My poor, poor feet...

For the most part I don't mind walking to work. I'm grateful I haven't needed to walk home yet, as I'm sure the sun is even less forgiving in the afternoons. The biggest downside with having to walk to work is captured in the photo above. Since I work breakfast shift, I tend to drop syrup on my shoes. Then the next morning when I walk, sand sticks to it. I get sand caked to my shoes and it looks real cute.

Something else that kind of sucks, obviously, is that my feet hurt. The mornings aren't too bad so I don't think about it too much on my walks to work. However, after working an entire shift the aches are nearly unbearable. I work Thursday through Monday, and by Monday I feel like crying. It's something I'm told my feet will adjust to. After all, this kind of work isn't necessarily new. I moan in my sleep sometimes though, and Hutch doesn't really appreciate it. (Though I think he himself is adjusting... learning to sleep through my cries for relief.)

I keep getting scheduled for the late shift. I go in around 9 and have to stay until 5 or 6 depending on when the night shift comes in. I'm making good enough money so I guess I can't complain. We get slow in the afternoons, but it's not like I can get off my feet just because there aren't any guests. It's still 8 hours or so that I'm standing. Then, of course, when I get home I don't feel like doing much of anything.

Sunday we went out to dinner and a movie. I love Chili's and we went to have Southwestern Egg Rolls. I was thrilled to get a balloon animal surprise...

See how rough I look? I literally got home, changed and went out to eat. I'm so tired in this photo. I just wanted some egg rolls and to see "The Avengers," but was happy to get a Pikachu as well.

We actually ran into Gaia with her dad and grandparents at the restaurant, so I gave her my Pikachu. She thinks it's a bunny, but my attempts at Pokemon descriptions was lost in my haze of exhaustion. A yellow bunny for Gaia... it's okay.

[Almost] Wordless Wednesday #15

I'm so excited to have this photo! I keep talking about how adorable Tonks is with her coloring,
and now that she doesn't run every time you get within 3 feet I can actually show you!

Hutch was photographing my lecture to Miss Gaia...

We need a bakery so Gaia can be our adorable mascot.

Balloon animal from Chili's? Pikachu, I choose you

Speed Date in a Post

I like to post a little about myself every now and then to let any newcomers know a little about who I am and also to reintroduce more to my "oldies." I came across this excellent blog hop and thought it was the perfect opportunity!

So hello! I'm Shary. I'm 25 and mother to a beautiful daughter named Gaia. This is my blog and it contains spinets of my family's adventures in life.

1. Gaia was born on December 9, 2007 after three days of natural labor. The first day wasn't bad, the second day was me locked in a dark room trying desperately to sleep, and the third day was definitely business. I didn't cry until two hours before she was welcomed into my arms, and I only pushed for 36 minutes. I still can't decide if I lucked out or not.

2. I married my husband when she was 5 months old.

3. It didn't work out. If you really want to I discussed that here.

4. I do have a boyfriend, Hutch. He's pretty awesome and you can read about that here.

5. My ex and I share custody, so I only have Gaia for 4 or 5 day stretches. It's kind of nice having some time to myself to craft or relax or catch up on "office" things, but I miss her after a day or two and it kind of sucks to be honest.

6. I have two adorable kittens. The orange one is Herbert West ("Herby" for short) and the multicolored kitty is Tonks.



7. I am a waitress at Denny's and I hate it when people come in with the whole family, run me to death, and then only tip maybe 10%. Please don't go out to eat if you can't afford to tip. And please be nice to your server.

8. I might go to University of South Florida in the fall to continue my career in public health. I got my AA last spring.

9. I will never be rich and I am perfectly okay with that.

10. I really wish I could afford a copy of Diablo III. I've been playing since the original Diablo and I feel like I deserve it more than every one else and I'm sad.

So there you go! I hope you enjoyed it!

