Proverbs 31: 10 - 31

You are probably going, "HUH?!" but I am ever striving to be this woman and this scripture has been especially dear to my heart. Only another Fiber Artist would relate to these verses.

Proverbs 31:13
"She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.

31:19 & 20
"She percieveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night. She layeth her hands on the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff."

My story starts back in 1988. I was in my senior year of college working on my BFA in Fiber Arts (Surface design & textiles). I was preparing my portfolio for Miami's Famous "Designer Row". My professor was making his plans to set me off with personal references and everything I needed to get my foot in the door, designing fashionable, "must have" fabrics. All the while, I noticed that Fiber shops were far and few between. There was one woman who owned a shop, but she was kind of "out there" and always closed for one reason or another. My mom, who was a spinning enthusiast, and I were very frustrated at the lack of supplies and kind of haughty attitude we came across in the fibers realm of the city in which we lived. So, we me made a plan. We were going to go into business together and open a yarn and fiber shop of our own. We started planning and talking. As soon as I graduated, we would go to the bank, find a building or store to lease and open shop.

Late October of 1988, I came home one day and my mom and her husband broke the news to me. They were moving! Moving back to our home state, over 4 states away. Everything changed in an instant. I was dating my husband and told him about the plans. I told him, "it's either find a roomate or move back with them". Moving back was not an option, I was so CLOSE to graduation. He proposed marriage, mainly because he was afraid I would leave and never see him again; my parents were all but throwing my bags in the back of his car! There went my dreams with my mom. I was displaced. I wanted that shop more than anything else.

The years rolled by; 4 children & 17 years later, the dream had never left me. I love being a SAHM, I love my husband and his new business, but a part of me still yearned for that lovely little shop.

About a month ago, my husband & I were in the city, hitting all of the yarn shops in town. I told my husband on the way home with a deep sigh. "I wish I could have a shop in our town. I have always wanted to do that." My husband gave me a knowing look and said, "Boy, now would be the time to do it too. Our town is growing by leaps and bounds. It is the fastest growing county, I think in the country." I played it all over in my head. He was right. There is a Guild in the next town over, I have lots of fiber friends who get tired of Wally World yarn and the drive is too far to the city to just "pop in and look and around". I could start small and grow as our once sleepy little community is now growing. But, it was a dream, I didn't have a lot of money, and I didn't have my husband's blessing. I know that may sound strange, but if he wasn't going to support me on this, well, it just isn't going to work.

The weeks had gone by and the subject was brought up again. My husband called me from work while he was on break and asked, "So what is keeping you from starting a yarn shop?" I was taken of guard for a bit and answered, "Money? A place to set up? I don't know?" He paused and then said, "I can't get it out of my head. I have been thinking about it constantly. I really think you should go for it. I also hate to think someone else would come in and open a shop before you." I said what was on my heart at that moment. "I guess, I am just waiting for your blessing." He laughed and said, "Bless you! Bless you! Now, start making some phone calls, checking real estate and doing what you have to do to get started."

I hung up and started crying. The kids thought daddy had fussed at momma about something. ( my children range from 13 down to 8)But I assured them, that these were happy tears. I told them the news and they actually danced and were excited for me! My 13 year old gave me a huge hug and said, "You go for it MOM!" My dream was now taking shape, slowly it was now more than a whimsical little dream in the back of my brain.

I first called the Chamber of Commerce for our town. She gave me the name of the man I would need to speak to, but of course, he was gone. LOL There is a huge Fall Festival in our town every year and he was in and out working on that. He will call me back next Monday or Tuesday. He also is the Uncle of one of the boys in our Scout Troop and I know him pretty well. I had forgotten he was with the Chamber. DUH ME! The lady was taking information down and asked me, "What kind of a business are you planning to open?" I told her and she literally started squealing! "OH THAT WOULD BE WONDERFUL!" she practically yelled at me. She got all excited and told me how there use to be a yarn shop in town back in (get this) 1988! It folded because the town was fading out. New malls and progress in the city was overshadowing small towns like ours. Since then, everyone is moving from the city out to the counties surrounding it. We have subdivisions and stores coming up all over the place. Our sleepy little town is waking up! She took my name and email address and said she should would email any and all info (banks, lending companies and real estate agents) to help. She talked to me excitedly for a good 30 minutes or more. LOL

Ok now, I am going to share with you how it progresses. Hopefully, I can take you from dream to reality with lots of info and tips along the way. I will share what works and definitely what does NOT work. Maybe it will help you someday!

