19 jobs and counting...

Since I am kind of, sort of, between jobs right now,  I had to take sometime to look at my job history and tweak my resume'.  In my almost 48 years of life, where I have worked steadily for 30 of those years, I have had about 19 jobs.  I know that in the past, the average person graduated from high school, went to college, graduated from there, and then worked at one job until they retired.  I don't think that this is happening as much as it used to.


I don't quite know why I have had so many different jobs, but I really don't regret any of them.  Some were better than others, and I have only been fired from one of those (I am fairly certain that the management and I couldn't agree to disagree and I was asked to go). As a rule,  I have been able to leave on my own terms and usually have had another gig ready to go.  And I will try pretty much anything.  


My consistent gig has been hairdressing which I have been doing since I was 18.  I have seen clients come and go but have been blessed to have a dozen or so folks been with me practically since I started.  They have been with me through just about everything and they aren't just my customers, they are a part of my extended, slightly dysfunctional family.  And I love them and grateful to them for sticking with me.


I have also worked in a fast food place, a gift store, a card shop, a handful of salons, a fitness club, and a nail salon.  I have bartended, catered, waitressed, house sat, delivered the newspapers, and managed a garage. I have worked in a now defunct movie store and I have tried a handful of different direct sales businesses. I am still with one of those companies and still love it because it fits in with whatever else I want to do.


I know that some people considered being married and being a parent a job, but I don't and never had considered it to be a job.  Being a wife and a mother was a choice for me and is really the only thing that completely fulfills me.  I adore my husband of almost 20 years and you will be hard pressed to find someone who is more insanely in love with all (4) of their children. Yes, sometimes parenting is challenging, but it is an adventure at the same time. I look forward to see how these humans turn out.


So, I am not quite sure what my next job will be, but whatever it is, I will give it my all until something else changes or comes up.  I am never afraid or nervous to try something new.  I never know if it will be the opportunity of a lifetime or just another stop on the road of my life.


But it seems like I might be sticking to this blog for awhile.  I have been wanted to write ever since I can remember and am grateful to those of you who have read what I have written.  This is giving me great satisfaction and could be my next big thing.


Thanks for spending your precious time with me and my words.

Life is a basket of laundry...

One blog posting won't ever be enough to explain my obsession and love of laundry.  Dirty or clean, I am passionate about my laundry.  The entire process of cleaning the clothes, drying the clothes (whether in the dryer or on the clothesline) brings me pure joy.


I have spent more time choosing a washer than my last car, and the shelves in my laundry room are like a laboratory.  Nothing is more satisfying to me than getting out a tough stain, hanging up hand wash, putting clean sheets on the bed and battling static cling.


Doing clothes for a family of six could be a full time job and it sometimes is. My daughter has started to help me over the past few months.  She needs to have as much of her wardrobe at the ready.  She does a great job.  It also helps that our front loading washing machine works as well as it does.  It is incredibly efficient, using less soap and less water.  Everything takes less time to dry too because the machine spins most of the water out of the clothes.  My first front loader lasted almost 10 years and literally did thousands of loads of wash.


And please, do yourselves a favor, don't buy cheap laundry detergent. Shop the sales and use Tide (again, this an unsolicited opinion) .  I have literally tried every brand and nothing works as well as Tide.  It gets the stains out, takes better care of the fabrics and lasts a long time. I also use only Clorox bleach.  It works very well also.  Fabric softeners are helpful, especially in the winter.  Get the one with the smell you like.


Believe it or not,  I also like to iron.  This chore didn't come to me naturally until my friend P. told me to splurge on an iron.  I did and this changed everything.  I use starch, and ironing water from an online company called The Laundress.  It makes the job a labor of love and pressed garments smell fantastic.


So if one of your chores is the laundry, try to hate it a little less.  After all, you can actually see the results of a job well done.  Take a moment to feel the clean sheets when you crawl into bed, or savor the fluffy towel you wrap yourself up in after your shower. And if you don't have to do your laundry because someone else in the house does it (I am talking to you T.!) give them a hug and thank them for a job well done.  Because keeping up on the laundry is like climbing a little bit of Everest, every day.


Thank you for spending your precious time with me and my words.

Coffee is love...