Boiled Peanut Hummus

I was taking a vote the other day on my Facebook as to whether we should have Barbeque Pork Pasta or Chicken and Dumplings in the crock pot. It was close, but the BBQ pasta won.

Then my friend Liz, a woman I've known since high school and adore for her determination and optimism, puts in her vote: "BBQ pork pasta sounds like the most disgusting food in existence, and also 100% American." I laughed so loud juice came from my nose. Then scoffed 'cause she's just a pig hater. Racist.

(I'm kidding there ^ I hope you can hear the sarcasm through your eyeballs.)

Oh, but them my mom sent me this gem and I'm thinking "Ew that's probably gross because it sounds retarded!" Well, like I told Liz, can't knock it til you try it...

It's way better than my photo...

Boiled Peanut Hummus
Ingredients:

• 1 cup shelled boiled peanuts
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 2 Tbsp. peanut butter
• 1 1/2 tsp. hot sauce
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds 

Directions:

1. Put first 7 in a food processor and process until coarsely shopped stopping occasionally to spoon down sides.
2. With the processor running, slowly add olive oil through the top chute.
3. Stir up to 5 tbsp water, 1 tbsp at a time, for desired consistency.
4. Mix in sesame seeds. (I didn't actually do this because I couldn't justify buy sesame seeds.)

Serve with rice crackers, veggies, or pitas (or pita chips!).

I'm not a huge fan of peanut butter and I think next time I'll add less. That didn't stop me from devouring it though. Good job, mom. A+ recipe share!

Darcee's Hope Review & Giveaway

I don't normally wear jewelery because my skin is sensitive and I break out in a horrible rash! Since I've returned to waiting tables though I've discovered strict policies on jewelery leave me with no option other than to explore every possible route to claiming my individuality. I've had to give up my facial piercings. Sadness. I have my cartilage on one ear pierced and my tragus on the other... so no more earrings either. More sadness! I have my everyday ring, so no more rings! They're killing me.

I don't have a lot of cute, short necklaces though and I figured I should branch out and grab some. I received the most adorable best friend necklaces from Darcee's Hope. I couldn't stop showing them to people! I sent the other to my bestie in Chicago. Gaia, my second best friend, is modeling the Bestie Bud I sent to Arianna:

The charms on these Bestie Buds are adorable. I really couldn't decide between the coffee & donuts or the PB&J. It was a tough decision. Look at these cutie slices:

Aren't they absolutely splendid! You can check out other cool stuff on Darcee's Facebook page. She also has really adorable tee shirts. And the packaging was awesome... Darcee included extra good karma for me! I sent some to Arianna. :)

Good news! Darcee has offered a giveaway for one of my readers! One of you lucky folks will win the Peanut Butter & Jelly Bestie Buds pictured above! This giveaway will run for one week ending on 12:01am EST on  June 1st. To enter, use the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!

Another Reason to Go Back to School

I think about going back to school a lot now that I have my associate's degree. Starting year 3 at a university seems so very appealing. Though I don't mind waiting tables (it's barely been a week after all), I don't really want to be a waitress forever. Now that I'm actually working again I've remembered that.

I had a recent epiphany. You may laugh, scoff, or roll your eyes, but here it is...

I applied for food stamps and temporary cash assistance two weeks ago. I've had to apply for food stamps in the past, so that part was easy. I applied for TCS (welfare) out of panic because I was not doing so well in my job search. It was so easy because you just check the little box on the application. After I got hired I did my DCF interview and I mentioned my new job. She says she'll send me a employment verification worksheet. I get it, have my boss fill it out, send it in, and I now have everything up to date.

Well the lady also tells me I have to attend an orientation for the cash assistance. I get that letter, follow the directions, and battle the line at DCF to get into orientation yesterday. I wait 30 minutes past the time they claim orientation is to begin. I go in and sit in the back. I raise my hand during orientation several times, sometimes mentioning that I now have a job and the orientation seems somewhat irrelevant.

