life....

Life comes at you in the best and worst of ways......

My life just a short 6 months ago....
I was approaching my senior year of college
Working at a wonderful five and dime
money was tight but i could enjoy myself when we went out with friends
i could buy the items i wanted
I was 5-6 months away from applying for grad school, in art therapy
i was with a great guy
and life was great.....

Jump ahead 6 months to now.....
No job, it went out of business
I am a week away from my semester being over and 2 weeks from my new and final one starting.
Money is worst then tight i am scraping pennies and begging for money from my family to pay the bills.
I am still with that great guy, but while he was gone in Tennessee he became a slob :/
Grad school has been pushed so far away it isn't even on the plate.... This decision was made today it just is not feasible with moving.
On a brighter side that great guy and i are engaged, which my previous post mentioned.
But other then that i am..... blank...

Don't take what you have for granted, even the little things can make the darkest room seem bright.
Today i went to get my paycheck from a job i only had for a month before they let go of all of their new employees (they hired 6) but could not generate the business they had anticipated. I was really bummed out because the woman who owned the place was not nice to me, and was very COLD. As if it were my fault that business was so bad... Uhh hello lady you just moved to a new location 2 weeks ago and it is not exactly a metropolis it is a little podunk city with two other coffee shops in the city while you are on the outskirts.. Seriously. Anyway... My old boss Katherine was across the street from my house when i got home visiting a friend of ours so i went over and got the warmest hug, that took away every bad feeling i had just to be there with her. In that moment i realized why i asked her to be my maid of honor. I love her just like a sister, i am so glad that i got to work for her for 2 1/2 years and would not take away a single second of it.

So look on the brightside...... and on that note... a change of pace..... due to the impending holiday that is coming... Chrismahanukwanza! (sorry if one of these are not in this season.. :D) I am doing budget gifts.....

For myself i was in two art classes so i am handing out paintings i did ( i have 8-9), then for ceramics i have 6 tiles (some are better then others), a lovely vase that i hate because of how much work went into it, a bust of myself(not yet fired), a wonderful platter that i love and may not give away, and 6 stoneware mugs... But if you are not in an art class there are alternatives.....

One of my favorite ideas for a gift for someone you don't really know or who you know loves to bake is to take a mason jar, fill it with your favorite recipe (minus the liquids) and toss on a bow and the recipe of how to finish it. Last year my neighbor gave me a recipe for a granola nut chocolate bar, it was great! Really fun too because i did not have to measure the ingredients they already were done. You can also do this with soup mixes, or really anything you want. (image above)

Quick idea list:
1. crochet or knit pot holders, hand towels, scarfs, mittens, slippers, whatever you want depending on what you can do!
2.) Sew a blanket, or scarfs, mittens, slippers,hats, etc.
3.) If you are artsy make then something like tiles, paintings, etc.
4.) Even if you are not in an art class you can go to an art store and buy paint, and other stuff to create whatever you want, sometimes there are even kits to teach you to do something and your family will be none the wiser... Also you can buy sculpty clay in a big box for about ten bucks but if you hollow out and fill with aluminum foil, the clay can stretch along way.. and then you can make a bunch of cool things with it like figurines... the sky is the limit.
5.) baking for family members, just no fruit cake... This should be BANNED!!!

To be frugal for a hugely commercialized holiday you just have to think creatively... The sky is the limit! If you have any ideas feel free to comment.

Take care! and Happy Holidays!!!!
-A

Favorite Song of the Day- Snow Patrol "crack the shutters"