Live Like No One Else

Finally! We started the local class of Financial Peace University on Sunday night. Big Monkey was reluctant to go to the preview class last month but once we got in there and he realized how funny Dave Ramsey is, he agreed to come with me. Last Sunday was the first official class and there are 20 couples in the bloomin' thing! It's huge but in a weird sort of way a comfort to know that we're not the only ones living paycheck to paycheck (appearances are verrrry deceiving) AND that we're not the only ones who want to change that and learn to be better stewards of our money. The church where we're attending offers free baby-sitting during the class; the nursery was slam-full of kids. I always figure Lil Bit will be the only kidlet around but not here! I think the lovely ladies who'd volunteered to watch the kids were a bit overwhelmed by the number. Hopefully next week there may be a few more hands around.

We decided to go forward with our plans for our annual OBX vacation this weekend. While that money could go towards our Baby Step 1 Emergency Fund, we have long had this money squirreled away for this specific vacation and both of us desperately need a real break, even if only for two days. I'm already hard at work on the next show and Big Monkey is exploring his options for moving around (or out) so doing a lot of personal work this week. Add to that he hasn't been able to get out in the field yet so he's had no stress relief lately. We need to smell the salt air, feel the water lap our toes, and eat as many oysters as our bellies can hold.

A Masterpiece of Potential

My garden this year was... not a dismal failure, but a failure nonetheless, from what my original goal was: not only to feed us through the season but also to have enough to put away for the winter. Looking back I know exactly what I did wrong. It wasn't the heat (which was brutal at times) or the bugs (which got to the squash plants again). It was me, plain and simple. Tending a garden requires actual tending: time, energy, emotion. One of the leadership books I read over the summer says "Good decisions plus daily discipline equals a masterpiece of potential." Since I did not put in the daily (or even weekly) effort that a good garden demands, I got instead this: "good decisions minus daily discipline equals a plan without payoff." I didn't thin seedlings like I was supposed to so I wound up with tall spindly okra that barely produced and a handful of baby-size carrots instead of 6" long nightsticks. I didn't water as needed so my green beans quit flowering and my tomatoes broke as they ripened. I didn't fight the caterpillars that eventually came crawling and had to chop down my chard plants to get rid of them (actually, those plants are releafing with the turn to cooler weather).

I love gardening. Every year when we start to get even a little warmth and sunshine I start to imagine the full beds, the green seedlings, the white and yellow flowers, the red and green and purple and orange fruits and vegetables. The pride I will have at feeding my family. And yet, every year, I find myself at the end of the growing season with nothing to show. 

"The reason most goals are not achieved is that we spend our time doing second things first." I have many goals, many projects that take up my time, not even including my paid work. My home projects seem to always get short shrift, after gearing up for theater stuff, or doing the necessary daily chores, or spending time with my family. Not that those things aren't important, but I say that the personal projects (gardening, scrapbooking, reading, blogging) are important too. And with trying to increase my hours (and thus pay) at work, it means less time for everything else. And while I understand the importance of winnowing down, of being able to say "no" to things that fall outside of what I can be best at, I also want to be able to do ALL that I want to do, of feeling like a Renaissance woman. 

Maybe I should only sleep for 15 minutes every few hours, like Da Vinci was rumored to do.

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1.02.28

The Path Not Chosen

I find myself at a bit of a crossroads. I can see before me two distinct paths, very different from one another in type yet with the same "helping others achieve happiness" at their core. One has a paycheck already associated with it and would likely be much more lucrative while the other one doesn't have an easily visible monetary reward but I trust that the universe would provide.

I do not know how to make the two worlds mesh. In fact, so disparate are they that to follow one, committing to what it entails and the choices that would have to be made, would mean leaving the other one behind, with only a nod and a passing glance of a reminder.

Would it be fair to say "Okay, I'll pick this one for now? And give it X amount of time? And then maybe I'll try the other for a while?" Or is hedging my bets not allowed?

Or is there a 3rd choice I'm overlooking?