Basically the orientation was about their job-placement program. You have to complete 35-40 hours per week of some "task." This can be a job they place you in, one of their education programs, or community service. Well, I have a job, am okay with my education I guess, but I wouldn't mind getting down on some community service for a little more stability.

Then, literally 5 minutes before the end she tells us that DCF will most likely deny temporary cash assistance benefits to anyone who is employed. Yes. This seems to be very true.

So after I got over my initial shock of having wasted an entire morning, I got angry. And then I wasn't mad for just my waste of time, I was angry for everyone who has applied for assistance and been denied because they are actually trying their hand at becoming an actual part of society.

I'm not trying to stereotype here. I understand everyone is different and every situation is unique. But my problem is that as soon as someone tries their hand at making an honest living they are cut off from government assistance. There is no middle ground. You can't have a job and get cash assistance because you make too much money at your part-time waitress job. They would much rather give 5 times as much money to someone who has been through the program 3 times and has no ambitions to change their life. It's utter bullshit.

So, as my friend Tara suggested, I'm going to go back to school. I'm going to apply for financial aid and do a work study. It'll be a second job, but the money won't be taxed. She said I could quit my job at Denny's, go to school, do a work study, and still get food stamps. If I got the most out of my work study (20 hours per week) I'd make enough for rent and utilities. And groceries are covered by food stamps. Plus I'll be going to school.

And worse case scenario I could continue to work part-time at Denny's.

I have a friend, Halley (remember the artist?), who did work study all throughout her education. That is how she paid her bills. She went to school and she was the curator at the college's art gallery. She liked it because it was easy and she could do her homework when it was slow. Her work schedule worked around her classes, and it was pretty much stress free.

I'm not trying to scam the system or anything, but it would be damn nice to be able to continue my education and pay my bills. Doesn't hurt to try it though, right?

Thoughts and suggestions welcome!

On Sponsors

Good morning lovelies! I hope May is treating you all well. I've been seeing so many inspiring posts and truly the summer is going to bring in some wonderful adventures!

I wanted to take a moment to talk about sponsors. I have some lovelies over there on the left that I've been trading with for a while. Some for longer than others. I actually enjoy each of them and want to make it very clear that the changes I'm about to talk about do not in any way effect them.

And I do still offer sponsorship spot swaps... just check the new sponsorship page!

However, I have been getting inquires now on placing ads on my site. I've been offered review opportunities and items to hand over to you lovely readers in giveaways. I started this blog with the intention to be able to make money from it, but I also stand firmly on the side of not spamming your readers with junk. I feel like I have a good balance going and I post as much as I can. I admit I don't have a niche (yet) and that my blog is still fairly new, but I feel like I have enough going on here to start offering sponsorship spots for purchase. And of course, they're cheap!

Most of the money from these sales will go towards purchasing sponsorship ads for my blog and finally getting that dot com going.I will also use the money to fund giveaways for things I love so that I can spread the wealth!

I've decided to use Passionfruit to sell and manage my ads. Honestly it was the easiest most convenient way to do things. It's easy for you, too.

Head on over and check it out!

(You can get 20% off your first ad with code HEYGIRL at check out!!!)

Crochet Stitches I Love

Oh the things I've learned. Practice makes perfect guys, and the more you do stuff the better you get at it. I set some goals for myself when I wrote my guest post for To Sew with Love and I've been trying to motivate myself to do them...

Here's what I have planned to accomplish this week:

• canvas bag tote = clutch purse
• tiny dress = big girl skirt
• 1 or 2 crocheted hip pouches
• circle top for my red red pants

I'm working on one of the hip pouches now. I promised one to a friend before the move and I'm running low on excuses. There is no reason not to. Honestly, my biggest motivation is the fear of letting both my craft supplies and excellent sense of style go to waste. And it's like I said, practice makes perfect.

Anyhow, I was trying to duplicate a stitch I used on my original pouch made years ago and I'd completely forgotten how to do it. I had to stop what I was doing and figure it out. And, I figured I would teach you as well!