I think it is a good thing to get involved with your local Chamber of Commerce. These are the people who help to promote your business, help you with your grand opening (they call the press and do the ribbon cutting ceremony)as well as providing names and numbers for the Commercial Real Estate Agents, Banks & Lenders. Call them.

Next, look for Real Estate. Do you want to rent? Own a building? (Which is what my husband wants to do.)Do you want a shop front and live in the back? (Another thing my husband wants to do.) There is an advantage to Owning the building. If you ever decide to go out of business, you can always turn around and rent the space to another business. If you decide to live in your building with a store front, you can buy the building under your business name, then "rent" your living space from the business. This way you are not being taxed with "personal income" by renting the store front. The business just puts this back into, well the business. Especially if you make yourself a LLC. You are also absorbing some other costs; utilities, etc. This is very popular in the downtown area of the city.

LOCATION! LOCATION! LOCATION!
Remember, this is a shop where we need good foot traffic, is seen from the road, has good parking and is easy to find and get to. If they can't see or find you, you might as well not try.

If you decide to just lease or rent, there are 2 options and maybe more. The 2 most obvious to me are the condition of the store. You can rent a business that already is set up for you. This means, paint, counters, carpet or linoleum, things like that. All you have to do is, move in. Usually, the rent is a lot more! A lot more. But, if you get what is called a "Vanilla Shell", it is a lot cheaper. Unfortunately, you will have to sheet rock, paint and carpet everything yourself remember, you will probably have to have somethings approved by the landlord first. Now, I have an advantage over many other people. My husband is a carpenter and can do a lot of this work for me. (Big grin.)You will need to compare costs for that. You may luck out and get into an older building that is established. You might still want to give everything a fresh coat of paint.

Consider the space. We are talking Yarn and Fiber Shops here, so we won't go off on any rabbit hunts. LOL Of course you are going to want to have space, bins, racks for all of your scrumptious yarns, but when looking at a space, remember, you want people to be able to sit and work on their projects, hold your classes etc. Then, if you are like me, you'll want space to set up the floor loom and spinning wheels. You don't want to be cramped, but you don't need to be too big (especially with starting off, you might not have a lot of inventory until after you have been in business for a bit and the place would look not well stocked.)You can always find another bigger space after you have grown! Then you might want an office and you will need a store room for merchandise. This is the biggest part too. Ask about how much the utilities run. When you go to the bank, you will need an approximate amount with a break down for how the money is to be used. Then figure in the phone, will you need 2 phone lines? You might have a web page to sell via internet too. So you will need that second phone line. Figure in the cash register, computer, credit card machines etc. as well as the inventory.

So, I am at the Real Estate crossroads right now. I am thinking that for now, I may be leasing, but eventually buying a building. So hopefully the next time I post, I will have some pictures of promising building spaces and I will discuss what I think will work best for my needs. I have 1 additional thing to add about what I need in a building. I need an extra room where my kids can hang out. We homeschool, so they will have to be with me daily. So that is one very important feature I will be looking for.

I hope I have helped. If you have any suggestions or questions, please let me help you.
God Bless~
katcha

It's Goin' Good

That is my answer to people when they ask, "How's it going?". I nod and say, "It's going good." And so far it is, (although I am not looking forward to the accountant coming and telling me what is wrong with my Quickbooks, I am thinking "USER ERROR"?) LOL

We FINALLY close on our Real Estate venture! YEEEEE HAAAA! Then we are going to ROCK & ROLL hard on that. We are also going to fill out some forms for a home equity loan to obtain some rental property. Lots in the works right now.

