Nervous

Today I am feeling nervous. Perhaps this nervousness will pass tomorrow, but for today it remains. I have been job searching for three months now to no avail. The few tech writing jobs out there that have actually responded to my resume will now not take my calls to verify if the job has been filled. Some people might wait patiently for a response, but I have decided to call them... a lot. I figure if I call enough, someone might actually answer.

School starts next month for Matt. He will be attending UVU. Unfortunately, the math credit that he earned back in the stone age is no longer viable. So, he has to take a math test to get those credits back. But, he can't register for many of his core classes until he has that math credit. Stupid school rules. Hopefully everything will turn out with that.

Once Matt starts school, he will no longer be working during the days, so the pressure is really on for me to find some sort of income, which makes me nervous. I really hope something will happen soon. I apply for jobs most every day, but I usually do not get responses. I quit my babysitting job so that I could focus on the real job getting. It is difficult to schedule interviews and such when you are tied to watching a kid twice a week. This has reduced my stress a little.

Matt enjoys working in the HVAC business for now. He is actually pretty good at it. We are very grateful to Anthon for providing the work, but it won't last forever as school will be starting up soon. I am really hoping that we qualify for a student loan. That will ease some of our financial burden.

I was hoping that this post would help me vent some of my nervousness... but no, it is still there.

My Quilting Efforts

For Christmas last year, Momma Kimball gave me a quilting book because I wanted to learn how to quilt. Naturally, I felt the best way to learn how to quilt was from a book. This did not prove to be as simple as I thought it would. Apparently, there are all sorts of tricks and tips that books do not always provide.

When I found out Marie was pregnant, this provided me the perfect opportunity to make my very first quilt for her baby. I figured that a baby quilt would be nice and small and a good project to start with.

So, Marie went shopping with me and we picked out some fabric for the quilt and me and my book did the math to figure out how much fabric and the type of pattern I wanted to do. I didn't want my first quilt to be too simple of a pattern because that is boring and not challenging at all. Sarah made a quilt with her in-laws before she got married and it turned out really cute, but it was just squares sewed together. Thus, I decided to go with a windmill pattern. Don't know what this is? Just keep reading.

So, first thing I had to learn to do was cut out the squares using my brand new cutting mat and rotary cutter, compliments of Momma Kimball's gift card she sent me. I messed up right away and accidentally cut my backing rather than my squares... oops. Then, I messed up again when I cut all my squares with a 1/2 inch extra for seams when I should have added more seam allowance for the smaller pieces. Luckily, I anticipated my own messing up and had bought extra fabric for such an occasion. I eventually got it right and cut my squares accurately.

Then I had to cut my squares into triangles and some of my triangles into smaller triangles. Then came the sewing, the hard part. My first square that I pieced together was awful. I had to redo it three times before I even got the pattern right and even then the corners didn't match up. I got frustrated, decided I couldn't quilt and gave up for two weeks. I got over it eventually.

Once I finally figured out that I was matching up the wrong corners, I figured out how to put together a block. Then, I sewed those blocks to my solid blocks and then made rows. It eventually all came together to make a quilt top.

At Marie's baby shower, we tied the quilt. It made for a fun activity. I considered sewing the quilt along every seam like most quilters do, but then I decided that that was way too much work and tying was easier.

Mom came over today and helped me figure out how to sew the border and back on and now it is done! Behold my accomplishment! Now I am going to make a quilt for my sister-in-law, Lisa. I am now a quilting fiend!

Ants!

Apparently, having a toddler means having crumbs in the house. No matter how hard I try to keep my house spic and span, Nicole continues to drop food on the ground. Our dining room is carpeted with a shaggier carpet and the food is often difficult to spot. Additionally, I sometimes let Nicole take a few snacks downstairs to eat while she is watching her cartoons (I try to get her to eat as often as possible so that she can gain weight). This all adds up to a lot of crumbs around the house as I don't want to vacuum everyday.