I consider myself an intermediate crocheter, but this stitch is easy once you wrap your head around the concept. It's just a little tricky is all... its a front post double crochet paired with a back stitch double crochet (FPDC and BPDC, respectively). I re-taught myself by watching the wonderful videos by Crochet Cabana. I highly recommend heading that way yourself if my pictures aren't good enough for you (esp. the back post dc).

Here's what I started with:

You can see it's been worked with before. I really tried to figure it out on my own, but I just couldn't remember! Anyhow, I simply chained for the foundation chain, then double crocheted a row.

To start a front post double crochet (FPDC), yarn over like you would for a double crochet...

Then pull through the front of the post going in from the front and around the back...

 So you get this:

Then you just finish the DC. Here are two FPDCs together:

See how they pop out? Yeah buddy. Now, to get the same effect on both sides you gotts do back post dc's as well. To do those, yarn over like you're going to make a double crochet stitch...

Now wrap around the post again coming from the back and around the front...

Pull through...

Finish up your dc and you have something like this (next to a FPDC):

Here's the whole row FPDC x2, BPDC x2, repeat:

And a whole lot of rows...

Both sides look like that. Fancy, huh?

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my crochet refresher course. :) Hope everyone's having a fabulous Tuesday!

Somebody That I Used to Know

I love this song, but I admit it's outplayed. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, press play:

"Shary, if it's outplayed why are you sharing it here?" I'll tell you. Because I saw this image and it made me literally laugh out loud...

Bahahahahaha!

If you need something a little less circulated, the girl from that Gotye song, Kimbra, did this fabulous number that released around the same time but got buried in the "Somebody That I Used to Know" hype. I love the beat on this song, "Settle Down." Makes me wanna dance!

What are you dancing to today?

A Work Update

Hutch likes my tattoo sleeve because he said it looks like they're in bed snuggling together. I love laying in bed snuggling, but Hutch and I both work mornings and fight to be cool at night so we don't get to do that much. Here's my tattoo, snuggling with itself.

For those of you that missed it, I got the job as a waitress at Denny's. I have to cover the bottom of my tattoo and I've taken out all my face piercings... even my tongue. It's quite a discriminatory thing, but my opinion is biased. I hate having to hide my individuality. I do, however, "get it" and am used to it and so I don't complain much on the surface. Inside though, inside I'm mad.

Denny's is going good so far. I'm about to leave for work here in a few. Since I don't have a car yet and Hutch has left already, I'll be walking. It's a few blocks away and I'm guessing a 15 minute walk. I'm giving it a half hour though just in case. I honestly might just get a bicycle. So far Hutch has shared his car enough for me to get important errands run so why throw another car into the mix? It'd just be more bills and more gas money going to the man. We don't need the stress, honestly.

Do I like working for Denny's? Sure. For the most part everyone is friendly and minds their own business. The cooks aren't overly angry, and the manager actually works on the line if they get backed up. I had no issues getting the heavy trays on my shoulder or getting triple sat yesterday. I suppose I still have a few things to learn (side work mostly), but I think I'll be alright.

I just need to build up my stamina and figure out what I can do in the mornings to make myself feel less tired. Man do my legs hurt...

Picture Me Domestic Self Portrait Contest

Hutch and I went thrifting the other day. We got our entertainment system, a shelf for my knick-knacks, and very sexy work shoes for each of us. But what I'm most excited about is this little giraffe canvas bag I scored. I disguised its awesomeness because my goal is to make a change purse or make-up/pencil bag of some sort. The colors are very chill though and it's a project I'm SUPER excited about! Yay discarded canvas bags!

I've been wanting to show you my little craft corner now that we're all set up. My sewing machine is directly behind the most excited version of me. We're about to get crack-a-lackin'. Oh yeah.

