Storage Storage Storage

Well I feel very boring these days. I keep looking at my post and silently yelling in my head, "What? nothing new! Come on Amy you've got to have something you can post" Well here is what I've got, ... for what it's worth.

I have a ton of sewing stuff, as many of you know. I also am a licensed cosmetologist and keep all my supplies in a large plastic tub. This gets pulled out every time I have to do a perm. I have to dig through so much that for a while I've been keeping my eye out for a better storage container. A few years ago around Christmas, my mom asked what I would like and being frustrated with the current arrange of my perming rods, I told her, "Storage drawers to hold my hair supplies. I'm tired of digging into this tub every time I need something". And being the wonderful mother that she is, I got myself a wonderful set of drawers,- two narrow on top with two huge on bottom. It was perfect ..... for my sewing supplies and fabric ;) Mom's response, "Hey, didn't I get that so you could use it for your perm rods, curling irons, coloring ... stuff?"

"Yes, but see it's so much more perfect for patterns, sewing doodads, odds and ends and fabric ... stuff."

So once again both of us began keeping an eye open for a better storage solution. Well, two weeks ago I came across a 5- drawer cart at Big Lots. And it looked perfect. The drawers were just the right size to separate perm rod sizes. So of course, .. I walked away. It wasn't part of the budget... blah blah blah.. Anyway, I would have to think about it and really decide if I needed it.

Last Saturday after work, I finally decided I was going to buy it and stop thinking so much ... if it was still there. So I did and it was and then it happened. After I brought it in to the house, I made the mistake of setting it down next to a pile of fabric and sewing doodads. (shaking head now) Thankfully, I didn't have time to do anything but put a few sewing items in one of the drawers. I went to visit with family and eat dinner. Later that evening after everyone had gone, I came in and the injustice of the last "sewing storage drawer steal" was so strong that I pulled everything out and got the hair supplies, and proceeded to fill the drawers with perm rods, end papers, bobby pins, etc. And it really looked good, so good that the pile of sewing stuff was told it would just have to wait and be content with file boxes.

Now that's not all. Being in a organizing frame of mind, I showed my mom and she told me of a storage cart that she had seen at Costco that may work for me. So Monday after work, both of us went and I stared at it and wondered and decided "What the the hey" let's just see how it works." So two storage carts in 3 days. This one had a metal frame work and small plastic drawers that were different colors - blue, red, orange, purple, white, and green. cool huh! So of course that could only mean one use - color coordinate my scraps and put them in each drawer. And the design was better suited for my sewing stuff, because the metal frame work matched a shelving unit I have for my boxes of fabric, yarn, and patterns.

Now we shall see if I can get some pictures to work. Now these aren't the exact units I got, but close enough. Right?

Top Unit - drawer sizes are more close to the hair supply drawers

Middle Unit - Arrange and general look, just visualize 5 drawers the same size as the first picture - Now when I set up my hair cutting corner I have a cart to wheel around for working with.

Last Unit (Sewing)- same brand - mine has ten drawers instead of twenty. Although now that I've seen this one, it's mighty tempting because with the size of those drawers, it won't take long for my scraps to push out of them. But at $80.00 I can just sew more and organize less. (My 10 drawer version only cost $20.00, I might just go back for a second one... of course where either one is going to fit is another question) Ya, sew more, organize less.... good plan

I'm Back ....

from a week vacation with the family in the mountains. It was our year for a family reunion and we went camping. I almost didn't make it, so many different things kept coming up right up to "the car is packed and I'm headed out, just stopping by the ATM to get some spending money." Only it eats my card, just takes it and does nothing. I had to wait around for an hour and half till the bank opened so I could order a new card and withdraw the cash. While I waited I had a great opportunity to practice keeping one's temper. ;)

This is what I learned from the experience:
1) If the ATM doesn't give your card back, it never will. You are going to have to order yourself a new one. (Knowing that could have saved me an hour and half.)
2) $0.99 cent word-find puzzles, usually found at the cash register of stores, are the best investment ever. I bought that little book a year ago and it has come in so handy at doctors appointments, concerts, plays, .... Anytime I find myself waiting I pull that out and start working on a puzzle. This time it helped keep me from completely losing my temper and bursting into tears from shear frustration.
3) That intersection is nice and quiet from 7-8:30 in the morning. It has a very calming influence ... that is until you look back at the stupid machine that refuses to give you back your card. Suggestion to the people who program such machines, how about having a message that says, "WINNER!!!! Your card has randomly been chosen to not be returned to you. It will be held until the next service of this machine and then destroyed. You will need to call up your banking representative and order a new one. Sitting around, staring, mutter and pushing the cancel button will not induce this machine to give you back your card. Have a nice day!"