I finished that knitted scarf I had been working on. (big grin) And I am just in a holding pattern right now on any more projects. I have a little "mad money" come my way and I am contemplating the purchase of some much needed circular knitting needles & a very large knitting needle, OR I could send this brown Romney wool fleece off to Pennsylvania to be processed for handspinning. Then again, I have placed a "silent bid" on another white Romney fleece at the Mid South Fair. The starting bid was $8 and I bid $10. I'll find out something at noon today or maybe tomorrow. I want to dye it in all sorts of scrumptious colors and then ply it with some exotic yarns. I have found a wonderful pattern for a shawl or poncho that would look very good done in the yarn I have in mind. I was surfing the other day and came across these scarves done in a combination of eyelash yarn and handspun, hand dyed. They were very creative and I was shocked to discover she was selling them for $150 a pop! I will tell you, they were really pretty, but the prideful BFA in Textile Arts in me says, "I can do that and better." After all, it is my "area of expertise". LOL So, my creative juices are going 90 to nothing and I am caught in a holding pattern. LOL Isn't that the way always? It is for me anyway.

Well, I have to get back at cleaning up around the house. I was gone all day yesterday at the Fair working as a volunteer in the booth our Boy Scout Troop has. They sell "home cooked food" and sell 16 oz Sweet Ice Tea for $1. It is a lot of fun but hard work. I go back Friday to work again, but I am going to one of those investing seminars to listen to their speals. It's free on the front end, but they hit you up for $3,000 for their "Investment Kits". LOL I am going because I wanted to hear a little bit about the Trade market etc. It's always good to try and look into things like this and educate yourself as to what is out there. As for the Kit? Well, they'll be very disappointed. LOL

God Bless!
katcha

Knitting away my troubles...

Today I have had some peace. I am knitting on 2, count 'em 2, projects. LOL It's that Adult ADD thang again. I am working on a ribbed scarf, lots of loft and fluff to it. It should be nice and warm for hubby. I am doing simple things for now and working my way from there. Next is a scarf for myself. After I finish those I am going to work on something a little more involved. I would love to knit a sweater and some socks!

I am really worried about drummerguy's family...they are right in the path of Rita I am very sure. When you get a chance drop us an email or post and let us know you are ok, Ok? LOL

I really beg of you anyone who is in the path of Rita, PLEASE LEAVE! I mean it, don't be fool hardy and try and stay. Please find refuge away from this storm. I am still praying for a supernatural miracle that God would stay this storm with his mighty hand, but if he doesn't choose to, then I pray people will be safe. I had someone ask me the other day, "If God loves us so much, then why does he allow all of these people to die?" They were very bitter. I simply replied, "The real question is; Why does God allow any of us to live at all?" I'll just let ya'll chew on that one for a while.

Well, I need to start dinner and do some things before my husband gets home. He will be home regular time for a change. He said he wanted to spend time with us tonight, he will be gone all weekend. He is a trainer for the Boy Scouts, so he will be teaching.

I will try and post some more tomorrow. Have a wonderful afternoon, be safe & God Bless.
katcha

Changes in the Air

I will not lie when I say I never feel at home wherever I am. Maybe the closest I have felt was in New Mexico or maybe in TN when we built our own home. Where we live here, I am anything but "at home". I try to make it my home but I am never happy here. Our neighbors aren't really neighbors like we all wished we had. We have been looking to move for a loooooooooooong time. Plus, it is very hard to focus on our real estate ventures. We have toyed with several ideas but haven't figured out what or where we should be.

Recently, my husband put in for a Camp Ranger job for a Baptist Camp right around the corner. There are several cons for every pro on that. I personally think the director wants to cut the budget. He seems more interested in "international travel and missions" then on "home missions", which BTW is the whole purpose of the ministry. The director is a very "me" kind of guy. *sigh*

Then a new opportunity has arisen. The Boy Scout Camp down the road about an hour had a ranger who just last week, had a major stroke and is unable to work. Poor soul, he fell in his front yard and laid there for 3 hours before someone found him. He is lucky to be alive between the stroke and the heat. My husband is at the very forefront top of the list of replacements. For now, they want someone to work the camp part time, weekends only. They need someone to stay the weekend (to check in campers) and cut the grass. Eventually, the job would become full time + pay, housing etc. Pretty much the same deal as the Baptist camp, but more money. It's a toss up really right now. If my husband can get the Baptist Camp to offer the same thing as the Boy Scout camp we might do it. But if not, we'll probably jump on the Boy Scout Camp job. I am just ready to blow this popstand!

