raise my daily call intake. I will update you next month!

3) It is pretty warm this week for temps and I love it!

• I like everyone in the NE Ohio area are very tired of the super cold weather and drab days of winter. I am very excited that the temperatures this week have been in the mid-40s to low 50s!!! This is huge!! I never thought how warm 40 degrees would be!! Spring is on it way soon, even if we do have one more snow storm before everything is all over with.  

4) My chef salad from Cracker Barrel hit the spot

•  Rob and I couldn't agree on where to go to dinner until he said, "I wish there was a Cracker Barrel near by!" I being one who remembers where food places are, replied with, "I know where one is!" It was out of the way from where we were in town, but the chef salad did sure hit the spot!!

5) 2 weeks from today I will have had a total of 24 hours in Oregon!

• I am so excited for my trip to Oregon! I am feeling a bit on the homesick side right now only because my sister, nephew, and niece are in Oregon visiting my family. I know I will be there soon visiting my family members, being able to see Kaylee, and bonding with my close friends. I sure wish Ohio was closer to Oregon, so that the trips home could be more often than once a year!

"Don't come back for 7 to 10 days!"

1991 the movie "My Girl" with Anna Chlumsky and Macaulay Culkin. The scene when Vada (Anna's character) learns that her period started. The next scene, Vada answering the door as Thomas (Macaulay's character) rings the door bell to see if Vada is able to come out and go swimming. Vada pushes Thomas and yells at him, "And don't come back for seven to ten days!" She then turns around walks in the house and slams the door.

Vada learning she will have her period for the next 7-10 days.

As women we can all relate to this scene all too well every month. Well I am feeling that way tonight, and it is just the start of PMS. I had a decent day at work, but then this evil poisonous monster took over me on my way home from work. Not too sure where it came from...but I hate it!! I wish that I could yell at everyone from my front porch to not bother me and to not come back for seven to ten days, but if I did that then I wouldn't have a job after those ten days were up. I guess I will be like any other woman and have to suck it up. 

I will force myself to post my daily joys each day as I think this will help me keep daily life into perspective. So here is to today's joys:

1. The sun was out on my way to work this morning. 

2. A fairly good day at work with not too many challenging phone calls.

3. I spent the evening with my husband and three dogs.

4. Bravo's Real Housewives of NYC started back up tonight. 

(Ok, for most of you, the last joy is a stretch, but I love the NYC housewives. I admit, I have a television junkie, but this is one of the shows that I can sit back and laugh at because even people with too much money have relationship issues with men and women.) 

Valentine's Day: Love it or Hate it?

Pink, Red, Mauve, Crimson, and Black. These colors are ones that one typically sees on a day like today. Movies, dining out, candles and flowers are items that you either see or do on a day like today. Yes, today is Valentines's Day and for many it is the one day of the year that they either love it or hate it. I don't think there is a happy medium for a day like today. The single women hate it because they are constantly reminded that they are not with someone, and the married or coupled women love it because it is the one day they hope to get flowers from their mate.

I am one who tends to love Valentine's Day. I even enjoyed Valentine's Day when I was single. Yes it was bummer to realize that I was single and a bit depressing to see classmates or co-workers recieve flowers at school or work, but I still smiled on the outside. I knew that even though I was not in a relationship, I could be happy for those who were in one. I though could also treat myself on a day like today!

Being married though and going through Valentine's is a bit different. When Rob and I were first married, we had been talking about different holiday traditions and what our expectations were for each holiday. He asked me, "How can I keep you happy?" I said, "I would like flowers and a card on Valentine's Day, our Anniversary and Birthday." I had to respond like this as my husband is one who needs a very direct and precise answer. Since we laid out the rules...I have never been disappointed on any of these days. I was surprised today when I got home to find a potted plant of flowers on the counter with a heart shaped balloon attached to the basket. I say that I was surprised because I didn't think he would get me anything since my Valentine's gift came early for both of us, since he got me the Xbox Kinect last week, and the painting I bought for him came in the mail early last week as well.

My flowers and balloon from Rob

So here's to you who are married and single, "Happy Valentine's Day!" I hope that you had a wonderful day. If you are single please know that your friends and family love who you are. If you are married and your husband forgot to get ya something, be thankful for who he is and know that he still loves ya!! Treat yourselves to something a bit extra this week!

Travel, Fashion, Cookies, Yoga, Writing and Jewlery?!

If you are an avid blogger, like me, you probably follow a ton of different blogs. Ever wondered who some of your friends are following?? Thought I would give you a list of a few bloggers who I tend to follow on a daily/weekly basis depending on the time I have to sit and read!!! I hope that you will follow some of my fellow blogger journey's and see what you can learn from them, too!

1. Adventuras en Espana: This blog is my friend Nicki who I use to work with at AMC Theatres. She is studying abroad this spring in Barcelona, Spain!!! She tries to post a couple times a week about the life she is living as a student and trying to take in the city, food, and sounds of what Spain is. I love reading her postings as she is very down to earth. You will find yourself laughing and thinking, "Wow...I am sure I would have done that too!" Follow Nicki and show her some blogger love!

