Just one of those days.

It has been just one of those days since I got up. Nate is sick which means he is extra needy and whiny. It went from chilly to freezing in just a few hours and I did not get to see the sun today. I know miss grumpaurous. Well we are all allowed one of those days every now and then. At least I have my paper done for Thursdays class and have the lab completed. I just need to focus and finish the folklore fieldwork project which is anywhere from 8 to 12 pages. Thank goodness I can reuse part of the collection project.

On the positive side I am still excited about my first Etsy sell and I listed new items yesterday and they have already gotten so looks. I am hopefully that I will get another sell this week.

Maybe tomorrow I will get my Christmas tree up, I still need to make a stand for it but i am sure it will turn out great. I have some of the apartment already decorated and most of Natalie's presents wrapped. I think I will have a wrapping day with Natalie to wrap all the gifts for my nieces and nephews. I am not buying for the adults this year. Its just tooo tight. Instead I am going to create something for them.

Thanks for reading and listening to me vent a little here is to a sunnier tomorrow.

Count Down to DISNEY starts now

So folks I just did the math and we leave for Disney in 32 days. I am so excited. I still have a millions things to do before we go not to mention all the baking for Christmas and finals to boot. I honestly think that I am more excited to go than my daughter and her BFF. I could live every waking moment at WDW if I could.

Now lets get back to reality. I listed more items on Etsy today and I am hoping one sale leads to another. I am going to finish a few more projects for school this week and then all thats left is finals and I am truly excited for this semester to come to an end. Well this is post two today and I really need to get going on these projects.

Small beginnings

Over the weekend I made my first sell on Etsy. I was so darn excited. Lets hope this is just the beginning of many more sales this holiday season and beyond. Today is going to be a paper writing day and cleaning house day. Now if I can get some of it done before going to work at 5pm I will be happy.

Maybe later this week I will be able to get my Christmas tree up, my dad gave us one of his extra trees but it was missing the stand so I am on the hunt for one. I think I will go out and check a couple thrift shops this week.

Nothing else really going on right now I will keep everyone posted on my Etsy sales.

Coming home sick YUCK

The visit to South Bend was great until yesterday when I woke up feeling like death. I have flu symptoms all day which made the drive home extra long. I ended up with the I am going to throw up and omg my stomach is on fire symptoms and Nate had the body aches and pressure headache. Who would have thought we would split the symptoms of the darn flu.

This morning however I feel better and I am hoping when Nate gets up he feels better too. This is our last day off before we go back to the grind of school and work on Monday. I did get some black friday shopping done. It was busy but I did not feel like it was overly crowded and the deals were nothing to get in the elbow throwing mode.

Well I am going to lay on the couch for a while and who know what else the day will bring.

Happy Thanksgiving

We got to South Bend yesterday and I am so excited to get to eating today. I think that being with all the family throughout the day will be wonderful. I am thankful for all the good and bad things that have shaped my life.

Then tomorrow morning bright and early we are going to enjoy the event called Black Friday shopping thank goodness I am not after anything special. Going to people watch and if I get a couple good deals that would be great. I am also looking forward to dinner with friends later.

So Happy

I am so happy that the work week is over for me 9 days straight sucks!!!! but the money will be nice. We leave for South Bend tomorrow morning at 8am and I am so excited. Like a kid on Christmas morning excited. I need the break.

I miss my friends and family from home a lot these days so I hope this eases the heartache a little. I am sure my nephew will find a way to break my heart he always does that little stinker. Natalie is super happy she is speading two days with her BFF and I am sure this is going to piss my mom off oh well. My mom will just have to get over it Nat is 13 and as much as she loves my mom hanging out with her BFF is way more fun and for me important then sitting at my moms keeping the couch company. Well that came from no where. I guess I have some issues that need to be dealt with but they will have to wait until after the holidays.

Back to packing so we can leave bright and early.

1 more day of Work after Today

I am so happy it's Monday. It means only one more day of work after today. I am so ready to go visit everyone. I miss them more than ever right now. It feels kinda weird not planning or cooking for Thanksgiving this year I am the guest for a change.. Strange. I am sure I will end up helping out somewhere along the day.

Natalie is excited that she gets to spend the night at her BFF's on Friday and I am bringing one of my nieces to spend the night with us on Thanksgiving night. Alot planned lets see if we can pull it off.

To my sister in law Gwen we love and support you and I hope today goes in you favor..

Well its time to get the last minute stuff done before we leave on Wednesday morning.

