Job Interview

This morning kinda' sucked.  I went to the park at 10am and walked 2 miles.  But everything hurt.  My hips, back, knees, feet.  Everything.  So I was a little discouraged that I've been walking every day for 3 weeks now and it doesn't feel any easier yet.  It doesn't help that it's June in Georgia and that means mid 90 temps with a nasty humidity to match.  It might not have been that hot yet at 10am but it was certainly uncomfortable. 

Breakfast was another homemade egg mcmuffin.  Lunch was a philly cheesesteak of sorts.  I had some thin sliced steak.  I sauteed that as well as some mushrooms, onions and red bell pepper.  I didn't really plan ahead for the bread for this so I used a leftover hot dog bun from Dwayne's smoked sausages last night.  I also didn't have any mozzarella, so used some provolone.  It was pretty tasty albeit a little dry.

After lunch I ran out to Goodwill to purchase some inventory for my Ebay listings...

Then a quick stop at Wal-mart.  Right before I got out of the car, I got a call from a guy at Principal Financial Group asking me to come in this Friday morning for a job interview.  It's an Administrative Assistant position as an independent contractor assignment.  My good friend Lori told me about it...it's her old position, she's moved on to bigger and better things. 

I've been doing Ebay for about 3 or 4 years now and to be honest, it's a struggle.  The money keeps my part of the bills paid, but I can say I do not enjoy the stress of always wondering if you're going to make enough each month.  There's definitely not much extra and the stress of that can be draining.  It would be nice to work at a job outside the home again for the sole purpose of having a check you can count on.  Well, sort of.  At least count on for a little while.  I say that because I was laid off from my last 2 Accounting jobs, so nothing is ever guaranteed.  But it would be nice to have a little break from the weekly stress that comes with sales.

I will continue to do my Ebay sales on the side.  If I happen to get this job, and for some reason it ever ends in the future, I want Ebay to be up and running.  I do not want to have to build another store from the ground up.  So we'll see what happens.  I've discussed it with Dwayne and there are a couple of parameters that need to be met in order for me to accept on offer.

First of all, it's a pretty bad commute.  It will be at least an hour each way in metro Atlanta traffic, if not more.  So Dwayne said it needs to pay at least $17/hour to make it worth it.  Secondly, Boomer our Labradane puppy is only 7 months old.  With an 8 hour work day for each of us, and a 2 hour commute each way, that would leave him in the crate for 10 hours.  Neither of us are comfortable with that thought.  That's way too long to expect him to hold his bladder, plus it's just sad that he's used to being out and playing with Scarlette during the day, out in the back yard, all over the house, etc.  Dwayne shocked me to death.  He actually told me that I'm "so awesome" and "do so much for the family".  That he has grown to appreciate me working from home because I'm here to take care of the house and the dogs, etc.  Me doing these things takes the load off of him and he's thankful.  I was blown away.  I'm pretty sure that's the first time he's ever voiced his thoughts on that.

So...they would have to agree to let me work from 7a-3p or 7:30p-3:30p in order to stagger my hours with Dwayne.  He doesn't leave the house until 9:15a....so this would put Boomer in the crate about 6.5 hours instead of 10.  That is much more doable.

I've been a nervous wreck since I got the call this afternoon.  I haven't interviewed in quite a while.  I caught myself wondering if I could remember how to do basic admin duties.  Can I load paper in a printer?  Fax something?  Scan a document????  Dwayne came home from work and I was still freaking out and he just laughed at me.  Told me to chill and stop freaking, that everything would be fine...it's just a simple interview.  We don't even know if we're going to accept the offer, so just do the interview and don't worry about the next step.  He's my rock....my calm to the chaos that is my brain.

Dinner was a little late and not very well planned out because I was too busy freaking.  I mean, I knew I was making bbq chicken, but didn't bother to make any sides.  After he got home, I realized this, and threw a potato in the microwave for him.  Covered it with salt, pepper and butter and he was fine.  I went with raw veggies...cukes, tomatoes and carrots.

I had "bake egg cups" on my menu plan for tonight so I just pulled them out of the oven.  A lot more green in them this time.  I used yellow squash, spinach, zucchini, asparagus, mushrooms, onion, a little bit of steak leftover from lunch and a sprinkle of cheese...topped with Egg Beaters.  I bake mine at 375 for 20 mins and the consistency is perfect every time.

I didn't take a pic of the finished product because I started typing this post while they were still in the oven...but you've seen them before.  :)  Boomer has to go to the vet in the morning to be neutered.  He's starting to hump everything in sight and that just can't be tolerated.  I will be dropping him off at 7:30a and picking him up sometime before 5p.  I've been worried sick all week.  What if he's allergic to any of the meds?  or the anesthesia?  I just hate it when my babies have to have surgery....even one as common as this one.  I'll be happy when I get him back home and on the couch, and just cover him up with Momma hugs and kisses.  He's gonna need his Momma.  Sure do love my babies. 