The billboard isn't as big as I'd hoped, but it will become an inspiration board in the next few weeks when I start finding ideas and making them come to life. Directly under the cork board are my two bins' one is full of yarn and the other is full of fabrics.

This was my inspiration for the Self Portrait Contest over at Family Ever After. It's my first time actually trying to produce the tripod and editing the photo to include several versions of me. It got to the point where I gave up on perfection in the editing stages, but there I am!

Click over and check out some amazing self portraits!

Clearing My Head

This is another post from the May Post Project hosted by She Promotes. This time I read Rear View Mirror Conversations over at Being Tazim. In this post Tazim talks about her vacation away from life's normal grind to clear her head and refocus her goals. I've been doing a lot of the same thing lately.

"I don’t mind living in a 500sq. ft place if I can be doing the things I love. I have had to re-evaluate what is most important to me, and more so who is most important to me."

This is what sunk it in for me. I don't mind a much simpler life if it means being surrounded by love and loving my life. Folks, if you've joined me recently I'd like to offer a recap...

For the past 5 years or so I've been a stay-at-home-mom struggling with my identity. Staying at home is wonderful and I'm grateful to have been a huge contributor to the beautiful child my daughter is turning out to be. I enjoyed watching her grow and learning from her. Being a mother taught me so much. But I must confess, it wore me out. I had no sense of individuality. My [ex-]husband and I had a rough time getting along because we simply didn't understand each other. My needs as a person were not being met, and I couldn't cope with what was expected of me. Although I was constantly in the company of my child, I felt so utterly alone.

So I had to sit back, relax, and make some decisions for myself. I had to be selfish for the sake of my personal well-being.

I didn't get a vacation, therefor I am jealous of Tazim. I expect the planets to align sometime soon and offer me a retreat from all the stress I've been dealing with in the past. But I did take some time to re-evaluate what is most important to me. I downsized my life and decided to remove myself from the biggest triggers of my constant mental struggles.

It's only been a short time here, but I feel happier. Having my own life makes me appreciate motherhood more. Being able to depend on myself makes me proud. I feel stronger and more successful now than I have in a long time. I can make this work. Life is truly beautiful if you just take it by the hand and embrace it.

Book Chat: Favorites from Childhood

I'm linking up for the book chat at Sweet Green Tangerine today. :)

I admit I am not a big reader. However, I do have a Amazon.com wishlist that I update regularly. I do enjoy to red, but I'm quite picky when it comes to books and if I'm not sucked in from the beginning I most likely won't finish it. I have more fun updating Gaia's wishlist because children's books are so much fun! I recently added a ton to her list, so I'm going to tell you about some of our favorites...

Gaia loves Eric Carle. We read The Very Hungry Caterpillar all the time. (The link is to a pop-up... apparently amazon doesn't have the original version.) She always has to turn the pages with the holes in them. Ha!

[source]

We also have The Very Quiet Cricket and The Very Busy Spider. We desperately need Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See? I've added The Artist Who Painted the Horse Blue because it's new and I'm interested as to what it's about.

I personally love our If You Give a Mouse a Cookie treasury. I love it so much it's on my bookshelf and not Gaia's because I don't want it to get banged up. These books were among my favorites growing up. I was surfing online last week and I didn't even know about If You Give a Dog a Donut and If You Give a Cat A Cupcake! So I added those to her wishlist as well. We need to read them ASAP. Laura Numeroff is just too good...

My Omi passed down her love for Shel Silverstein books to me. I do not own a copy of The Giving Tree, but it's my favorite book from childhood.

"And the boy loved the tree..." [source]

I'm a sucker for love stories though. And nature. A love story between man and nature? Of course it belongs on my bookshelf! Shame on me for not already owning a copy... or any of his poetry collections for that matter.

I often sit here wondering why certain elements are missing from my adult life. Why did it not occur to me to hold onto such fabulous books? Silly, young me. I want to teach my daughter to love her books and keep them close to her heart.