Lazy Sunday Morning

I was the first one to get up this morning and the house has been quiet for hours. I really enjoy these moments alone. There are still people in the house but yet you are alone. I was a cooking queen last night. I made pot roast, cresent rolls and chocolate chip cookies. Let's just say Natalie believe I am the best mom ever. I made her 3 favorite things to eat and I did not even plan it that way. I just wanted to cook for some reason.

Well Wednesday is fast approaching and I still need to get some laundry done and pack yet. All in all I am pretty excited and ready to go. Good food good people what more could a girl ask for other than to win the lotto.

Off to make more crafty items just for the fun of it. I have come to the conclusion that what will be will be concerning my etsy shoppe.

aww

I it has been about a week and I still only have looks on my Etsy items. I am now offering free shipping and still nothing. I am wondering what in the hack am I doing wrong here. People keep telling me that my items are cute and affordable but yet no one is buying. This really just puts a damper in my parade. Let's hope I sell something soon and I can get out of this self doubt funk.

On a happy note Wednesday morning is fast approaching I cannot wait to get on the road heading home to visit family and friends. I am sure I will not catch everyone but I will try. I think that I will make a nice pot roast for dinner and cookies for dessert that should cheer me up.

So long for now :0)

Its been a long day

Two posts in one day... you know its been a long day. I could kick myself in the butt for picking up the extra hours this considering the fact that we are working nine days instead of the regular seven. However the money will be nice. Just makes for really long days. I am so excited about our upcoming trip to South Bend.

Tonight one of my mom's best friends found me on facebook and it was so nice to chat with her and catch up. Aunt Karen has been a special person in my life since I was a small girl and it has been years since I seen or talked to her. Its funny how life just seems to bring people in and out of your life at different times. I am sure my mom will be thrilled to hear from her too. I know its been years since they have talked as well.

I am happy to say that this weekend I will be working on my etsy stuff and I am adding prints of Nate's photography to the site and see if that sells. It would be nice.

Well its time to hit the hay. Just had some thoughts that needed to be expressed before I could call it a night.

1 week

Today marks one week before we are going to South Bend for turkey day. I am ready to spend some time with my friends and family. This also means we are closer to semesters end and I am really excited about that.

All is well with the Barnett's. Natalie I swear has grown at least another inch and that means she is just another inch taller then my short butt. I can not believe have fast 13 almost 14 years have gone by. I have enjoyed every minute of being a mother and watching her grow up but I am not ready for her to be grown. I am not sure I will ever be ready for her to be grown. I sure woke up in a sappy mood this morning. But I look at her sleeping and know that some day she will spread her wings to fly and I will have to step aside and let her. So as I watch her sleep this morning I am cherishing this time and silently preparing myself for that day.

Now on to more less sappy stuff. I know yesterday I was frustrated about all the lookers on my Etsy page and I just need to be patient. I will just wait and see what happens. I think my prices are fare along with the packaging and shipping prices. I will keep you posted on how that goes. Nate says all I need is one item to sell and I should be golden and less antsy. I have to agree its waiting for the first one to sale.

I have class at 11am and then work at 1:30pm the next couple of days are going to be long but I keep reminding myself the count down to a mini vacation and then the count down to DISNEY> Yippee

Okay I know that it has only been two days since I started putting stuff on Etsy but I really would be thrilled if people would buy when they are looking. I mean some of my items have 20 plus looks but no buyers yet. I know be patient but come on I am like a kid in that aspect now now now please LOL. I just had to vent my viewers only frustration.

I am picking up hours at work this week which means more spending money for Disney in January and lets hope Etsy turns out to be a good venture. If not I love creating things and I will figure out some way to use them.

Nothing really exciting right now. We leave in 8 days for South Bend which rocks. Yippee

Monday Monday

It is the beginning of another week which means I am one week closer to winter break and our Disney vacation trip. I woke this morning feeling wonderful and completely loved. It has been rough down here with out my friends and family but my husband is the most amazing man. He makes sure that I laugh everyday and encourages me to do what is on my mind. I pleased to announce that since putting my Esty shoppe together yesterday that my items have been getting lots of looks. Lets hope those looks turn into sells.

The only bummer about this week is that we will be on duty for 9 days straight and I picked up some extra hours during the day. I figured with the holidays just around the corner and Disney too we could use all the money we could get. School projects are mostly done and I only have 2 finals this semester to worry about.

The count down for Thanksgiving break begins today 10 days until we leave for home Yippee.

