Today's Photography Assignment/Challenge: Warm

Today's photography assignment is: Warm.

I had soup earlier during this work week. Nice, warm chicken noodle soup. Yummy! :)

My Monday Morning Breakfast!

I have a busy Monday planned at work.  It is a busy Monday, period.  Today is the day that the kids return to school from Christmas break, and it is Monday...need I say more?  I don't think further explanation is required!  Haha  It will be a busy day!  Plus, in addition to all of the work and school stuff there is laundry to finish, and a house to try and keep clean, or at least livable.  
So...this will be my breakfast today (and maybe or maybe not a piece or two of toast or something).  :)

My First Day of Work Picture!

Today I started a new job in the banking industry. It was a great first day of work!



A "First Day of Work Picture" that my Daughter took of us before I went to work and before she went to school this morning.

This post is also in the Members Area.

Tomorrow...A Season of Change

Tomorrow, I start a new job...a new career in the banking industry. I am excited for this "season of change" in my life. The pay and benefits are nice, but I think what I'm most excited about is that I am going to be working Part-Time. This is going to allow me the time to be the Homemaker that I want to be and that I need to be as well.



I realize not everyone needs or wants a Part-Time shift, and that can be okay.  Not everyone needs or wants a Full-Time shift either. Each of our lives are different, and the Lord designed each of us for a different purpose.  I feel that Part-Time is a shift that I need now though, and I'm happy to be making this change. I think this change will be a good choice for me and my family. 
It amazes me how God knows everything we need, right when we need it. He is on time, always on time, and He is perfect, and so worthy of our praise!

Christmas Parade 2013

Youth Group's float and the bank's float!

More Photos are in the Members Area!

A Career Change...

 So...today was my first day at the bank.  I am excited about this new opportunity!  Before and after work Justin, Breann, and I took some pictures for my first day of work (as Breann recommended we take a picture(s) for my first day).  :)

 

More Photos are in the Members Area!

Two Years!

Today I feel blessed! I have been working at the place I work for two years today. It's sometimes a difficult and stressful job, but it is a job I really enjoy (most days). Being able to work at home is even a greater blessing. I'm able to be here for my family while earning an income! This job also helps me to feel that I have a career that has a purpose...it's something to where I can and do help people on a daily basis with my work. I've had people call me in tears and others tell me I've made their day so much better with what I do. I'm not boasting. I give all the glory to God with and in everything I do. I am just saying it's so important not to let life pass us by. We are here for the Lord's purpose...in our work, our family, our friendships. It's so important that everyone not be just a watcher or one who receives but one who also actually gives and lives this life that God gives us with purpose...not just sit and watch or sit and do nothing...if everyone did that then this world would nearly stop...there'd probably be no food, no work, no power, no phone, no dreams turned into reality...not much of anything, if anything! Life can be filled with purpose if we let it...but we have to be people who do and not just watch. Everyone has a purpose of some kind! My work is ONE of those purposes, although there are many more...I have a purpose with my family and friends and in my community! Everybody has their own purpose...I hope to always seek the Lord with mine and do what is right! I have a thankful heart!

A Work Day Surprise!

I have been blessed to be able to work at home (in the Customer Service industry) and by being able to work at home I am able to be mommy before being working mommy, and I truly realize what a blessing that is!!  Anyhow, I thought I would include here one of my "work day surprises" that I received during this past week.
  

My daughter, Breann, made me this paper flower (the flower petals are paper but the stem is grass), and gave it to me during my work hours, I just love working at home and it enables me to be mommy before being working mommy, I am so blessed! I realize that not every job will allow a person to stay at home with their kids, but I have really tried to do so with this as well as a lot of my jobs in the past (where I was even able to take them to work with me), and I am so blessed that I am with a company where I can work at home and be a stay at home/work at home mom while I provide my kids the care that they need.  And...getting little "work day suprises" like this, makes the evenings that I work even better!

I love my kids!!

Work and Fun!

Since I am currently working forty hours per week in training for my new job, I have been pretty busy, but I am loving this busy life!!  I love being able to work at home, I love having a career, and most of all I am loving that I can be Mom first and foremost before I am a work at home mom!!  There has been very little to change with our family's schedule (since I have evening hours), I make dinner before I start work and my husband warms it up for the kids when he gets home from his job and then he may eat a salad or something until my lunch break and we have dinner together.  I also have two breaks (not including my lunch) so I have even more time to spend with the family...plus all of the hours before worktime.  Scheduling can be very important, but I think we have worked it out to where the current schedule is working pretty well for us!!

With work...there is A LOT to learn, A LOT that is interesting, and A LOT that is so very neat!  I feel very blessed!!

The kids are having a great summer, from going to the pool to things like Vacation Bible School.  Last weekend we also took them to see Cars 2 and then a nearby theatre was putting on a play Beauty and the Beast (which is Breann's absolute favorite) so we went and saw the play.  It was a pretty neat weekend!  Last night we went out to eat at a local steakhouse and then went for coffee for me and my husband and ice cream for the kids.  I love spending time with my family, they are such a blessing to me!!

