Time Flies

Why do the weekends go by so fast and weekdays go by so slowly? It seems like a flash and workweek is upon us again. I have gotten a lot done this weekend though. I cleaned and did laundry and worked on the quilt. I did not get a chance to work on any of the closets though. It was my goal to do one per week. Oh well, next week I will attack the closet in the guest bath and then head upstairs to start cleaning the closets up there. the last on the list will be the attic spaces. The reason that will be last is that it is cold in there in the winter and warm in the summer. I need to do those in the spring. It is a great feeling to gradually get these spaces cleaned out though. With every space that I clean out I feel the weight on my shoulders getting less and less. :)

But today I am going to Sioux Falls with a friend to do some shopping. I need get batting and one more piece of fabric for the quilt. I would also like to look for a couple of new tops. I am really looking forward to this, so I better get ready!!!!

Purging and Piecing

I sit here tonight with a feeling of contentment. It has been a very productive day off. I started the day cleaning out the hall closet. I filled 2 garbage bags full of "junk"! Wow, my garbage can was FULL to the brim tonight when I set it out. And the closet looks wonderful. Most of the stuff I threw away I had forgotten I even had. If that is the case, it is time for it to go. Then this afternoon I worked on the quilt. I got the squares all done and pieced together. Now I have to put the boarders on it and the back on it. That won't take nearly as long as the piecing did.

And now tomorrow it is back to work. :( Now that I am on a roll with the purging and piecing, I would like to keep going. Oh well, need to get a paycheck too I guess!

Well, I certainly was right about January 3rd being busy! Holy cow!!!!! In fact the whole week was incredibly busy - and we were short handed. By Friday night I was exhausted. I slept 10 hours straight. I never sleep that much! My body must have needed some recouperation time. I sure hope it gets back to normal soon!

Here at home I have been trying to do some things around the house. I have been cleaning some storage areas, purging, and working on the wedding quilt. I feel so much better when I work on those kind of things. I need to get the quilt done. Maybe I will have it done by their 2nd anniversary. :) But I have so much more cleaning and purging to do. What to do first? Hummmmm

A Great New Year

Things are finally starting to quiet down this holiday season. It seems to have been such a blurr. Don't get me wrong, it was all great! Watching Logan and Lauren open their gifts was wonderful. Each time they opened one, they were in awe. We got such wonderful gifts from everyone as well. But it isn't about the gifts, it is about being together with family. We had a wonderful time with my Mom and brothers. We had a such a great Christmas Eve with our kids and grandkids. And then another wonderful time with the Kruse side. I just love that feeling of being with the ones you love.

New Years was also very busy. There was a Kruse-a-palooza New Year's eve, but we didn't make it to that celebration. By the time that one got organized, we had already committed to another New Year's Eve celebration. I was very torn about the whole thing, we had a lot of fun.

And now on to the new year. I have posted seval times about my fight with depression. One of the things I am hoping for in the new year, is a new outlook on my life and my situation. If I can take a more positive slant on the things in my life, I hope to be able to eliminate or reduce the impact of depression. I need to focus, focus, focus on all of the great things in my life. I am truely blessed.

Back to work tomorrow. It will be extremely busy. Our other new accounts person is on leave so I will be trying to take on her responsibilities. It is also time for my end of year reports. Yipes!!!!!! Feeling a little overwhelmed already!!!!!

A Time of Thanks

In this season of Thanksgiving I have been thinking about all I have to be thankful for. First and foremost I am thankful for my family. I have a husband who loves me and 2 fabulous children. Both of the children have married wonderful, loving, caring people. I also have 2 wonderful grandchildren who are the absolute love of my life! Then there is our extended family. There are so many families that don't get along, but this family is so incredibly close. They love me unconditionally for who I am and not what I am.

I also have good health. Over the years I have heard the quote "well, at least you have your health". It means more to me every year. Every time I hear about someone who has been diagnosed with a disease or has had a heart attack or stroke, I think about how lucky I am to be healthy.

I am so thankful for my friends. They are always there for me - to pick me up when I am down and celebrate with me when I do well. they always bring me back to center.I have the best friends and I love them!

There are also many other "things" in my life that I am thankful for . . . . . . a good job, a warm, cozy house, food on the table and clothes on my back. Some days we overlook all of these blessings. We tend to focus on the things we don't have or what ever is going on in our life that test us or don't go the way we think it should.

God has been so good to me. I give him all of the credit. I am sooooo blessed!

Another Day Off

Today is the last day of my days off. It makes me sad. I have gotten a lot done, but not everything I wanted to do. I could really get used to this being at home thing. If it weren't for the little issue of needing the income. It's not that I hate my job neccessarily, I am just tired of the drama and stress of my job. Banking is a very stressful profession.

I love being cacooned here in my little house. (Sometimes I wonder if I am a little "agoraphobic") But it makes me feel safe and happy. All of my "stuff" is around me. When I see other people's large beautiful homes, I feel a little jealous. I have thoughts like "why can't I afford a house like that"? Then I remember - it is just a house. I have everything I need here. Plus our kids live close and that is probably the most important thing.

Anyway, I have to remember my 6 year plan. If I work 6 more years, I will be able to access my 401k plan for income, the house will be paid off, we will likely buy a different car and that will also be paid off. The only issue at that point will be insurance. If we go with a high deductible policy, I think we could make it until I/we are eligible for medicare. It will all depend on what happens with the markets. Right now I am bullish on the markets going forward so I am quite aggressive with my 401k plan.

Okay, back to enjoying my last day off. My quilting is calling me.

Another Day Another Dollar

Oh, what a day. Today I took the VIP group to Larchwood Iowa to the new casino. It was a nice day and a nice trip. It was also my last official trip in control of the VIP Club. It was both a great feeling and a little nastalgia. I have done VIP Club for 14 years. I have been feeling very burned out after that amount of time. I felt like it was time for young blood with new ideas.

When I got back to the office I had a meeting with my boss and his boss. It wasn't a bad meeting. More like a plan for the new year. What ever responsibilities I got rid of with VIP Club, just got added more on to it - only in a different way. Now I have to figure out how to accomplish this new responsibility. It really wasn't a promotion - not really anyway. More of a lateral move with a little upward momentum.

I also have to figure out how to get 10 more vacation days in before the end of the year. I can take a few days next week, but then the following week is crazy busy. And I know that any time I take time back, it takes me days to get caught up again. For the most part nobody does my stuff when I am gone, I just do it when I get back. I am looking really forward to some days off though. Maybe I can some of those things done that didn't get done on my last couple of days off.