This also means ants! I hate ants. They are all crawly and everywhere and just gross. But, they are like super smart or something because within minutes of Nicole dropping food on the ground, they are on it. I can't see them in my carpet because it is all shaggy and so I only see them when they emerge to eat Cole's crumbs. I vacuum a couple times a week to try and stop them, but they just keep coming back.

We have tried putting those ant traps outside the house near windows and doors, but it seems to be doing nothing at all, I just don't know how to get rid of those buggers. Ugh, this is just one more reason to hate summer, too many bugs!

Party at Marie's

A few weekends ago I invited everyone over to Marie's house for a BBQ. You would think that I would invite them to my own house, but I didn't. Marie has a better house and yard for entertaining and a bigger grill.

Nicole is afraid of grass and she was barefoot at this event as I had not yet bought her shoes. I figure they don't need shoes until they start walking. So, Matt decided to bring her out into the middle of the grass to get her used to it.

Mom and Dad came.
Marie was there cuz it's her house.

Nicole was so stinkin cute once she got used to the grass. She was walking and playing a lot.

Nicoley Oley Oley O!

I have been a bad mother and have neglected to post new pictures of Nicole. This post is my attempt to rectify that situation. She is 15 months now and gets cuter by the day. She is walking all over the place and often does not want to be held because she loves to walk. This makes going anywhere a fun "chase Nicole" game.


She is also talking a lot! She can say the following words: Mommy, Daddy, Oley O, One, Two, Three, Cracker, Night Night, Bye Bye, Please, Thank you, Up, Help, Baby, Kitty, Meow, Roar, Why, No, Water, Bottle, and a lot of others that I can't remember.

She knows those words, but she is also in a mimic phase where she likes to mimic everything that Matt and I say, or the last word of a sentence anyway. This is cute, but also makes me more careful of what I am saying.

She loves to read books, that is currently her favorite thing to do other than watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. She loves being in nursery with Mommy and Daddy. She is a wonderful joy in my life and I love her!

Better Now?

There, I changed my background just for you Sarah and Marie. Better Now?

Sad

I went to a job interview today and it was going great until they told me that they do not offer insurance to full time employees. So, I left feeling despondent and twenty minutes later they called and offered me the job. I told them I would have an answer for them after I spoke with my husband.

I called Matt and explained the offer. It was only 1 dollar per hour more than what Matt is making installing A/C units and there is no insurance. If it were just Matt and I and not our sweet little Nicole, I might consider going without health insurance, but we have a little girl to think of. So, I turned down the job. We just really need insurance when we have a kid to think of.

I feel crappy though. For months I have been applying and interviewing and I finally finally got an offer, but it isn't an offer that will work for me and my family. I'm just sad about it.

I got a call about a part time technical writer job and I sent in a writing sample for that. I also called about a full time tech writer job that I applied for in May but they are "on hold" with the hiring process. Lame.

I've just got to find something positive to do to get me out of this slump.

Job Hunting I Shall Go!

I've still been looking for a job. I thought that my many years of working would be an asset to me in the job hunt, but apparently it is just a way to get interviews and not jobs.

I interviewed at a dental office two weeks ago and it went really well. They asked me to come in for a working interview, which I have never heard of before. It apparently consists of me coming in and working for free for a few hours so they can see how I do. I went and did that for the dental office yesterday. It was weird.

First the office manager lady said that she wanted someone who knew what they were doing and didn't have to ask questions. Which started me off with the idea that I shouldn't ask questions. Then, she just threw me into the job, answering phones, greeting patients, and checking out patients. I've never worked in a dental office before, but I have been to the dentist, so I just pretended like I knew what I was doing. But, I made some mistakes and I did get yelled at a couple of time by patients. I blame the office manager lady for her unwillingness to give me even a little training. Whatever. After three hours I asked if they needed me anymore because I had already worked for free for three hours. I was excused. I don't know if they will offer me the job, but I left my number. It wouldn't be a bad place to work, but I bet it would be difficult until I figured out the job.