Here is my list of Pros for the Baptist Camp:
New Home (no house notes)
more room
pool
nice facilities
right behind our church (literally)
children would still have their friends
boys would still have their scout troop & pack + friends
could finish this house to sell (easier to work when not living there)
nice neighbors (the pastor's family)
no alcoholic neighbors
husband home (if he does not negotiate a part time deal)
no commuting to work everyday (he commutes 1 hour there and another hour back!)
lower our gas bills for the vehicles
lots of woods for kids to play on
private lake to fish and canoe or boat on

Now the Cons:
less pay then husband is getting now, even with the housing etc.
have to live tighter than before until the house is sold (which could be a while)
working for a man that is probably not good to work for (I have been hearing things)
No one is sure how long the job will be there (there is talk about selling the camp)
No retirement
No insurance
the possibility that he might not have time to invest in real estate ventures

Pros on the Boy Scout Camp:
New Home (no house notes)
a whole camp and lake front for our use
husband home (eventually)
*for now it is part time
more money (eventually)
could finish this house to sell (easier to work when not living there)
more time to work on our real estate ventures
I could quit my part time job with the neighborhood assoc.
an oppurtunity to move on to bigger and better Scout camps (like the one in Hardy, ARK, majorly SWEET, or the one right around the corner from the house now!)

Now the Cons:
Until it is full time, hubby would have to commute to his job (he commutes 1 hour there and another hour back!) now add 2 more hours to that!
we would have to drive son an hour to be @ his troop meetings (more gas)
find a new church
children would have to make new friends
finding my way around in a new area
I think the house is older and not as big as the one we are living in now!
I am unsure about insurance and probably NO retirement

Now alot of different things factor in all of this. Both jobs will be about the same right now... the BSA one will eventually be full time. After the house we are in now is finished and sold, it will take a tremendous burden from us (ie. pay off a couple of bills and or car notes). Also, my hubby, will eventually quit his present job and after 2 months recieve his retirement (after penalties for withdrawing early) which will be a good lump. Also, we will be reinvesting our time and money from our real estate venture at present to buying some houses which will be for rent. Not total rehabs either, but homes that need minor paint and new flooring and landscaping. So,it will be the first 6 months to a year that things will be very difficult, but I things will ease up and we can really breathe.

All I can say is I need prayer at this point. Prayer for wisdom, prayer for discernment and prayer for blessings from God. If he is in it, everything else will fall into place. I have already talked to the kids about it. They are all for it. They know that their dad and I are trying to do better for them and us. They are very honest with us and I have encouraged them to be very honest and talk out their fears, etc. So far, as long as #1 son can stay with his troop everything is ok. The rest agree.

Pray for me and my husband! God Bless!
katcha

Gotta LOL

I know this is on another blog but OMGosh it so funny! My son and I were completely enthralled with it. I mean, ok, It's a huge PINK, knitted bunny, for crying out loud. On top of that, it is on a mountain in Italy and it will be there for 20 years?! I can see it now; "Wow honey, our life long dream of traveling Europe is finally a reality. What should we do first? Go to venice, Rome? OH I KNOW! Let's go see the big PINK BUNNY! OK, I know what a sweater or pillow looks and gets like after 1 month outside so what is this monstrosity going to be like? Mildewed? EWWWW! Soggy from dew, rain and snow? Will it have all kinds of bugs living in it? Moth holes? And they want hikers to CLIMB that thing and LAY on it? Not me. I guess we could take comfort in knowing that it was knitted from wool and should be bio degradable, right? Check out the story here.
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1541732.html


I have finally conquered the PURL stitch in knitting. Took me finally going to the library, checking out a KID'S book called Kids Knit! Simple Steps to Nifty Projects by Sarah Bradley. It is colorful, shows real children knitting, easy to understand, wonderful diagrams and illustrations. My problem with Adult "How to Knit Books" is that they shove too much information at you. I just want the basics, you know? I want simple projects to try and work on. I figure I can work my way up to harder things from there. You can find this book @ Amazon.com under childrens books.