Dwayne took off work Thursday and Friday to be home with Boomer, too.  He said one of the reasons is for the physical fact that I can't lift him if anything were to go wrong, he had to go back to the vet and lifted to the car, etc.  The other reason is because he's a big softie and loves his boy as much as I do.  :)

A New Chapter

I had a blog a few years ago that was strictly for weight loss.  I lost 100 lbs.,  albeit not all I needed to lose.  I got burned out on calorie counting, writing and all that went with it and stepped away for a few years.

A friend mentioned to me yesterday that she was considering blogging again and I spent the rest of the day contemplating the idea for myself.  I decided that I did kind of miss that hobby and the virtual relationships that are tied to it, but this time I didn't want it to be solely about weight loss.  I wanted it to just be a simple blog about life.  My life....and everything in it.  That will include what was my boyfriend in my previous blog, Dwayne, who is now my husband.  My two fur babies, Boomer, our Labradane and Scarlette, our Peekapoo.  It won't take long to figure out that these 2 little turkeys are just as important to us as human children are to most others.

I also have a myriad of health issues I'm working on and thought this would be a good place to journal about it.  I am learning through groups on Facebook that I am not alone in my health struggles and shouldn't act like I am.  It's perfectly okay and actually quite important to advocate for yourself.  After all, if not you, then who?

First and foremost, the diabetes is a real issue.  I am on 2 meds for that, along with another med for Triglycerides and a med for my Hypothyroidism.  I am really trying hard to get the diabetes under control with what I eat.  So low carb is the name of the game for me, and I just recently re-discovered a blog that I absolutely adore, My Bizzy Kitchen.  I believe her blog is also known as The Biggest Diabetic Loser.  Her name is Beth, her nickname is Biz, she blogs about her daily life, much of it being food-related and keeping her diabetes in control, and unfortunately, the loss of her husband back in December.  I've been catching up on her blog the last couple of days and am looking forward to basing a lot of what I'm eating on what she cooks.  It always looks so tasty and she often provides the breakdown for carbs/protein/fat, etc.

For work, I sell new and used items on Ebay and have an online store called TJ's Timeless Treasures.  I think I'm going on 4 years now.  This is probably the biggest source of my stress...isn't it always about money?  This is the outlet I use to keep my part of the bills paid around here and let's just say it's a roller coaster.  But I will say that the thrifting (or junkin') and the garage sales can be fun, and will enjoy posting pics of some of my finds along the way.

Also, my most favorite hobby....gardening.  I can't say I'm extremely good at it, but I try.  My husband likes to call my patio Death Row when some flowers don't make it, but whatever....I keep trying.  :)  We built a raised bed/garden box this year...just one....to try my hand at growing a few veggies.  I've got tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, yellow squash and okra.  At the moment, it's looking like the cukes and okra might not make it...but we'll see.  I will enjoy taking pics of the vegetables that actually make it to the table for eating.

And food pics.  Yes, I'm one of THOSE people.  Well, not the one that posts a pic of Every. Single. Bite. they put in their mouths.  But I do like to post pics of things that I found especially tasty and think they're worth sharing.

I'm not planning on making the main focus of this blog about weight loss, but for the record, I weighed 240 lbs. on Monday.  I used to weigh 340 lbs. several years ago, started the weight loss blog, lost 110 lbs. through calorie counting and walking, got burned out and hung up my hat.  So over the last 3-4 years, I've put 10 lbs. back on.  I have to say, I'm not mad at myself, lol.  Many, many people in the weight loss community pack back on every single pound and then some.  I didn't.  Thank you God for that.  I learned some valuable lessons while losing that are still with me today and probably have a lot to do with why I've basically maintained my weight.

With that said, I know 240 lbs. is not a healthy weight.  It is considered obese on every chart out there.  If I had to pick a specific goal, it would probably be around 170 lbs. with me being 5'10.  I know my middle sister, who is a nurse, is 6' tall, 150 lbs, and looks like a beanpole.  I have no desire to look like a bean, nor do I think you HAVE to in order to be healthy.  On the flip side, my focus right now is getting the sugar/carbs under control...not counting calories.  I have a set # of carbs that I do not want to go over in a day's eating and that's where my focus is.  I have to assume w/ limiting the sugar/carbs, some weight will naturally fall off in the process.

And so it begins....the next chapter.  Let's see where it leads, shall we? :)