First Day

I enjoyed my first day in the office. I took lots of notes, but I admit, they don’t make much sense. I tend to ‘over’ take notes, and most of the time, by trying to get as much detail as I think I’ll need, I get more than I need, and it’s not nearly as complicated as I make it. I think I have the ‘general idea’, and I think if I had to, I would have a pretty good idea of what buttons to push to get to where I need to go, but it might take me a little bit of time. Sometimes I just ‘lose my place’ in my mind. My friend Diane, who is training me is being very patient with me. I have a month to learn.

Today was the end of the month at work, and we stayed a bit longer than normal to get all of the orders closed that we could, and all timesheets in the system. That’s just a one time a month deal. Next time, it’s all on me! Yikes!

It was nice waking up on my own without an alarm clock. I actually had it set at 6am, and I got up at 5:30, so I folded some laundry, put away some dishes, washed a load of laundry and put it in the dryer, made the bed, took a shower, got ready for work and was even a few minutes early. It was a great first day!

New Job~Production Controller

Tonight I went downtown and got a set of acrylic nails put on. It has been over 10 years since I have had them. They feel THICK and strange! I got a set back in 1994 when Louie bought me a new wedding ring set, and I kept them on for 10 years, then I became unhappy with the nail salon, and I didn’t like driving 40 miles for a ‘fill’, so I took them off. It took 4 months to grow full length, brand new nails. Under the acrylic, the original nail is ground down so that the acrylic will stick. (Kind of think about the process a body shop uses when fixing the body of your car. Grind, sand, body putty, sand, paint, topcoat. Yep…pretty much the same. That’s why the polish stays on so nice!) I got the new nails put on in celebration of my new job!!!! By the way, the OPI color is called ‘I’m Not Really A Waitress.’

Monday morning June 16th, my supervisor called me into his office and offered me a job in the office as Production Coordinator. The job is being vacated by my friend Diane who is going to retire. She started working at Dynamic Tube (then The CB Company) a few months after I started in 1979. She has her 35 years in too! Lucky girl gets to go play every day after July 31st.  I was very nervous, but I did agreed to take the job. I could not start training right away because there was not a replacement for me, so there were parts to build. June 30th was agreed on by all for me to start in the office, so Monday will be my first day. I think every day I get a little more excited.

Instead of 10 hour days four days a week, I will be working 8 hour days five days a week. I am excited that a few more hours of sleep a night might make me feel a little better and a little less tired. I know I won’t have my Fridays off anymore, but I won’t have to be at work until 7:30, and I will be off at 4:00 (rather than 6:00-4:30). I also will be working with, and for, some of the nicest people I know.

I believe this job move has God’s hands all over it. He knows that I like to live ‘safe,’ doing the same things, and staying where I am comfortable. He knows I won’t just step out and try something new on my own, so He sends ‘something new’ to me. He knows what I need for my future. He is making it possible for me work as long as I need/want, and for that I am VERY thankful. I love that He takes such good care of me. I have never worked in an office before. I have never done anything other than ‘shop’ (factory) production work. I am excited!

Pinch me. I STILL think I am dreaming. It doesn’t seem real!

Kenmore Sewing Machine Model 385.15512000 & Kenmore Iron Model 116.6255

I couldn’t help myself. I went junkin’ today with my sweet brother and sisterinlove, and when I saw this Kenmore for $25, I couldn’t leave it. I love Kenmore sewing machines (made by Janome for Sears, although, not anymore ). I have several models of the more modern Kenmores and they are quiet and smooth. Don’t get me wrong. I still love the vintage machines, but it’s hard to pass up a Kenmore.

This machine is a pretty basic machine. It has 12 built in stitches and a 4 step built in buttonholer. It came with a full bag of accessories, a new package of needles and a needle threader.

Every stitch works. It did have a broken needle. I changed the needle and loosened the tension up on the bobbin before I ever tried sewing. Perfect stitches. (If you are examining the stitch sample and you see holes in the sample without thread and you see what looks like a wad of thread, that is where my bobbin ran out).

It came in a portable carrying case, and the foot control was in the original plastic bag. The only thing missing was the manual, which I found online and printed.

Did I need another machine? No. Will I keep it? Probably.
I also found a vintage Kenmore iron for $2.95. I think it’s pretty neat. I plugged it in and it warmed right up. I’m not sure why the left side of the decal is almost worn off. I wonder if the user was left handed and rubbed her thumb on the decal when she ironed. Hmmmm….a mystery.

