Self

Once upon a time, I was a daily blogger

by ~Tina

Remember the days when I used to blog every single day?

Sometimes, if you were lucky (heh), twice a day if I had something I just HAD to tell you?

It was only last night that I realised that I hadn’t even opened Windows Writer for almost a week (I had the last few posts scheduled in) and my facebook page is a bit quieter than usual.

If you don’t follow me on Instagram, you might not know that this happened…

tattoo artist

Temptation Tattoo (no affiliation) announced a $50 offer last weekend and I took advantage of it to get a quote tattooed on my wrist. I’ve been looking for THE perfect quote for a while and when I saw this one, I knew it was it. John has the most steadiest hand ever.

Oh, and recognise the font?

wrist tattoo

“You are the architect of your life”.

I don’t know if I was experiencing a bit of a mid-life crisis recently but I had become very unhappy with many aspects of my life. This quote not only is relevant to how I choose to live my life but it is relevant to my weight loss journey as well.

My life will be what I make of it.

Remember when I said that I wouldn’t need an “official” Smash Book?

smash book

I don’t know why I thought that I could convince myself that it was the same. Heh. And I have a bunch of enabling friends who were quite *ahem* helpful when it came to my purchases. Which led to me spending an afternoon smashing. Opposed to getting smashed.

smash book layouts Not only did I cave with the Smash Book but I’ve been sucked in by Washi Tape. I don’t know why I need all the Washi but I do. And I’m thinking it won’t take long to Washi all the things.

Washi this space. I mean, watch this space.

washi tape

There also has been some necklace making. Damn you, Pinterest.

I made me a ribbon washer necklace which turned out quite nice if I do say so myself. And then I decided to get a little more creative and cover some washers and add some rings. Like or no?

048 The puppy who isn’t so puppy sized anymore decided that while her humans were so occupied with their crafts, she would take advantage and make herself comfortable on the lounge. She KNOWS she’s not allowed up there and when I turned around, she refused to look at me. Like, if she can’t see me, I can’t see her.

german shepherd

The hubster had me slaving away at the computer over the past week because of this…

hides-fb-ad

He’s discovered a gap in the market for unique reptile hides and has honed in. Which means that I have been running his One of a Kind Hides facebook page, taking orders and charming people with my charm while my house fills up with this….

reptile hides

…that in turn means that a stack of these which is REALLY exciting! His hides are already being sent to Queensland and Perth. Fly, my little pretties!

boxes

But, while Bill is busy carving his creations, it means that he’s currently no longer my in house chef. So I have been cooking dinner this past week, much to the kids dismay. Although I had a win when I cooked Stay at Home Mum’s Baked Sour Cream Chicken and A Very Blended Family’s apple crumble.

But my butternut pumpkin soup was not so much of a win. With the kids. WE thought it was delicious.

butternut pumpkin soup

So that’s a little of what’s been going on around here lately.

I’m waiting on my workbooks to be delivered for the new course that I’ve enrolled in – Cert II in Business – which I’m really looking forward to starting. Oh, and I graduate from that pain in the ass course on Thursday and will receive my certificate. Woot!

I smell change in the air. x

tina gray

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Mission: Find a day job

by ~Tina

So… I’ve decided to “keep a journal” about my job hunting journey after being a stay home mum for seventeen years. You can find my other related posts filed under mission: find a job.

 

I’m graduating next week. From the Cert II in Skills for Work and Training course that has been occupying my time on Mondays and Thursdays for the past few months. And I won’t lie. I’m glad that this one is done and dusted.

I’ve mentioned before that the self paced structure of this course probably isn’t a good idea.

I was asked last week if I had actually learned anything from doing this course.

After I started, I realised that I may have been over-qualified for it. If you can be over-qualified to do a course. But it was good to apply my skills and breeze through the workbooks and freshen up the Microsoft Office skills that I hadn’t used in a while – Powerpoint and Excel, in particular.

I learned that if I am not kept busy, I get easily distracted. Computer modules saw me having to concentrate so I was quiet in those classes. But the Thursday class (and if you follow me on Instagram or are friends with me on FB, you’d know already) was challenging. And not in a “can’t understand the work” kind of way. More in a “This is so easy I need something more difficult to keep my brain occupied so I don’t start acting like the class clown” kind of way.

bookwork

I also learned that there are some people that you just won’t get along with. No matter how hard you try. I like to think that I am polite to everyone but if someone is bitchy or rude to me, I won’t go out of my way for them.

I’ve discovered that I enjoy Excel. Because I had finished all of the modules in the course, I was offered the opportunity to do an extra module and I chose to do another Excel one. I think with a bit more practice and regular use, those formulas and formatting will become second nature. These Excel modules also helped me get my books in some sort of order for when I do my taxes later this year. Much better than just dumping a bag full of receipts on the accountant’s table.

On the job seeking front – I’ve been scouring the job sites online and have been sending off resumes and cover letters but I’ve not had much luck. Yet. I do think my cover letter might be letting me down so I’ve made an appointment with a lady who will help me write one that will make me irresistible. Hehe.

So…now that this course is finished, what’s next?

I’ve enrolled in Cert II in Business via correspondence. I honestly am not sure how I will go with scheduling in study time to get it done but it’s something that will work better for me right now instead of going to TAFE a couple days a week.

I will miss the socialising part of going to TAFE though.

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Jobaz Everyday Straight Hair – a review

June 7, 2013

I have a kink in the back of my head where my hair has never sat straight, no matter how much I try to straighten it with a hair straightener. And my hair is naturally a little wavy. But I prefer to wear it straight. Most days. I had been considering getting it chemically straightened for a while now. A friend had hers done a few months ago and the results were awesome. But the price put me off. Because I am a cheap skate, remember. So when I saw the call out to review Jobaz Everyday Straight Hair, I thought ‘why not?’ Jobaz Everyday Straight Hair is a DIY permanent hair straightening kit. The key ingredient is keratin, the hair’s natural protein, to help maintain it’s style, and chamomile and nettle will help replenish any lost moisture, and the collagen will fill in any voids resulting from general wear and tear. The Everyday Straight Hair kit includes three bottles of product, a pair of plastic gloves and detailed instructions. The procedure involves quite a few steps and it ended up taking around three hours and a couple of hair shampoos/rinses. My hubby generously offered to play hair dresser for [...]

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The Chocolate Diet: an update & giveaway

June 5, 2013

This is my last “official” blog post for The Chocolate Diet, but because I fell off the wagon a few weeks ago, I have decided to continue on this program and finish using the product that has been sent to me. Part of my commitment was to share before and after photos. I will share. But there’s not much difference. Yet. Last week’s weight was 121.9kg. This morning I got on the digital scales to find that the numbers wouldn’t move off 0.00kg. Umm, bit of a problem there. So I’m not sure if I have lost any weight this week. And I will be buying new scales. Or at least buying a new battery to see if that is the problem. The Chocolate Diet is still suiting me at this point in time. I don’t think twice about making a shake in the morning for breakfast and I am still finding that because I’m eating morning and afternoon tea, I’m not getting hungry which means no picking. I always said that I wouldn’t use a meal replacement program for the whole time to reach my goal weight. But it’s a good kick start to show some results. And it’s [...]

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