A Difficult Decision to be Made

I have the option of ordering a jacket with my work's emblem on it and I'm stuck between these two options:

The Fleece only comes in pink, which I'm ok with, although I would like Navy. The fleece is cozy and more casual. Fleece isn't as sturdy as the other jacket, which could be good if I change jobs in the next two years or so. ( Which isn't in the plans)

The regular jacket would be a navy blue, it has a detachable hood. I like it cause it has a more professional look to it, good for the office setting, and it looks pretty sturdy.

Decisions, decisions - Both are about the same, the regular jacket only being a few dollars more.

So which one do you think I should get?

And would someone please tell me how to post pictures properly, this refusal to do as I wish is getting annoying..

Here it is: No Return Address by: Amy A. Marble

For the first time ever, I am excited to get my credit card bill in the mail. I impatiently looked for it every day last week. When it did arrive, I excitedly opened it, looked it over and then put it in my purse.

Why would anyone in their right mind be excited about getting their credit card bill? Isn’t that something to dread? Not this month! You see, today’s bill will be the last of monthly reminders of:

· Emergencies and non-emergencies that came up over the years, always adding to the balance.
· Medical and dental visits that had to be paid for with the card that was “insurance” for those who didn’t have insurance.
· “You deserve it, you’ve been so good this month” shopping sprees.
· “I don’t have the cash for this but I really need it” purchases.
· “There’s this really good sale, just put it on the card; you can always pay if off next month.”
· Cash advances – “I’m not actually using the card itself, and there’s only a $5 fee” stupidity that led to a 24 percent interest rate on three-quarters of the current balance. And the small print that stated the purchases balance at 11 percent would continue to accrue interest until the cash advance balance was paid off.
· Why I got the second credit card – balance transfers. It solves the problem of the 24 percent interest rate, right? Only it didn’t, all it did was transfer a small amount, and spread limited funds over two monthly bills.

Today also marks the end of:

· Months where only the minimum payment was made because it was all I could afford.
· Years of telling myself, “Next month, I’ll do better.”
· Years of envying the stories I heard about those who paid off their debt, and wondering when I would ever be able to.
· Two years of intense focusing on paying off the credit cards, only to find after a year, I had made little progress. It hadn’t grown but neither had it diminished. Disgusted, I approached the second year with a more determined and obsessive focus.
· Six months of methodically recording, in a form I created, the monthly interest, payments, charges (I only made two) and the current balance. Then comparing my schedule with the one PowerPay® came up with, I would strategize how I could beat PowerPay®’s schedule, if only by one month.

Now I’m not here to argue the advantages or disadvantages of credit cards. I just wanted to try to put into words the overwhelming feeling that came over me as I wrote out the check that paid off the last of my credit card debt. I was shaking, wanting to cry and remembering all the hard work, sacrifices, stupidity and failures I had experienced that got me to this day. So often, I was looking toward the goal’s end; months, years away, but today, I felt the long-awaited feeling that here and now is the winning of one battle. The bell has rung, and I am the one left standing, tired and shaken, but still the winner.

Sealing the envelope, I noticed the company had changed the design. They no longer provided a place for my return address. How fitting! No longer will a credit card bill show up at my address, demanding I attend to it before anything else. Next month there will be other debt to tackle, but today, I will breathe deep the fresh air and enjoy the view from this part of the mountain I have been climbing and pray I never have to climb it again.

Exciting News

I had a post all written up and ready to go. I liked it so much I dared to print it for my boss to read. He liked it so much, he suggested we submit it to a few different locations and see if they won't add it to their newsletter, bulletin, ... newspaper!!! So we shall see what tomorrow brings, until I know what exactly we are going to do with it, I am waiting to post it. Sorry if this puts a few of you on pins and needles to know what it was all about. It's very exciting and I will let you know what happens. All I know is when I left work, our office manager was also reading it (and she's had a newspaper column before) so hopefully I get some good feedback.