Anyone who has known me for more than 5 minutes, knows about my love for coffee.  If I didn't keep this love in check, it could border on obsession.  I can relate to the McDonald's ad where the guy won't talk to anyone before he has his morning coffee. I will talk before I have had that first cup of coffee, but I can't speak for the content of the conversation or retaining any memory of the replies.

The first cup of the day has to be HOT.  I do love iced coffee too.  I just find comfort in the mug being warm in my hands. There isn't an electric coffee maker on my counter.  I use a porcelain Melitta pot and matching with brown Melitta #4 paper filter.  I buy whole beans from Adams and grind them fresh. The tea kettle is boiling by now and I pour the almost boiling water into the filter two and half times.  The whole process takes about 10 minutes but it is so worth the wait. The brew is consistently rich, smooth, and fulfilling.  And it makes me blissfully happy.

Now I can't always have my first cup of coffee from home,  I have other outlets, found after much trial and error, research, and referrals.  I know it seems to be a bit excessive,  but trust me,  you don't want to spend any quality time with me if I haven't had a morning cup of java!

So my local (unsolicited) recommendations are as follows, in no particular order:

• Dunkin' Donuts on Rte. 44 (just past Adams).  The place is clean, the coffee is always fresh and the staff is very pleasant.  
• My friend S.'s house.  Her husband makes a fabulous cup of cappuccino.  I would happily pay him to make me coffee every day.
• Babycakes by Vassar College.  My husband and I go there on occasion for breakfast.  I don't know what kind of coffee it is but it is delicious and the mug is huge!
• My friend T.'s house.  She has one of those one cup at a time coffee makers.  I really don't mind what kind she gives me (as long as it isn't flavored) but I love the time I spend with her and her family in their kitchen.
• Lastly, the Crafted Cup on Raymond Avenue.  I started going there BEFORE they won "Best cup of coffee/latte" in Hudson Valley Magazine last year.  Their organic Woodstock blend coffee is Heaven squared.  It is fresh all day and you get a break on the cost when you bring your own mug.  They also have a frequent buyer card that gets you a free cup when you fill it with punches.  The owner is great and his staff is terrific.  And if you have time to sit, there are baked goodies, Wi-Fi, and handmade lattes in nice big mugs, soups, smoothies, and teas.  And it is local!

There are many places that have adequate coffee, but I have decided to never settle for mediocrity.  Life is too short for a lousy cup of coffee.

Thank you for spending your precious time with me and my words.

Tomorrow is another day...

But what about today?  I am nervous.  But I have wanted to blog for a very long time.  With everything that has happened recently,  I decided to start TODAY.  I don't know if anyone will follow my posts.  That is okay.  I am sure, over time,  something I type may touch someone.  A piece of advice may help someone.  A recommendation may help make someone's day easier.  A story may make someone laugh.  I don't know.  But that is okay. And it also part of what makes this an adventure.  I hope someone wants to come along for this journey.

Five days ago, my family buried my 61 year old sister-in-law. She fought not one round of cancer, but two.   And man, did she FIGHT!  Until she took her very last breath,  she fought.  Her adoring husband was by her side for every minute.  He didn't eat, he barely slept, and their love filled the room, without a word being said.  His heart is in a million pieces, and our hearts ache with him.

I know deaths occur everyday. But my family have lost so many loved ones recently, including my mother-in-law too.  And that was only six months ago.  We haven't had time to breathe or recover.  I know conventional wisdom says that time heals all.  We just have to put one foot in front of the other.  But I don't know if I will ever get over my sister-in-law's death.  This one will never be okay.

I have found death that brings out the best in people though.  The outpouring of grief and love from our little corner of the Universe was touching and overwhelming.  For this,  I am so grateful and blessed.

But what is okay is little things that used to bother me, don't any more.  Her death has given me great perspective on what is and isn't important.  If someone needs to speed past me, get on the grocery line first, or say something without thinking first, fine.  I am hugging my family and friends longer and harder, saying "I love you" more, especially to those who need hear it, and I am trying to remember to BREATHE. I forget to breathe a lot. I need to stop and breathe DEEP.  Every breathe I take, honors my sister-in-law, my family, my friends, and especially me.

So if little stresses come up over the course of your day,  it is okay.  Because you are still here.  And that is a wonderful thing.

Thanks for sharing your precious time with me and my words.