Remember those essays you had to write in grade school and junior high, “What I Did on My Summer Vacation”… I always thought maybe the teacher needed just a little more time to get into the groove of the school year and assigned these to keep us busy while they figured out what they really wanted us to learn. I wonder if they even read any of them? (I wonder if anyone will read this.)
Since I wrote “Things to Do on My Staycation” I thought it only fair to follow-up with things I DID on my staycation.
I did in fact stay away from work. (Yay, me!) However, my very first day back at work I worked four hours overtime… and my second day back, too. I worked a short week; and then after my days off, I worked two more fourteen hour days in a row. All of which is to say, it was amazing that I managed to stay away from work while I was on staycation! (I do prefer to work my overtime on days I’m already working; thus, I end up working fourteen hour days, but I preserve my days off. )
The conflict with Montel Williams HealthMaster did not go as well. Although I had negotiated them down to the $30 shipping to replace my fried unit, when I got to the shipping place, they told me it would cost me $45-$75 to ship it to HealthMaster. Um. No. Not gonna happen. So then I called HealthMaster again, thinking maybe they’d make me a better offer. I said, “I’m just letting you know that I will not be returning my defective unit because it will cost me too much to ship it, I will be moving on to the next brand, and I will be a very unhappy HealthMaster customer.” Do you know what the rep’s response was? “Thanks for letting us know.” VitaMix, here I come!
I did in fact get the shed done… yay! In fact, during the shed clean up I had an epiphany: I would move all of my Tastefully Simple inventory and office space out to the shed, freeing up the garage for the Holiday decorations. Clearing out the shed took the better part of three days, but I managed to give away most of the good stuff:
This fine quilting book went to my friend Becky along with another quilting book and a quilting measurement/cutting tool.
These bead trays and assorted beads went to my friend Sheron.
All of this sewing stuff will eventually be driven down to Brandi…
… along with these very fine sewing books.
Oh, Brandi also claimed these felt letters and shapes for scrap-booking.
This extensive collection of crochet hooks, knitting needles and yarn went to a friend/co-worker Julie and her daughter. Their son/brother is an active duty Marine, so I’m quite sure they’ll be put to good use.
I was a photo-posting fool on facebook that day, which is how I gave away all that stuff!
I also re-organized the gift-wrapping center of the shed, as well as the rest of the craft items I kept for future play dates with Laila, like these pretty bead strings.
We have so much art supply stuff that I created this:
When I waved it in Katrina’s nose, she called me a dork. Then I posted it on facebook for Brandi to make fun of me, too. My friend Trisha has decided when her son needs something to do, she’s going to drive him over to pick out art supplies from my shed!
Here’s a shot of some of those pens and pencils:
That’s right folks… those are Tastefully Simple drink buckets! (The Spring/Summer catalog includes FIVE drink bucket flavors — woo hoo!)
I had another inspired idea during the shed clean-out. I have several puzzles — I love puzzles and so does Katrina — and I’d been thinking of a way to spend more time with the nieces and nephews, and when I saw the puzzles sitting high on a shelf, it just came to me: We’re going to start having quarterly Kositzin cousin Pizza and Puzzle nights! Further on into the process, I came across this lovely craft item from Katrina’s elementary school days:
I got Katrina’s permission to toss it. (Cruel mommy, I know, but now we have this picture to preserve the memory.) I took the wooden “K’s” off, and I’m going to put them on an already-painted paint stirrer stick, along with a Girl Scout puzzle patch I found, and make a Kositzin Cousin Puzzle Master prize to be awarded at each Pizza and Puzzle party, and held by the winner until the next Pizza and Puzzle night.
Dork? You bet!