This picture reminds me of a saddle shoe.




I doubt that I’ll use it, but you never know. I’ll add it to the few other vintage irons I have. To download a free manual for the sewing machine, click the link below.

http://www.shopyourway.com/manuals/140133

Miss Brenda and the Loveladies: A Heartwarming True Story of Grace, God, and Gumption

This is what I am reading now. I am loving it. I found her website last night. There is so much inspiration there, and you even get to see and hear them. I love that I found this before I finished the book so I could actually put faces and voices to Brenda and Shay.  Shay is incredible! Shay was the first to arrive. She had a shaved head, and was the meanest and scariest, and clearly the ‘leader’.  What Brenda does is absolutely incredible. Make sure you scroll down on the main page. There are videos to watch. Click the links at the top of the page as well. Just so awesome! Truly a wonderful ministry! This book gives you a totally different point of view…..God’s point of view.

This is the overview from the Barnes & Noble website:

One woman’s fight to provide hope for the hopeless…
Seven ex-cons who changed her heart forever…
For Brenda Spahn, entrepreneur and businesswoman, wealth was a lifestyle—until a brush with the law threatened to send her to prison. In those dark moments, Brenda made a promise to God. Spared incarceration, a renewed Brenda glimpsed into the lives of women serving time in one of the worst places in America—the Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women in Wetumpka, Alabama. What she saw prompted a God-inspired vision. With a heart to help and a will that couldn’t be crushed, Brenda fought the system and overcame tremendous obstacles to take ex-cons into her own home and help them navigate the alien world of life on the outside.

This is the story of Brenda’s journey from rags to riches to redemption. It’s the story of the first unlikely year of her “Whole Way House” and of the extraordinary lives of the first seven women who came to call her “Miss Brenda.” It’s a story that testifies to the power of faith and how God changes hearts every day.

I just wanted to share.

Tackling the Closet From H-E-Double Hockey Sticks!

I started about 9:00 this morning and started emptying out the closet from H-E-double hockey sticks! Oh my goodness, how did ALL. THAT. STUFF. fit in there?

I started dragging the stuff that I wanted to part with out to the kitchen. The piles quickly grew.

I started filling the canvas totes I found at Goodwill yesterday with ‘stuff’.

My sweet Louie filled the van and ‘took it away’ for me.

I managed to fill all of the canvas totes. One has jar candles, one has the scented wax cubes that I melt in my Scentsy and Walmart night light plug ins (yes, I have a LOT of them). One has nothing but greeting cards and blank cards. How does one accumulate so many cards? I think I have enough cards to last until I expire, and I could probably share with everyone I know! One is filled with laundry soap making supplies, and one is filled with all occasion gift bags and tissue paper for gift bags (yes, I reuse the ones I am gifted). One is filled with some sentimental things from my childhood. The smaller totes have new dish towels, and dish cloths that I bought, and some that were gifted to me. The other one has some supplies for making Alzheimers hand quilts (with things and textures they can ‘feel’). I had some other smaller clear containers that I used, as well as some ‘square’ ice cream buckets. The stacks of clear drawers got cleaned out too. They are full of tape, envelopes, pens, pencils, used check registers, spackle in a tube, tablets, post it notes, velcro, big staplers, little staplers, staples, printer cartridges, etc.

I needed more canvas totes, but Walmart didn’t have any, so Louie got me some clear totes that were pretty close to the same size. I have photos in one, photo albums in another one, journal books and theme books in one, a couple of copy machine toner cartridges in one, paint and cleaners in one, and in one, I have some miscellaneous stuff in. .

Ahhhhh, the doors are closed, and the carpet is vacuumed.

I shredded all the paper that was in my shredder container, and cleaned off my desk so I could get to my computer.

I can finally walk out the door without tripping over something or my own feet (which hurt, by the way!). I did clean out the top left drawer of the dresser you see in the photo below. That is my ‘junk’ catchall drawer in my office. That drawer was MUCH lighter when I was finished.

What gets cleaned out next? My two file cabinets, but NOT TONIGHT!!!!! There are only two drawers that have ‘files’ in them. The rest of them have ‘stuff’. When I’m finished, there will be a lot more shredding going on and lots more room in the drawers.

I guess Louie will be making another trip soon to dispose of MORE ‘stuff’!