Needle In A Haystack

I'm a glutton for punishment, I swear. In the midst of planning for the Gala plus prop work for the first show of the season, we took a long weekend and went away to Redbarn Farm to see the fam. And to celebrate Big Monkey and my 11th Anniversary by driving to Asheville for the afternoon. It's only an hour and a half away from Upcountry South Carolina (crazy how the land lies/roads go) so an easy drive from the farm. We had a wonderful time, drank too many really good ales, and want to go back for twice as much time with four times as much money.

Which, since I took the trapped time in the car to actually do our budget together, we know we have none of. Not literally, of course, we can pay our mortgage and put food on the table and keep the lights on. But, honestly, beyond that, not much! It was kinda scary to put together a realistic, not extravagant budget, that included saving for yearly payments (property taxes, vacation) and minimum payments on debt, only to realize that to pay everything would put us in the hole $430 every month. We're not congress, we obviously can't do that. And with Big Monkey's insane schedule at work making earning extra income and still being a presence in Half Pint's life not possible, it looks like it will fall to me to pick up the slack.

I'll start, of course, by working my full hour allotment at work (show hours being purely bonus and will go towards saving our emergency fund and then straight toward debt payments). But I'm also going to get serious about pursuing consultant work (I guess that's what it is. Maybe you know a better term.) in organizing and personal shopping.

I'm calling it "Needle In A Haystack" and the tag line is "Finding the Perfect Item for you, for your loved ones." I'll offer both personal shopping services (drawing on my many years of retail work and prop shopping for theater) and home/office organizing help (from my years of management, planning, and obsession with details). $50/hour with a $20 initial consultation applicable towards final bill. Packages available, corporate discount offered.

I would love to start with 2 jobs per week, totaling about 8 hours. Even setting aside a percentage for taxes, I should easily be able to make up the difference in our budget without breaking the time bank with either Half Pint or Big Monkey.

You're the second person I've told about this idea (the first being Big Monkey, of course) so I'd love feedback. Or a referral! I think I may have really found my Hedgehog Concept (you haven't read Good To Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap? Shame on you!) and am excited to see how great it can be.

Did Someone Change My Calendar Early?

I know we're all asking it but really, where did the summer go? Just yesterday I had a grand plan for these few months between seasons, full of promise for bigger-better-bolder! Now, it's August 2nd and my day is so full trying to get ready for the gala at work, the season opener, and make steady progress on projects at home that I'm planning out my day, as opposed to just making a to-do list and going forth. I suppose that might make me a bit OCD but, hey, whatever gets the job done, right?

Yes, this is my daily planner, not just a one-off for a busy day. I created it, printed it, and live by it. Everything goes in it: family events, project notes, food charts, funny quotes, flylady lists, so forth and so on. There's a pocket in front for cards and other loose ephemera. 3 (count 'em: 3!) different calendars: a quick yearly glance (useful for planning vacations around shows), a monthly block-style as dividers (you can just see the blue tabs at left), and then these daily pages.

Obviously, I work in pencil.

I may have a slight calendar obsession. Is that bad?

In other craziness: if I ever say "oh, I'll just make the pasta from scratch!" someone please bean me upside the head with a pasta machine. I made lasagna from scratch today. Literally: pasta, sauce, cheese. Well, I didn't grow the spinach but... no Stouffer's grodiness here (not that I don't eat the frozen take-n-bake kind when offered it elsewhere but I wouldn't be Foodie Mama if I did that at home, now would I?). And we can't afford to run to the store and buy noodles but I still had 00 flour on hand and had eggs from the farmer's market on Saturday... and time, although I had forgotten how freakin' long the process takes. That's where today really got thrown off: I never remember how long it takes to make pasta from scratch. Luckily, I did remember that the egg was going to go everywhere when trying to incorporate it into the flour, so I was prepared for that and kept it together. And lasagna, like most pasta dishes, is one of those easily-forgiving things that you can just lump some stuff in the dish, throw it in the oven, and it'll pretty much turn out edible. I had leftover meatball meat from making meatballs over the weekend (again, from scratch. I'm a glutton for punishment) for the sauce, plus a huge block of mozzarella (not the good stuff but it was on sale) and a frozen package of spinach so it turned out quite tasty. I love spinach in my lasagna. In fact, the best lasagna that I've ever made was a spinach/portebello mix that was completely vegetarian and to die for.