It's all good!!

Today...

WOW!!  A lot is happening for me today.  Some changes are taking place...another chapter of my life beginning while another one closes.  While a HUGE part of my life concentrates on me being Mommy to my kids first, I have always tried to shape my career and most of my everyday tasks around my kids.  I said from the time I first became a Mom that as long as I was able to do so, I would be the kids caregiver and not leave them in the care of someone else...I had these kids for me to raise, for me to enjoy their days with, and I am thankful I can do that.  I realize that not every family situation can work that way, sometimes both parents have to work outside of the home and away from the kids, and it can be hard, and I feel very blessed that I am able to stay at home with the kids. 

In the past, I have worked for an office as an Administrative Assistant in which I took the kids with me when they weren't in school, I have worked at home doing blog designs (and I am still not sure if I will continue with it at this point, but right now I am taking a break from that due to this new chapter I am about to begin), and now today, I am beginning a new work at home job.  I begin my training for the company today and it is supposed to be forty hours per week so I am SUPER excited.  I am mainly excited that not only can I have a career but I can have one while I am still Mom to my kids...they come before any job and I am blessed to be able to stay at home with them!!  The schedule for this job is great, its going to be during the hours my husband can help with the kids and its not really going to conflict a whole lot with the family's schedule.

I feel blessed!!  :0)

My New Career Path!

Well...something you may not know about me is that I work for myself and offer web design services.  This past May (2010) I came up on a GREAT job as an Administrative Assistant, but I made the decision to resign.  I still feel like I made the right decision. 

Anyhow, I have known for a LONG time how to design websites, blogs, and various graphics, etc.  It started awhile back when I started dabbling around with building my own websites and blogging about family life and then designing blogs for various projects.  Once I spent so much time...and I do mean I was spending hours...and hours...and hours on my new hobby...and then my hobby caused me to REALLY become more experienced by being really able to "dive in" with experience in what I do.  Then others saw what I could do and without me actually offering my services I was being asked if I would help them with this project or that project.  It went from me helping out a few friends to building a site for a Church and a business, etc.  And I was even being told by others I should offer my services to others.  So I really thought I could open the door to something if I really tried and wanted to. 

So...before I ever became an Administrative Assistant (which was in May 2010), in January of 2010 I began So Stylilized as an effort to offer my design services to others.  I have MANY years of experience in designs and I LOVE design stuff plus a lot of people have told me MANY times that I should offer my services for others.  I feel that God gives us each a talent or a purpose (sometimes even more than one talent and purpose) and I don't think it is right for those talents and purposes to go to waste, and I felt before I started So Stylilized (seeing as how I had so much experience with design and I REALLY enjoy design) that God had gave me this talent and it was going to waste as I wasn't using it to help others.  So...So Stylilized was born.  It has been over a year since I started So Stylilized and I have did more with So Stylilized than I could ever, and I do mean EVER imagine.  Am I getting rich off of my services?  No!  But...my husband is the primary breadwinner and I am his wife and our kids mom first and fore-most and then I am a (website and some graphics) designer next and at this point I don't even put a price tag on my designs...I don't set an amount to charge...people can tip me in whatever amount they wish and I still am able to help people (who may or may not ordinarily be able to order a custom design while keeping it affordable for them with them just paying a tip and keeping it fair for me to get something for my time) AND I am able to still say I do my part in working at home while doing what I was put here to do first...which is my TRUE purpose...to serve God and be wife and mom to the best people that God could have ever put in my life!!

Employee of the Month, Moi?!?

Oh me, oh my, I've been chosen as the Employee of the Month for July!  Woo hoo!!  :0)

I am so happy with where I work...I work with a great group of people and I love the work that I do.  Its awesome!

Anyhow...I received a certificate and a gift certificate to O'Charley's. I am super, super, super excited!! :0)

A Super Neat Project

 Well as I recently explained in an earlier post I am now working (and absolutely LOVING it)!!  My job is great and very flexible for my family.  So flexible that I am able to take the kids to work with me this summer during their break. 

Well...
this past week was the kids first week at the office and a lady in our office who helps with certain area school workshops, etc. pulled out a microscope which the kids had never really experienced before and the kids got to look at a variety of things under the microscope.  Some things they looked at were: the Nerd candy, a paper towel, a slip of paper, and a noodle (as I was having noodles in my lunch at the time).

They also got to experiment with some type of hand lenses where they got to go out and pick some grass and flowers and view them through the lenses.  I have to admit that I never had saw one of these and I even thought that was cool!!  :0)

Anyhow...it was a neat experience for the kids...they had never really looked at a microscope in real life, little on through one...so it was very neat for them!!  This program has a huge amount of gadgets back in their area of the office and they have told the kids they are welcome to take a look and experiment with them as much as they would like...which the kids (and I) think is pre-tty cool!!