Great Weekend

Had a great weekend. Nate's parents came in to visit and we went to campus and then to dinner. I love having family down to visit. Hopefully we will have more soon. I am super excited to say that my business is up and running and for anyone who is interested you can get there by linking here:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/61813917/lady-bug-and-daisy-thanks-gift-tags-set

I know it is bad to self promote but heck I need more disney money. LOL. I am so happy to say that there is about 4 weeks of school left and the projects are coming together nicely.

This post is going to be short and sweet and thats alright. What a great weekend.

Family time

I am sitting here waiting for my in-laws to arrive and have to say that I am really excited. Since moving to Bloomington we have only had his brother come and visit. So having his mom and dad here will be nice. The bummer is the weather did not hold out, but at least the week was just beautiful. I think we are going out to lunch and then we will spend the rest of the time just chatting and catching up and making plans for the holidays.

Speaking of holidays that are just around the corner, I have become overly crafty lately so I have decided to make homemade christmas cards this year. This should be a lot of fun and it means I get to go to the craft store YIPPEE... I think after the family heads back to South Bend, we will get out our Christmas stuff and start decorating the apartment. I will not be able to put up the tree until we get it from my dad over Thanksgiving but at least the rest of the apartment will be put together.

I really need to blog everyday to get everything out. I am so glad that the test scores came back higher then I thought. I was really worried about them all week and the professors down here take forever to post grades. Which adds to the madness. Next week looks like it will be a light week in the homework area. Well the in-laws just called so I think they are getting close. I will update when they leave tomorrow afternoon.

Reflecting on the week so I can say that there is still so much that needs to be accomplished. I took pictures of some the items I want to put on Etsy. I still need to get this adjusted in size so I can add them to the listing. I need to also get my house cleaned up for the weekend not to mention I have an interview that needs to be transcribed and then added to a paper that is do on Friday. Unfortunately after the disaster I call the bioanthropology exam I cannot get my butt in gear to do any more school related work.

So I am going to sit here and make more stuff for Etsy. Thats all I really have to say right now.

Ahhh...

Well I made it through exam one of the week and I honestly think I did very well. Now if I could only feel that way about the exam tomorrow. I really dislike the class and that does not help the studying what so ever. I know get off my butt and get that last minute cramming done because the morning comes way to quickly.


I really enjoy the day with my daughter and husband today. Its was so beautiful out and the weather was just perfect. I love indian summers. We also stopped by Michael's and can you believe my husband was encouraging me to buy all the items that I wanted for my crafts. How many husbands go to the craft store and then once there help their wife shop. I have a super husband. Love you honey. I am hoping this week goes by kinda quickly we have his parents coming in town and I have lots of class work between now and then.

Well with that being said I need to get to work on studying. .

Exams..ugh

Well tonight has been study night. I have two exams this week and they are tough ones. For some reason this semester has been dragging on and on and I am so ready for it to be over. I want to be able to sit and do nothing but paper crafts and stuff. I am never going to be able to get my new busy up and running with all this darn studying. LOL thats what you get when you go to college. For the most part I am done studying for my folklore exam tomorrow which leaves studying for the bioanthropology exam on Tuesday and that ones going to be a bear. Good news is that there are only 5 weeks left in the semester and we have Thanksgiving break to look forward to.

Now on to the topic of Christmas, what in the world should I get my husband who has everything he wants.... I never really know but I am sure Natalie will come up with something she always does. I mean really a week after Christmas we are going to be at WDW so I think that should be good enough for me and the hubby. I am happy to say that I have decided that I am finished shopping for Natalie. I have yet to start on the homemade stuff but I will find time to squeeze that in some how. All in all life is pretty darn good and I have a great support system; I love my life minus the exams. LOL

I am totally exhausted today. I have been yawning since I got up and it really sucks that I cannot go back to bed just to take the edge off.(work stinks when your tired). Other than feeling tired today is good. I am going to be baking brownies and maybe start looking at my christmas decor for this year. With moving to an apartment I am not sure what to put out and what I still have left after downsizing. Let's hope I am not completely crushed when I realize what I got rid of.

I am please to say that I have finished buying all of Natalie's big surprises for christmas and pretty much wrapped up all the nieces and nephews this summer. I will be wrapping all the gifts in the next couple weeks to see what I missed. That reminds me I still need to find a chocolate advent calendar for Nat. I cannot believe she still insists that we have one. It gives me the warm fuzzies inside and I am sure I will continue to give her one well into her adult years. The things children cannot live without.

This year is also a homemade christmas year for all the adults in our family and Natalie loves to help me when I do this. Not sure what we will be making but I know alot of it will include pics of some sort. Which I will be getting froms artscow, they have the best deals and prices and offer lots of freebies which is almost.