I have finished up some crochet projects, the beaded beret & Amanda's poncho. I am still working on the afghan, it is slow going. I have a couple of incredibly busy weeks ahead. I have a business meeting NEXT thursday, so I will have to type up the financial report, yadee yadee yaaa. The accountant is going to come over in the morning and try and help me figure out the Quickbooks 2005, grrrrrrrrrrr!

Fruit flys! They are all over the house! I can't stand them. No fruits or veggies we left out so I have no idea where they came from but we have been trying to kill them. Annoying, evil little things! grrrrrrrrrr again! I am not sure but I think they like my perfume. Who knew they had an attraction for Design TM perfume?!

Well, our investment deal is going for a bumpy ride. It will take some time, but I have confidence everything will go thru ( financially) and we can get to work. I have not been able to go and really look thru the house myself, and probably won't until we close on the deal. I want to put together a "portfolio" of sorts on the house. First I will get a big 3 ring binder; enclosed will be all the comparisons, budgets, legal papers, permits etc. Then I will take some before and after pictures. This way, when we go into other deals, we can pull it out to investors and show them what we have done on previous real estate ventures. They (I always wonder just who "they" are?) always say, the first house is always the hardest. After we sell this house, we will reinvest the money into a rental property. Kind of like Monopoly, buy three small houses, One big Hotel. LOL

Well, it's getting late and I am really tired tonight. We were out and about part of the day and I am such a homebody and hate getting out, it really tires me out. LOL I know...what a wimp huh?

God Bless and Good Night ya'll!
katcha ~BTW, here is the link to the Kids Knit! book

href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0806977337/qid=1127265299/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/103-6662423-7028630?v=glance&s=books">

Keeping Busy

I have a bunch of works going at once. I have an afghan for the girls going, that's going to take forever and a day! LOL it is candy colored and bright.

Next, is a poncho for my youngest daughter. Very trendy and perfect for our wild fall/winter weather here in the south.

Then there is a Beret, I am making for my Hat Exchange partner. I picked a beauitful chenille, jewel tone yarn for her. I have to remember to make the headband stretchy for her because she gets migraines. Not a problem, my particular pattern and + I stitch loosely will work perfectly for her.

Last (but certainly not least) is a matching beret, mittens and scarf for my neighbor girl's Christmas present. I already have her little sister's done. I think I am going to make something for momma as well, but can't for the life of me think what. I'll find the right thing for her at some point.

On top of all of that I need to make a scarf, mittens and hat for my youngest son (in brown), and a nice cardigan for myself. *sigh* so much yarn, so little time.

I have to keep my fingers busy, and I get bored too easily. LOL It's that Adult ADD thing I am sure. I blame it on being an artist, it sounds nicer.

Anyway, I have tons to do today, so I will try and write more later. Here are some pics of what I am doing and all the yarn colors I am working with....I'll post more later.

God Bless!
katcha

Investing

POP! shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

That, my friends, is the sound of champagne popping! WOO HOO!

We have some friends, great christian people, who are into real estate investing. They are just getting into it too, but have landed a sweet deal on an apartment building, RIGHT NEXT DOOR to where they live. They live in the city; so they have a little more property and experience under their belts then we do.

Anyway, there is a house almost directly behind them in the downtown area. It is OLD but structurally sound. My husband is a carpenter and gave it a thorough looking over with our freind. The roof is metal and solid as they come. It just needs lots of cleaning, painting, maybe some new trim, landscaping (my department) and a little "fixing up" in general. Now, an elderly man lives there and has a messed up family. He doesn't want any of his kids to have it ("a bunch of crack heads that just want my money"). He wants to get out of the neighborhood. The house looks horrible, now. My husband and his friend went over and offered $15,000 for the house and he took it. He couldn't get a real estate agent to touch it. Once the house is done, we will have it appraised and sell it at market value. Then we will split the money down 1/2 and 1/2. Taking in consideration we need to pay on the loan of course, but it is an open line of credit, which is a good thing to have in real estate investing. Anyway, we are really excited and this means MORE book keeping for me. ACK! But I agreed to do it so we'll see how it goes.

