Starting Again….

Greetings from a new mom!  The last few months have flown by!  Somewhere between moving,  Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years I had a baby and made it through the first 8 weeks with my sanity…I think.  My little bundle of joy is 8 weeks and 2 days today.  I’ve had so many things happen that I’ve wanted to talk about that I decided to revive my blog.  Between the lack of sleep, breast feeding, poopies, dirty house, baby milestones, family and my new hobby – crochet, I have so much to talk about and so many questions!  Since I belong to a new club, The Mommy Club, I know that many of you will find humor in our mishaps and have loads of advice when I need it.

I will leave you with a photo of the love of my life, Lilly.

Hurry Up and Wait

Before I start getting ready for an impromptu trip to San Francisco to see my sister (thanks to my Dad) I thought I’d jot down a few thoughts.

I’ve been on a bit of an emotional roller coaster the last week.  My husband is talking about joining the Army due to issues with our income and lack of stability with a new baby on the way.  Of course, I will support any decision that will put us in a better place financially, but I’m not thrilled with the idea of him leaving for months to train and then being shipped out, while I have a newborn to care for.

So, I have been sending out his resume like a crazy woman.  Not one bite!  Not one!  Recently while I was running through the newly posted jobs on Craigslist I ran across an ad for a Bed & Breakfast Manager.  I read the ad and it seemed as though the poster had described the need for a person with all of the random things I’ve done and learned in my life.  I’ve often wondered if one day all of these “careers” would culminate into one awesome career.  And it seemed to me that the position described on my computer screen was THAT career.  Knowing this would mean that I would not be staying home with my new baby, I quickly responded to this ad.  I went to bed that night and basically said a prayer, asking for an answer to this dilemma I’ve felt about Randy joining the army and the idea that staying home with Lilly may not be a luxury I have right now.  Up until I read this ad I felt stuck.  As I fell asleep that night I felt free, light and hopeful.

The next morning I jumped on my laptop unrealistically hoping for a response from the poster.  To my surprise, he had responded!  He was happy with my resume and cover letter and asked me to fill out a questionnaire.  I carefully answered his questions and decided that to start out on the right foot I would let him know that I am pregnant.  Some of my friends think I should not have done this.  But I put myself in his shoes for a moment.  What if he was as excited about me/my experience as I was about the position?  Then I walk in to meet him and my pregnant belly screams at him, “Oh no!  She’s going to be taking 3 months off work in a few months!”  That is a major let down for an employer, and I did not want to start that way.  This gave me the opportunity to assure him that Lilly will be here during the slow season and that I would not be looking to take too much time off.  I reiterated how excited I was about the position.  I sent the email off and waited.

I didn’t get a response to that email.  So in another email I asked if he was considering me for an interview, he replied saying that he was.  Now, I’m waiting again.  We all know that I am not a very patient person, so this has been like torture!  Now I’m leaving for close to a week and I will need to keep waiting.  It is hard for me to focus on anything else.  I keep checking my email looking for a response.  When my phone rings and it’s a number I don’t know I get my hopes up.  Blah, blah, blah.

So, I’m off to San Francisco with my family.  I’m sure that will be enough to keep me from worrying about the job.  I hope to get a few unique food experiences in while I’m there.  You can’t take a foodie to San Fran without testing the food!!!  I’ll post my food findings and experiences for you all.  🙂

What it all comes down to…

Well, it’s hot as h-e-double hockey sticks here in the North Georgia Mountains and I’m about five months pregnant.  Things are going well.  I have some of my energy back and my brain seems to be seeking the business world again.  Eating still remains to be an issue.  As I told Randy the other day, it’s a curse and a blessing.  The curse is that food is not as fun as it use to be and I can’t pig out like I would like to, using pregnancy as an excuse to taste and consume everything.  The blessing is that I am not gaining much weight (in fact I lost one pound since my last weigh in two weeks ago).  It should be pretty easy to get back to my pre-pregnancy state.  Although I’m really not sure how my stomach can possibly stretch more.  My stomach muscles already feel stretched to the max!  But, Doc says baby is doing great!

We are having a girl, and her name is Lilly Kathleen (Kathleen is my grandmother’s name).  Lilly is already squirming around like crazy.  I think she is just as excited as I am!  We are almost done painting her room.  It is pastel green.  We’ll decorate it in Winnie the Pooh.  Not because I think she’ll like it, but because I will like it.  I’ve wanted a Winnie the Pooh room for so long, Lilly just has to deal with it (and Randy, too, for that matter).   I already have a collection of new-in-the-box Pooh stuff that is just waiting to be put in its place.