I have another interview tomorrow for a receptionist position with a construction company. We shall see how that goes. I'm starting to think that I don't make a good first impression. Perhaps I need to practice my interviewing with Marie like I used to do when I was a kid.

What I really want is a writing job, but I can't seem to get the companies with writing jobs open to call me back. I must not be as stellar as I think that I am. Alas.

And the search continues...

Oops Grandma!

I have a certain Grandma who is hilarious. She always says the funniest things. Well, she says things that she thinks are serious and us grandkids think it is hilarious. This Grandma also has really poor eye sight. One time she was at the store with me, Marie and Sarah and about 30 minutes into shopping she suddenly said, "Oh, you're Sarah!" She hadn't realized Sarah was with us, she thought it was just some girl following us around.

So, today Grandma fell and hit her head. This is not the first time that she has fallen. She is a notorious faller. And she usually hurts herself when she falls. So, she fell today and my mom took her off to the emergency room... again. I'm thinking that Grandma may need rails lining the walls of her apartment, this will prevent further falling... or maybe she will continue to fall. I worry about her because she just has the worst balance... and memory.

So, since my Mom was suppose to be watching Marie's kids, I went over to watch the kids while Mom took Grandma to the hospital. I've learned a couple of things in my time this summer as a caregiver:

1. Kids lie... a lot.
2. Kids get bored and have no desire to think of activities to entertain themselves.
3. Kids are always hungry, but don't want to eat what you have to offer.

I brought the kids swimming because they were very whiny and I wanted them to stop. Nicole fell asleep on the way to the pool. My Mom met us there because she was done caring for Grandma. Mom held the sleeping Coley while I watched the kids in the pool. Nicole woke up after not too long and was not inclined to go swimming, but wanted to stay with her Grandma in her swimming suit and swim diaper. Swim diapers apparently don't hold much because when she peed it got all over my Mom. Mom said, "Nicole, I think you peed on me." Nicole responded by bursting into tears. I think she thought that she had done something wrong because she doesn't usually cry when she pees. We left not long after that.

Eclipse

Last night I got to go to Eclipse with my sisters and my mother. Marie arranged this little event and I am glad she did because I really enjoy the Twilight books. In preperation for the movie, I reread Eclipse last week. When I told Marie, she marveled that I could read a book in a few days. I think this is because Marie mostly reads magazines and pregnancy books and the occasional owner's manual.

I am happy to say that the movie was very true to the book with a few exceptions. Extra scenes were added to expand upon things that were vague in the book. For example, the book never really tells the story of the newborns in live action, it is all second hand past tense. I like live action better. Plus, the movie actually showed the newborn fight whereas the book just says that the fight ends. I'm starting to think that Stephanie Meyer doesn't know how to write fight scenes because you never see them in her books. Either fights are avoided, or they are told in the past tense without detail. RA Salvatore is my favorite fight scene writer. No one writes fights better than him in my opinion.

The directing in this movie was definitely superior to the previous ones. The angles, the music, the intensity of the shots, so much better. It actually seemed like there was chemistry between Bella and Edward this time whereas that was lacking in the previous movies. But, I am still on team Jacob. I would do an entire rewrite of the last book and have Bella end up with Jacob and have Edward just die or something.

Additionally, I really like the writing of the movie. The script writer is definitely funnier than Stephanie Meyer. I don't think Stephanie knows how to write comedy either. I love the worlds she creates, but her character development is very one note. Charlie, hilarious, Emmit hilarious, bravo script writer.

So my sisters and I are definitely movie talkers. I don't think my sister-in-law, Krista, is a movie talker, my apologies to her because we talked a lot during the movie. We like to make comments about the movie and also make fun of the movie when it is necessary. It was a lot of fun.

After the movie we went for ice cream, but I was the only one who actually ordered ice cream. Lamo, skinny sisters. But, I enjoyed my ice cream and that is what really matters.