2. Need some Fashion Advice? Well check out Pick Pocket Molly and Missus Smarty Pants! Both sites are perfect for anyone who needs a little refresher course on help in the fashion department. I went to church with Alice who is Pick Pocket Molly. No one can go wrong with Missus Smarty Pants, especially if you are over the age of 30. My mom introduced my sister and I to Missus Smarty Pants, and I can not thank her enough. Missus Smarty Pants will actually tell you which design shape you are and what to buy to make yourself look great for any occasion!!

3. Love baking creative looking cookies? If so, don't look to Martha Stewart, look at The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle! I just stumbled upon her blog yesterday as she is the niece of one of my birthmom friends. Her post from yesterday was extremely cute. She made cookies, fruit, and fruit dip. You ask, "What is so creative about that?" The cookies were made to look like tortilla chips, fruit was your salsa, and yup you guessed it, the guacamole was the fruit dip. Check out the photo!! I instantly had to start following her!

4. We all want to be fit right, but don't have the time or energy to go to the gym?? Now you can do Yoga at home with Fit2Bmama! My dear friend, Bethany, is the creator behind this blog. Read along with life as she blogs about being a wife, a mom of two, fitness enthusiast, and one who loves to go as organic as possible. You will laugh and see that even fitness people have their days were they just want to sit and consume a whole medium pan crust pizza alone due to a stressful day. You though will also find inspiring little notes to keep you going and pushing forward with your fitness goals and being encouraged to take one day at a time!

5. Want to know what it is like to being a writing student who has a passion for film and television? My high school friend, Megan is just that. She is one who I love reading her thoughts for the latest television show and or movie that she may have watched. She is an aspiring writer who would love to move to Las Angelos one day and be a writer for film or television. Great goals!!  Follow Megan over at Musings from the Farmgirl and see what she has to say! 

6. Lastly, I am sure I have posted about another classmate of mine who make jewelry, but if not, I will post about ~Pamela Susan~ again. Pam is awesome with her creations and I love reading to see what she has made next, espcially now that her Etsy store is open only a couple days a month. In addition to the jewelry that she makes, she is always making little things for her adorable little girls. This week she is doing a necklace give-away so go and check her out! I bet you will not be disappointed!! I wish I had just half of the creativity as she has!! :)

So there you have it, I gave you several different blogs you can follow and share with others as well!! Have a wonder week my friends!

Which Purse?

 As women, we probably have more or close to as many purses & handbags as we do to our shoes. Think about it. How many purses do you have?? One?? Two? Fifteen? How many? Now, how many of those purses do you use on a regular basis? Just like shoes, we tend to use one over and over until we see a new one in the store that we can't pass up, or need a different one for a special occasion or the upcoming trip.

I was walking through Macy's Friday after my hair appointment, and since I like purses I stopped to glance at the purses that were on display. I had no intention on buying because like everyone else, I have bags hidden in closets that should see some light, soon. One bag caught my eye that said, "Ooohh...this is cute, but I will be good and not buy it because I have one similar at home."

The purse that caught my eye:

Kipling Handbag, Alvar Shoulder Bag

 Just as I was going to walk away a woman walked over to me and said, "Isn't that a great purse?! Look at all the storage?!" I first thought she was a sales woman but when I looked up it was a woman in her early to mid-60s. She was clearly not a sales woman as she had about seven different purses on her shoulder. She said, "I don't know which one to choose!" All the purses she had were all very similar as they all were shaped the same with about the same amount of storage. I said, "Well this one is cute, but it is on the casual side." since it was not made out of leather, and the zippers looked to be a chunky plastic. Cute, but I surely could not see this woman walking around with this purse. She then told me that she is needing a purse as she is headed to Key West, Florida for a vacation and asked me which one I liked the best out of the ones she had on her shoulder.

I looked at her and said, "Well, I would pass on the white one as it is before Memorial Day and I am sure you already have several different white bags at home. Then I like the black leather one, but once again you probably have more black bags at home." I then noticed that she had a metalic silver bag. It was cool, fresh, and something that I knew she probably didn't have hanging in a back closet at home. I said, "How about this one?! The color is cool and very in right now. Plus it would look with either jeans, capris, or even a dress when you head out to dinner." She looked at me and said, "Wow, you are right?!" I told her, I am all about trying to find one purse that does everything so that I am not having to take more than one bag on vacation with me. She thanked me and said, "I wish you could go shopping with me all the time!" I smiled and wished her well, and left the store before I walked out with the other cute bag.

The bag that was selected for the woman but she got one in Silver:

Tyler Rodan, Kansas Crossbody Bag

I walked away feeling that I did something good for someone who may not have someone to go shopping with. I luckily have a husband who enjoys going shopping. With that being said some of the purses that I do have, he has picked out even when we were at a Tag Sale. I had posted this as one of my daily joys as I walked away feeling good and so did someone else!

For your next trip, think about the current purse that you have. Will it work storing all of your travel items with out weighing it completely down? If so, check out one of these two purses to see if they would work for you. Both were very deep with lots and lots of pockets!! Plus they both look great!