Anyway, that is my great news that I have been kind of sitting on until I knew the deal was thru. We have other things in the works as well but I'll have to wait on those for now before I can share. I have found, like a wish, it is bad luck to say anything BEFORE it happens. Well, for me anyway. LOL

God Bless!

katcha

A Whole Lotta Nuttin'

Saturday is my kick back and chill day. I have watched Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with my son and a few other shows with the girls. We all enjoyed a Mochachino Latte' with whipped cream (the kind in the can!) LOL

This afternoon we will head to memphis to hang out and have dinner with friends. I have to make some pizza dough. My friend is not experienced with making the dough so, I will make the crusts, she will make toppings. My world famous Mexican Fajita Pizza and for dessert, my even more famous, Cream Cheese Brownies! My friend is putting together a really great spinach and strawberry salad, sounds funky but it really is great!

Anyway, I have some things to do, vacuum, dust etc. but I will leave you with my recipe for the brownies. Hey, just give me credit when you make them ok? LOL

Katcha's EASY Cream Cheese Brownies

1 (20-23 oz.) pkg. brownie mix
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Prepare brownie mix as directed on package. Reserve 1/2 cup of batter. Cream the cream cheese and sugar. Add egg & vanilla. Spread brownie (minus 1/2 cup) on bottm of a greased 13x9 inch baking pan. Cover with cream cheese mixture. SPoon on the 1/2 cup brownie batter and swirl. Bake @ 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Easy!

katcha~ enjoy!

Friday...At Last!

I am having a love/hate relationship with today. On the one hand, it means the week is finally over and I can enjoy sleeping in, watching cartoons with the kids and dinner with our friends in Memphis. On the other hand, today means tests for the kids, running errands, grocery shopping and being out most of the day. *sigh* But I have got it to do.

I am working on a new crochet project. Another Afghan. I think I must be a glutton for punishment but it is going to big enough, to fit over the girls bed (which is full size). I will take pics as soon as the camera is juiced back up. The batteries ran low. Anyway, I am not sure what this stitch or pattern is called. It is worked so that the main color is crocheted on the "wrong side" and the other colors are worked in the front. It is actually like 2 layers being worked at the same time. It looks sooooo complicated but it is really pretty easy. It also helped that my aunt has a baby blanket in progress, done with the same stitching, that she let me look at. I am a visual person and don't do well reading a pattern without seeing how something is done. So, she copied the pattern for me and I started working. I had to "frog" quite a bit at first to get it right but because I knew what it was supposed to look like I was able to finally get it. Oh, to "frog" something in crochet, means to pull the stitching out, because you literally "rip it", "rip it", "rip it"! LOL A little crochet humor there...who knew?

Well, miss "Suzy Homemaker" here, has to make a shopping list and Menu for the next couple of weeks before we leave or the grocery budget will go totally bust! Hey, don't laugh, with 6 people in the family, we can't afford for that to happen nor can we afford to run out of groceries before the next payday either.

God Bless and c'yall later!
katcha

I think I should change the name of my Blog to "Confessions of a Vegetarian", but that would be a little passe'.

About a month ago I completely went ovo-lacto vegetarin. Ok, there are different kinds but I basically don't eat meat. Now, the rest of my family pretty much eats as they want. This is a personal decision on my part and I just didn't see the need to force the rest of the family into it.

Now, I know there are lots of diets out there that eat only raw fruits and veggies, soaked nuts, NO coffee, NO chocolate, etc. Hallelujah Acres diets is one of those. I drink the Barley Green with fresh juice and drink my carrot juice, but I eat cooked veggies, legumes, rice and whole wheat breads. I also take vitamins to supplement my diet. I also have a little dairy too. I would be careful, although I think they (meaning the Hallelujah Acres Diet) have a good principle going, please be careful. There is some controversy involved there, especially as expectant mothers & children go and are concerned. Here is a good read and I think, a very objective opinion by a qualified Dr.

http://www.mercola.com/article/diet/former_vegan.htm

The reason I quit eating meat was because it would make me constipated for weeks! I'm serious! My husband did not believe me, so I started writing it down on a calendar so he could see. I even went so far as to write whether I took a laxative or not. The first time I went 11 days and FINALLY had to take a laxative. The next time I went for 8 days and my husband had a cow. I felt like I needed to have a cow. LOL! He started making phone calls and appointments for me.