My business brain has been shut down for five months and I can feel it coming alive again.  So far since the beginning of July I’ve come up with at least five new business ideas.  Even though I know I will have an infant to take care of in a few months I can’t seem to stop the need to do something with myself.  Of course I don’t want a full time paying position because I don’t want to lose the freedom of being home with my baby when she’s born, despite the fact that if I did find a position like that it would make a huge difference in our current way of life.  I’ve always wanted a business that allowed me to be with my children.  I usually pictured it as a restaurant.  I’ve seen it over and over, the owner’s kids in their own little room watching TV and doing their home work.  That won’t be happening anytime soon, so…what else?  Why can’t I just relax and wait for the chaos of having a newborn?  Hmmm…at least two reasons I can think of:

1. This is the first time in my adult life that I have not made my own money.  I do not like it at all.  I am too independent to constantly ask my husband for money, to be chaperoned at the grocery store or to be stuck at home because the car has no gas.
2. I feel terribly useless!  At a time where we need more money now than ever, I’m not contributing, financially at least.  If I were making money we could buy more fresh vegetables and less cheap packaged crap.  I could enjoy lunch with my friends occasionally.  My husband could be less stressed all of the time.  I have about a million more examples, but I won’t list them all.

Now I find myself struggling daily over what I should do.  Finding part-time temp work is not as easy as it once was.  And any business idea I have needs money to start it, some waaayyyy more than others.  I also suffer from F@#k it! Let’s Pack Up and Move syndrome.  Because you know its gotta be better somewhere else!  Even though I know its not, my brain won’t believe me.  So, I sit here, starring at my computer, day in and day out, like it’s going to tell me what to do.  I check my email (only junk 90% of the time) and I check Facebook (only junk 90% of the time).  I do help my dad’s company with some minor social media marketing.  I cook unappealing meals every night, dreaming of a life where I cook inspiring meals, make my own baby food and am wildly famous for it.  I yell at the reality show contestants on Hell’s Kitchen and Masterchef, because I know exactly what to do, how to do it and why it’s done that way (not!, well…yeah I kinda do).   And I continue to wish that I had gone to Culinary school.  Despite everything I’ve done, learned, tried and have coming in the future, it all comes down to that.

Once again, I’m back to food.

Starting a NEW Chapter (again)

It’s been a while since I updated this blog.  Seems something has kept me away from my computer.  SHOCKER!  I know.  But yes, for close to 4 months I have lost all interest in my laptop, the internet, etc.  Why you ask?  Morning sickness, I answer!  Randy and I are having a baby.  After a LONG time of trying and waiting it seems we are finally getting our wish.  I spent the first 3 months slightly resembling the little girl in The Exorcist, ok, not slightly but mostly.  I have only recently been able to venture outside of my house without worrying about what nasty bathroom I will be forced to vomit in.  I still have a lot of problems with eating and the reaction my stomach has, but after initially losing 8lbs I have gained 4lbs.  Yay, small victories!

So, what about my Real Estate career?  What Real Estate career????  What a major disappointment that was!!!!!!  I worked my butt off to get listings, clients and sales.  I’ll say it here, “Everyone was right, what a horrible time to start a career in Real Estate!!”  And to be brutally honest, it’s only partly the banks’ fault that it’s hard to buy or sell.  It’s really you people!!  🙂  So many people are in denial about what their homes are worth now.  And top that off with the fact that everyone already knows everything there is to know about Real Estate since their brother’s girlfriend’s mom’s best friend is an Agent!  Come on people, give a working girl a break!  Why call me if you already know everything?  Ok, so now that I have that out, basically the fact that I was really sick in my first trimester kept me from working.  My Broker gave all of my accounts to other agents and just like that (snap) all of my months of hard work was gone.  But, I’m not heartbroken.  I traded that career in for a better one, raising my baby!  🙂  That’s all I’ve every wanted anyway.

I’ve closed the Real Estate chapter and am now starting the Raising Baby chapter, gladly.  So, what are the goods on baby as of today?  I am finishing my 4th month this week.  We are having a girl (95% certainty from the Ultrasound Specialist).  Her name is Lillian Kathleen (we’ll call her Lilly), although her first name is still in debate.  Due to my history I am considered high risk, especially for pre-term labor.  That means lots of rest, low stress levels and eating properly.  I have the first two down pat!  It’s the eating part I’m struggling with.  🙂

Stay tuned, I WILL keep you updated.

Oh, and in case you are wondering, Randy is totally excited about the baby and has been 100% supportive of me through this journey.  I truly could not ask for a better partner for me and father for Lilly!  Thank you Randy!!!!  🙂

Don’t underestimate the law of attracti

Don’t underestimate the law of attraction! Seriously!

100% Whole Wheat Bread – Homemade

I decided to make my own bread today.  After flipping through recipes I found one that I thought would be good.  I was looking for a recipe with the least amount of animal products and processed products.  And since this was my first real go at making bread (I cook, I don’t bake…at least not yet), I wanted to stay in the “simple” range.  I found a recipe and tweaked it to fit what I was looking for.  So here it is.