Its beautiful and sunny out so I am going to snap out of this tired funk and manage to get things accomplished at work and home today. Maybe I will be able to post pictures tomorrow.

TGIF

It has been such a long week. Not sure why it feels that way but I am glad that its Friday and I only have 2 more days of work. Yippee. I love this job one week on and one week off.

Let's see whats new with us. Natalie has decided that horseback riding lessons are not for her and who can blame her really. She has had to bad experinces on horse in the last two months and she is to the point now she has lost trust in both trainers and their horses. I know the old saying get back on when you fall but she has and I fully support her choice not to continue lessons. We are thinking that maybe after the holiday season and our Disney trip in Jan has past that she wants to join girls inc or some other kids club to hang out with other kids her own age. Her homeschooling routine has gotten 100% better since we moved her and she is progessing very well, I am very proud.

I am all over the place with thoughts tonight but I am going to get them down and move on to new one tomorrow. I have decided to start selling some of the crafts that I have been making on Etsy starting this week. I will add a link once it is up and running. I am also thinking that I am going to finish school with a degree in historical archaeology and I am encouraging Nate to go after his passion with photography. We only have one life to live so we should really do want we want for careers, and money is just money. You can't spend it when your dead. I know that a few of my family members would be spitting bullets if they were reading how little I value the good old dollar. Oh well.

I hear that it is already snowing back home in South Bend, at least it wait until after halloween this year. I want snow after Thanksgiving and it can go away after Christmas. I am rambling tonight I am must be slightly bored or maybe I have alot on my mind and this is a good way to process. Anyway its about time to head home. On a sad note I am sending happy thoughts to my sister in law and her husband today. Its been a very trying week for them . Love you Guys.

Day 2 of catching up.

So back to the trip to the Smoky Mountains, it was amazing. This was our first time going to the Smoky's and with tips from our boss we were able to make the most out of our time there. Cades Cove is the beautiful 11 mile driving tour through some of the most breath taking views of the mountains. We seen deers and turkeys during the nice slow drive through, kinda bummed that we did not see any bears or other furry creatures, maybe next time. After leaving Cades Cove we went to Clingmen's Dome and walked part of the Applachian trail, which was like walking up a drier stream bed. The views were worth all the pain of climbing up the side of the mountain for about 2miles. All the trees were turning a rainbow of colors and we were the only ones on that trail for the longest time. So peaceful and to be able to enjoy something so beautiful with my family is just priceless. These are the moments I hope Natalie looks back when she is older. We cannot wait to go back next year in the spring.

Couple things to keep in mind when you go to the Smoky's bring food with you, there is nowhere in the Smoky's to eat and plan on staying a couple days at least to enjoy the mountains and all the scenic stops along the way. Other than having to go to Gatlinburg to grab lunch and only having a day to enjoy the park, we loved it. I know I promised pictures but there are not on my work computer so they will have to wait.

After a beautiful time in the mountains we stopped at Cincinnati Zoo and all I have to say is it was totally awesome. I ran into a long time Disboard forum friend there which was super cool. This was the first time we have ever met face to face and it was super neat. We took pictures and then went off to explore the park with our families. Natalie and myself were able to feed giraffes and that was amazing and their heads are huge. I was very impressed with the amount of primates the zoo had and we also got to see a baby bonobo. So Sweet. All in all the adventures are just beginning for us here in Bloomington.

I'm back.

It seems like forever since I lasted posted an update on here. Well life in Bloomington is still going well. I would love to say great but there are still things I really miss about home. The fact that I only get to see my nieces and nephews every six weeks at best really sucks. I know for Natalie the fact that she still has not made any friends here really bites. I am hoping by signing her up for some type of sport at the Y she'll make some friends. This is the one and only time homeschooling has played a part in finding friends and the fact that we live on campus doesn't help. On a positive note she is still having a blast volunteering at the daycare and so far the horseback riding lessons have been entertaining to say the least.

Classes here are still kinda so/so hoping the ones I picked for next semester are a better fit. I love the atmosphere here and the artistic culture is very awesome. There are so many different places explore in and around Bloomington. One thing I have realized is that I am a gypsy, I love to travel and I do not see myself settling down anywhere anytime soon. I love going to explore the state parks and historic cities. There is so much to see and do and darn it I want to see it all.

I have so much to catch up on that its going to take me a couple posts to do it. I will have to post pictures from our trip to the Smoky Mountains a couple weeks back. The weekend trip was amazing. Let's not forget the stop at Cincinnati Zoo on the way home. See I told ya I have a lot to catch up on. Well it just about time to close the office so I will post more tomorrow if I remember.