I Won My First Award!!!

Yesterday for some strange reason I was very down in the dumps. I can't explain why, I just was. I felt like I can't seem to get my life together. Maybe it was that I have this trivial little job that pays no money and I always seem to be short at the end of the week. Maybe it's because I have to start back to college on monday and I really don't want to. I have no choice or I have to pay for the classes I took. And I don't have an extra $5,000.00 sitting around.
Maybe my gloomy mood  was the fact that my ex-husband and his new girlfriend are buying a house together. Not that I care that he has a girlfriend, or he's even buying a house. It's the fact that the townhome he did own was my daughter only inheritence from him. Now that he's going into this, where, once again does that leave my daughter? Also it burns me up that earlier this summer we had a problem with my parent plus loan for her school and they asked me to get a co-signer. Well my daughter immediately got on the phone with the most logical choice, him. When I had to get on the phone and face the embarrassment of having to ask for his help, he of course gave me a long speel about he couldn't cause he was having all kinds of issues with his credit and that he wouldn't be able to. Now I know why!   God I am so grateful I divorced him. The only good thing that came from that 10 year marriage was my daughter. Sorry for all the bitterness. Let me get back on track here.
Any way, I just felt down. Well, I got home and went to look at my emails and first I got an email from Madonna. No, I don't personally know Madonna. But the fact that I got this email made me giggle. Which I really did need. The email was pertaining to her project Raising Malawi. Which if I could honestly help, I would. I want no child of any place to be hungry or suffer in any way. Believe me, if I had Madonna's money I would be over there in a heartbeat building the schools myself. I know alot of people don't care for her but I look at this way. She once said that she wanted to conquer the world. Well she set out to do it and she accomplished it. Through this email and video of her asking for help I became more depressed. Thinking I can't give a $10.00 donation to help some poor children.
Deciding that I had to move on and see if there was any job offers, I scanned my other emails. Lots of junk and then I noticed someone commented on my blog. Yeaaaa! I love it when I get comments. Well this comment made my mood immediately change. I won an award !  I won "One Lovely Blog Award"! I have it proudly posted on the right hand side.  The wonderful blogger who gave me this award is Jael Custom Designs. I was so delighted, this whole putting a blog together with no knowledge has been very trying. And that made me very proud of myself and felt that yes I did a good job.
There is one little problem though as she put it, there are rules. I have to link to her site and mention her site. Then I have to pass my award to 15 other bloggers that I feel deserve this award. Well the problem is I don't know how to link. I've tried all night to figure this out and I can't get it. So, I already have blogs in mind of who I want to give this award to but can't at this very moment. As soon as I get this figured out I will have a list of the blogs. And hopefully I will make someone's day by giving this award to them. Just as Jen turned my day from dismal to wonderful and how I am extremely grateful for that. Thank you again Jen.

carol betz

Oh What a Wonderful Day

My day started out absolutely wonderful. I got up to watch the meteor shower. Then stayed up to watch the sunrise. Years ago, I watched these beautiful sites with my mother and my daughter. Now I had to go it alone. My mom wouldn't understand why I would wake her up in the middle of the night to go outside. Then,  my daughter is at college. She claimed she was going to watch it too. I think she wanted to make me feel better about being out there by myself. Well I didn't mind in the least bit. There's something about the middle of the night that seems so peaceful. To be able to look up and see such a spectacular site is just  amazing. Then to sit and wait for the sun to rise and the world around you come alive. See, how can that not be the start of a wonderful day? I am very grateful for what I got to see and for the perfect memory of the night long ago. I just hope my daughter got to remember that cold fall night when we all were together.