100% Whole Wheat Bread

Makes 1 loaf

INGREDIENTS

1 cup warm water

1 tbsp almond milk

3 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp honey

2 tbsp organic sugar

1 tsp salt

3 cups wheat flour

2 tsp instant active dry yeast

1. Combine first 6 ingredients (using only 2 tbsp of the olive oil reserving the rest for later) in a large mixing bowl; stir.

2. Add flour and yeast, and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10-15 minutes if kneading by hand or 2-4 minutes if using a mixer. Grease a bowl with 1/2 tbsp olive oil and place the dough in the bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm area until doubled, about 40 minutes.

Dough ball ready to rise

3. Punch dough down; knead for a few minutes until smooth and then form into a loaf. Grease a loaf pan with 1/2 tbsp olive oil and place the dough in the loaf pan and cover. Let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. If loaf starts browning too soon, lightly lay a piece of foil on top of the loaf to prevent too much darkening.

Fresh baked bread resting

5. Remove bread from oven and allow to rest in pan for a few minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cover with a cloth. Slice and enjoy while still warm! Leftover bread can be stored in an airtight bag or frozen until needed.

100% Whole Wheat Bread

My bread stayed fresh for almost a week without freezing or placing it in the fridge.  My husband liked it (that means it must have been good!) and my co-workers liked it as well.  I think I still have a little tweaking to do for my taste, but I tend to be over critical.  🙂

This took me about 2 hours and most of that time was spent doing other things while I waited for the bread to rise and bake.  Making this recipe was surprisingly easy and something I could easily do every week or two to avoid consuming preservatives and chemicals found in store bought bread.

I have to admit, I like having control over what I put in my body.

Please try this recipe and let me know what you think!  🙂  Enjoy!

Look at that beautiful loaf of bread!

Getting Back to Normal

As you can tell by my lack of posts I have been extremely busy since my last post.  So here is a quick recap:

I did pass my license exam on the first try!  That was exciting.  I immediately (with the help of my Broker) listed a local Dairy Queen for $1.999 Million, then an Italian restaurant for $400,000.  What a great start!  I went on to list a few more properties including some investment cabins, 28 acres and a house for lease (since people are losing their homes and their credit leasing is getting big!).

Dairy Queen Grill and Chill, Blue Ridge, GA $1,999,000

Investment Cabins in Blairsville, GA starts at $76,000

Now things have settled and I am no longer the Admin Assistant at the office.  We have an awesome new Admin and I am in my “big girl” office as a Realtor!  I’ve involved myself with a great local program called Leadership Union.  This is a 3 month class put on by North Georgia Tech and the Union Chamber of Commerce.  This has been an amazing class and I’ve learned so much in the last few weeks.

So, my plan as a Realtor is to get really involved in the community, start networking with investors and work hard to become an outstanding Real Estate Agent.  I still have many other things in my life I’d like to accomplish and now that I am done with my initial training I can get back to some of the things I love.

One More Hurdle

I’m almost there.  I have one more hurdle to jump before I become a Real Estate Agent.  It took me two months but I finished the schooling and received the news this week that I passed my final exam.  My license exam is scheduled for Monday.  So, I have a lot of studying to do.  I was nervous about whether or not I passed the school exam and everyone is telling me that the license exam is hard.  In fact, it’s not uncommon for people to fail it the first time.  (I’m telling you that so if I DO fail maybe I won’t feel so bad about it!  hahahaha)

One more hurdle!  It’s been a great start to this new chapter so far.  🙂

A Feel Good Story

My mom sent me this story and I just really wanted to share it with everyone.  It made me feel good.  🙂

Fish Story………

A guy who lives at Lake Conroe

(50 miles north of Houston ) saw a ball bouncing
around kind of strange in the lake and went to
investigate.

It turned out to be a flathead catfish that had
Apparently tried to swallow a basketball which
became stuck in its mouth!!

 

The fish was totally exhausted from trying to
dive, but unable to, because the ball would
always bring him back up to the surface.
The guy tried numerous times to get the ball out,
but was unsuccessful. He finally had his wife cut
the ball in order to deflate it and release the hungry
catfish.

You probably wouldn’t have believed this,
if you hadn’t seen the following pictures:

Be kinder than necessary because everyone bites off more than they can chew sometimes in life.

Call Me Mrs. Farmer Beavers!

Our rooster - Big Daddy

It’s official!  Mountain life has gotten to me.  Last Sunday I acquired 5 hens and 1 rooster!  Mr. Farmer Beavers (Randy) and his father graciously built me a very nice chicken coop for my new chickens.  I’ve had to make an adjustment in my schedule in the morning and in the evening, but so far so good!  The girls are only 6 mths old so they are not really laying eggs yet, but one of them lays one per day.

Mr. Farmer Beavers and our new babies

I’ve tried for 3 years to talk Randy into letting me have chickens.  I finally wore him down!  🙂  I’ll keep you updated!