I went to a gastrointestinal doctor for all the tests and discovered eveything was pretty normal, my body just had a hard time breaking down meat. So, I went octo-lacto vegetarian. I do eat tofu and soy burgers. I use olive oil and flax seed oils as well as soy, rice and almond milk. I love vegetarian pizza so life is not boring for me. LOL! I have gads of great vegetarian recipes that are great! Like lasagna, meatless chili, etc.

I do not flaunt my vegetarianism either. I am very quiet about it so as not to raise a big fuss. Recently, there was a large Scout Alumni Reunion for my son's troop. They served hot dogs and burgers for lunch. Did I get mad, rant & rave about how inconsiderate it was of them to not think of us vegetarians?! LOL! No, I only live around the corner (otherwise I would have packed my lunch) and could easily pop home for a meal if needed. I quietly found hubby, told him I was going to run home for lunch right quick and pack a dinner for later (they were planning barbecue!)gave hubby a kiss and went on my way. When I came back, one of my son's, scout friends came over. "Ms. Kathy? Are you a vegetarian?" he said in almost a whisper. I smiled while nodding yes and said quietly,"I don't like making a big fuss about it." He nodded in agreement and said, "That's cool!" LOL

Anyway, I think it's like the dieting thing for losing weight or anything else in life, you have to do what is right for your body. YOUR body, not what everyone else is doing. This works for me and now I am as regular as clockwork. I don't need laxatives, I am losing some weight and detoxing a bit. I tried cutting the coffee cold turkey and suffered with a mondo headache from HELL! This was on the Hallelujah Acres Diet. And give up my chocolate?! WHAT?! ARE YOU MAD!? LOL! Some things you just don't mess with. I do limit it though and have been actually enjoying it more. But stop completely and forever? NOT!

I have to go for now. Everyone have a great day and talk at you again soon.

katcha

Laughing Out Loud!

OOOOOOOOO I am a popular gal this day....the "comments" keep coming. Ok, so the magic tricks are interesting, but I don't need any meds right now. LOL

Wow, I know I am not the most...ummmmm....riveting writer on the net, but sheesh! LOL

katcha

Unwanted Comments

Ok, people...LOL I guess people will take advantage of whatever they can get. LOL I guess ya'll should be warned, if you send me "raunchy" posts or solicitations; whether they be for ads, real estate or worse. Well, they'll be deleted. Just that simple. Come on people...get a life...

katcha~ really not happy right now..."Step away from the computer slowly and no one gets hurt.." dad-gum!

Tuesday's Musings

Well, I am finally settled in, and have the house back in order (somewhat anyway). Is it ever really "in order", I don't think so with 4 kids around. LOL

Monday, Labor day was just that (as always) for us. I slept in late, WOOO HOOO! Got up and juiced my breakfast and mixed in some Barley Grass Powder, otherwise fondly referred to as "Soilent Green". As I stand in the kitchen, madly shaking this pint jar of juice with my SG; I can be heard to yell, "It's PEOPLE! It's PEOPLE!" Of course everyone just looks at me like I am crazy; which of course, I AM. evil grin...

Anyway, I got dressed and to work ASAP. Hubby and I moved the old antique wood cook stove out of the dining room. It is a lovely thing, really. It has wonderful memories attached to it. My hubby's grandmother use to cook on it a loooooooong time ago. Unfortunatly, it takes up space and just doesn't have a "place" in the house. We'll store it until we (1.) move or (2.) build another house or (3.) add on to and expand this one. Anyway, we emptied out my china cabinet and moved furniture around and it is perfect. Makes the room look huge now. My next course of action is to paint the dining room. Ahhhh, a beautiful gold color with a crisp "craft white" chair rail around the room. On the large, now vacant wall, I am in search of either a large mirror or an incredible landscape oil painting. I am not just the type to just hang any old thing on the wall because its bare. I would rather have it empty until I find the "perfect" piece. Now, to get rid of that old gun cabinet in the corner...