My Baby Girl

The last few weeks my daughter has been calling and texting me with all kinds of adventures and meltdowns going on in her life at college.  The first meltdown was our cell phone was turned off due to the bill being late. Yes, I didn't pay the cell phone bill ! For several years the cell phone company and I have had this love hate relationship! They love me because they see a woman with a teenager and I hate them because they know that I have to have this stupid little device to keep in touch with my teenager. Well anyway, my daughter threw a royal fit over not having her phone. When I tried to explain that I couldn't pay it she just didn't seem to get the idea that the money was not there to pay it. So then the screaming matched started with the hang ups and the tears(mine out of feeling guilty). Then her girlfriend decided to help her out and pay the bill, so now I owe this young lady money. Which is worst, owing the cell phone company money or a young college student money? So off to the bank tomorrow to put money in her account. I am thankful for her help. My ego is a little bruised.
I just don't understand why my daughter doesn't get it anymore. When she was real little I remember explaining in a toy department how I could not get her a Barbie that she wanted so badly. She was not one to throw a fit for things. On this certain day, she saw that latest Barbie and proclaimed that she was the one she has been wanting. Which I already knew since every time the tv commercial would come on I would have to come watch it. I remember looking at those big dark brown eyes and explaining that until mama could get another job (was out of work) I couldn't afford this latest and greatest Barbie. She looked at me and said she understood and that maybe Santa would bring it to her. We walked away from that Barbie with out any incidents. She always seemed to know that if I could I would.  For some strange reason that changed in high school. Did I plant a money tree in the back yard that I apparently forgot about or did I win the lottery and they forgot to tell me?
All I have to say is I chalk it up to "The Secret". It really does work. Thats why I suspect that when ever I had it hard and would know that we would get through it, we did. I surmise, that  my daughter has watched me get us through so many lean times without knowing how, just knowing that we would, thinks that it will happen. Now I have to do the same. Her latest request  believe or not, is to go to Disneyworld on spring break, with me! I'm a bit shocked by this since she is 19 years old. Don't 19 year olds want to go crazy on some beach resort somewhere? I guess living in California she gets her share of crazy fun. All in all I have to be extremely thankful that I have a daughter that loves me and wants to spend time with me. So another goal I have to work on. Going to Disney World in March. Wish me luck. Or should I say believe.

Back Into the Jewelry Biz

Tonight I went on one of my favorite sites, etsy.com. About 7 years ago I started making jewelry to prove a point to my daughter that half the jewelry she wanted (due to the name attached to it) was way to expensive. I could probably make her some of the pieces similar to it for a lot less. Here was the problem at the time, I was not a crafty person. So little old me went into a local craft store one day and bought some beads and wire and got a book and started making jewelry. Who would have thought that I would end up being the jewelry instructor at that same store several years later. Then I went on to teach night classes at a local high school a few times a year. On day when I was on the Internet I found etsy.com. I immediately decided that I would try to sell some of my pieces there. My first sale was about a half an hour after I listed it on my site. I sold 3 pieces. Now here is were the sad part of the story is, I have no self esteem. I would look at all the gorgeous pieces that everyone else made and thought my jewelry looked amateur compared to theirs. So as many times I would swear to myself that I would get really motivated and make more and really try to promote my site, I would always fail. See I don't have the money to buy sterling silver so mine always has to be the cheaper materials so that in it self made me feel inferior.

Due to trying to get Kady in college and working my job and oh yeah starting college online myself, I haven't been making jewelry at all. Everyone I have taught have totally taken off with small little side businesses and not doing bad. Now it is my turn to take the bull by the horns. I decided tonight that I have to start designing pieces again. I definitely need the extra income. So, there is my first goal to achieve. I am going to try to make a piece a week. Wish me luck.

My Mama's Birthday

Today is my mothers 83rd birthday! Not that she even realized it. She is senile now and really has no idea of what day it is or what year it is. Lately, she has been pretty good at remembering that I am her daughter. There for a while she referred to me as the lady that lived upstairs. For some odd reason she has thought that there is other people that live here too. Other than my brother and myself. Her main joy in life is my dog, Angel. He has been living here with her for the last several years. I couldn't have him in the townhome I was renting. Sad part is Angel is also pretty old and senile too. So they really do make a good pair. Mom is constantly following the Angel around the house to see if he needs to go out. And we find little cups of dog food in the oddest places. Heaven forbid poor Angel gets hungry while lying behind the toilet!?! Or you never know when he might climb into the dryer for a snack. Then she has a very weird habit of hiding things. Oh I have caught her pocketing some very odd stuff from empty milk jugs, to pot lids and frying pans. My poor brother is still trying to find the lid to the vegetable steamer. When you catch her in the act and ask her what she's doing poor woman gets all nervous and claims "nothing, nothing at all". Regardless, of all her odd ways, I was blessed with the best mother. Some where I read that we pick our parents to help us in the life we are entering into. If so, than I did a wonderful job of picking in this life. Happy birthday mama! I love you.