Of course, pounds of cheese make most anything tasty.

This picture is NOT my homemade lasagna, but rather an old recipe called "Johnnie Marzetti". "Spelling varies according to locale, but it is the same hearty, flavorful, economical dish no matter how you spell it." From the Southern Heritage 'Beef, Veal, and Lamb' cookbook (more on the set in a later post). It's not quick since you have to chop, brown, and simmer and then bake it all for 20 minutes, but it hella cheap and makes a ton. Be prepared to eat on it for lunch for days.

Which in this economy is a pretty good idea.

Johnnie Marzetti

1 pound ground chuck
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
1 medium-size green pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup butter
1 (6-oz) can tomato paste
1 Cup water
1/4 teaspoon basil leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 bay leaf
2 (5-oz) packages wide egg noodles, cooked and drained
1.5 cups soft bread crumbs
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Saute meat, celery, onion and green pepper in butter in a large skilled over low heat until meat is browned, stirring to crumble. Drain off pan drippings. Add tomato paste, water, basil, salt, pepper and bay leaf; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Remove bay leaf and discard. Place cooked noodles in a lightly greased 2.5 quart shallow baking dish. Spoon meat mixture over noodles; sprinkle breadcrumbs and cheese over top. Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 20 minutes or until cheese melts. Yield: 8 to 10 servings.

Rain may stop us, but not heat

We braved the heat last Saturday to go to the Saxapahaw Rivermill Music Series. Not that we were the only ones there, but it was definitely LESS populated than when Half Pint and I went two weeks ago. But we were rained out last week (my birthday, too, what a bummer) so I was determined we'd go and have a good time.

We had to go into Hillsborough first so swung by Weaver Street Market and picked up picnic foods (they make the best pimento cheese ever) before taking a circuitous route to the hill. We picked up some ale at the General Store after making sure it was okay we could take glass (I couldn't remember and didn't want to chance it).


Half Pint had a great time: she danced some, ate, and played with the bubbles, of course. Big Monkey and I enjoyed hanging out together (even if I did spill some of my beer on the blanket). It was fun people watching, too, and not having to worry about her getting into something she shouldn't. It's a very family friendly event and everyone out there -- with kids or not -- smiles and enjoys watching the little ones play. Looking around, they were the missing element over two weeks ago; I suppose other parents with toddlers didn't want to stand the 100 degree temps. Turned out to not be an issue; in fact, about halfway through the show, we were worried we'd get rained on. Clouds started to move in, brought by a refreshing breeze, but luckily the precipitation stayed away and we were able to finish our dinner before heading out right before the show ended.

There's a great farmer's market there, too, during the concert and we picked up a couple of things, including a wonderful cantaloupe from Byrd Farm since she was soooo nice to let us borrow her bottlecap opener. Twice. And several food stands set up shop, including a place that sells Maple View Farms ice cream. Half Pint opted for strawberry: yum.

Dog Days of Summer

I already suck at this blogging thing and it's only been two months since I started it. One of the things I've learned is I need feedback, public acknowledgment, even just a "hey, I read that. it sucked." to keep at projects like this. I LOVE the internet because of the worlds it opens up and the people you can meet. But I HATE the internet because I don't get the immediate gratification of someone's smile at my work that I get in the Real World. I think that's what kept/keeps me in retail/customer service: that immediate happiness I can afford someone.

Not that I don't think what I'm working on here on the webs is important, but, well, anyway.

We got a dog. Two, actually. They are Plott Hounds, about 3 months old, shelter-adopted pups. The lighter brindle in center is Nikola, a boy and the dark one on right is a girl, Tesla. The one on the left in Elmo pj's is Half Pint. The cats (we rescued an older cat, Blitz) were on the bed. One large, furry, happy family. But you can see: it's a been a tad busy around here lately.