I absolutely LOVE paint. I am not a wallpaper person. I love standing in the paint store and looking thru all the paint samples etc. I love bringing all the pamphlets home and picking out the perfect color to go with my taste, room, decor, etc.

I guess we have some exciting new possibilities on the horizon for us. There is a vacancy at a nearby missions camp. There is a 4 year old house, a pool, camp facilities, etc. and the positon for Camp director is now vacant. I delivered a resume' for my husband today. The man in charge has been talking to my husband on a regular basis. We think we have as good a shot as anyone for it. But either way, I have a complete and total peace about it. We'll see and I'll keep ya'll posted on that. One advantage to getting the job, is that we would move into the new house, and be able to work on this house to make it ready for sale. That would be majorly sweet.

I haven't been doing too much else actually. I have some accounting work to catch up on and some calls to the accountant as well. I will do that tomorrow or next week and finally get this all behind me. I hate for unfinished business to me hanging over my head. Not fun.

Well kids, I need to fix dinner. The kids are starting to vulture and circle the ice box looking for something to eat. DINNERTIME! I'll leave you with a nice visual for my paint color for the diningroom....I think you will like it.

If you like playing with paint colors...go to this link...
http://www.sherwin-williams.com/index.jsp

katcha~ who is now playing with the livingroom colors....way cool...

Back On The Grid

There are many things I am grateful for in life; my family, health, freedom, but what I am most grateful for is ELECTRICITY!

I live in a rural area and our power is subject to loss at any given time. Such was the case this last Monday night. We were in the path of Katrina's leftovers. Trees were down all over and 1/2 of our county lost power. At first we were told "by Saturday" then "7-10 Business days" (the Business was enunciated by the Entergy Rep)and then "by Saturday" again.

We were ok overnight, but wondered if we would have any power soon. The next day our water quit working. Not good. I was luckier than my neighbors, I have a propane gas tank and so we had hot water and I could still cook. Unfortunatly, I had just gone grocery shopping + had an upright freezer FULL of meat and food. This meant going to town, buying HUGE coolers and packing everything into them. Lucky for me, I didn't have to pay for ice. The Boy Scout Camp around the corner had an ice machine that was full. Dennis said I could have all I wanted until it ran out or melted. I am glad to report, we only lost 4 bags of frozen veggies, one bag of frozen fruit & 1/2 a gallon of icecream.

Tuesday evening, things got a bit tougher. The house was beginning to heat up without air, raising the windows provided no relief and the kids were going crazy. Thankfully the water was back on. They had a back up generator going for that. My husband was just about to go to his Uncle's house for something when his Uncle pulled up in the driveway. After talking for a bit we realized they never lost their power or water! ACK! We only live on the other side of the highway from them! Anyway, after coming into the house he called his wife and Aunt Connie graciously invited to their home to stay until the power came back on. They also let me put my groceries up in their freezer and fridge. All in all it was a nice arrangment; I fixed all the dinners using mostly my groceries and Aunt Connie made breakfast. I made lunch as well. I always cleaned the kitchen back up as clean or better than I found it.

Friday afternoon at about 4:00 pm, our power was restored! I went home (a neighbor had called me to let me know) and set the air to cool the house down, cleaned out the fridge and freezer like new and did some housekeeping. I had a huge load of towels to wash from where the freezer had thawed itself out all over the kitchen floor. ACK! By Saturday morning, we were all back at home. I missed my juicer, my own bed and my own "routine".

Anyway, I am just thankful for what little damage and inconvenience we have had to endure. I have been following the devastation and troubles of our neighbors in southern Mississippi and Louisianna. I think what I find most disturbing is how when given a chance, man (and I mean mankind) can be so evil and take opportunity to be act so. Sad, truly sad.

I just pray for safety, health and blessings to all during this horrible time.
God Bless,
katcha