The Uncertianty Of ‘Where To Go From Here’

I’ve had a lot of uncertainty in my life lately. Should I choose one career path or another? Should I go back to school or not? I wrote a whole post on this on my other blog http://jenniferchapmanphotography.wordpress.com, check it out here.

Chalk Violin and Fun Money

Quite awhile ago my husband and I decided that we would give ourselves as individuals a set amount of fun money each month. The idea being that we would each have a set amount of money we could do anything we wanted with and not feel guilty or like we have to ask the other person permission before making a purchase. This plan seems to be working quite well for us and I would suggest it to anyone who is attempting to follow a budget (which I also recommend and will talk about simple planning in a future post.) What I’ve found is that having fun money makes following a strict budget not quite as depressing. We are working on paying off debt so we don’t have a lot of extra and the little bit set aside for each of us makes this bearable.

This month with my fun money I decided to go crazy at the art store. I got oil pastels, soft pastels, and acrylic paint to play around with. As mentioned in an earlier post I’ve decided to start art journaling. Well, I’ve also started working on a calender (starting with October, my favorite month) and I did a chalk painting of a violin. I have to say that I never thought I would enjoy art quite as much as I seem to be enjoying it. I’ve always wanted to be artistic, but early interactions with middle school art teachers slightly squashed any confidence I had in myself to create. I am happy to say I think I am overcoming being shot down by the art teacher all those years ago. For those of you who are curious here’s a few pictures of the violin painting I did. Once I finish October I will also post a picture of that as well.

Three years may be too long…

…to keep using the same one set of sheets. Last night while making the bed I noticed that there are holes appearing in the pillow cases and that at least one corner has a giant hole in it. Our sheets are also no longer green but more of a faded greenish yellow. Needless to say I think it’s time for new sheets.

I’ve been looking at sheets online to see if any place has good sales for Labor day. They do…but all the reviews say the sheets are too scratchy and fall apart too easily for how expensive they are. I think we’ll stick to Target sheets. This last set was from target and they’re just now starting to fall apart. This looking at sheets has also helped to remind me of why we only have one set of sheets (not including the flannel sheets we use in winter): Sheets are REALLY EXPENSIVE!! It’s ridiculous! It seems as though we will be a one set of sheets family for quite the time to come.

Life Lessons of Robert Frost

Today I have decided to read some of Robert Frost’s works. They are quite inspirational and quite lovely. Here is perhaps his most popular one which I decided to use on my current art journal page in my inspiration/positive thoughts journal.

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down on as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

 

Then took the other as just as fair

And having perhaps the better claim

Because it was grassy and wanted wear,

Though as for that passing there

Had worn them really about the same.

 

And both that morning equally lay

In leave no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

 

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –

I took the one less traveled by,

And it has made all the difference.

 

- Robert Frost

The Joy of Art Journaling

Recently I’ve decided to try art journaling. For those of you who are not familiar with this form of art and journaling it is the process of putting your thoughts or other words together with art to create something artful. I’ve found that this can be quite relaxing after working all day in a stressful job. I also like how it forces me to think outside the box and be creative, both things that are difficult for my logical, ordered mind. Also, I like the idea of a journal because I don’t know what to do with any other art I would create. I don’t have the tallent to make the kind of art that I would hang on the walls, but I like making art all the same. This allows me to have it all in one place where I can look at it and not have it strewn about in drawers here and there.

The journal I’m currently working on I’ve decided to make an inspirational journal. I might possibly start several others for other purposes; but since I just started I’m going to stick with just one journal for the time being. Do any of you art journal? If you do, is it something you share with others or something you keep to yourself. Is it inspirational, a place to vent, or a place to make up nonsensical art? Feel free to post links to pictures of your own art journal pages if you want. Here are the 3 that I’ve done so far as well as a picture of the journal that I made by cutting up different types of art paper and binding them together with a multitude of yarn.

Le Sigh

…Enough said.

Back To The Grind

Work starts back up tomorrow…. It’s something different to do, but I’m not sure I’m ready not to be at home doing whatever I please. Oh how I wish I had my photography studio up and running.

Neglect

I realize that I neglect this blog a lot. I also tend to neglect my photography blog… I really should work on this. Lately, however, I’ve had many things that I’d like to blog about and share pictures of that just don’t really belong on my photography blog. I’ve decided that I need to start blogging here much more often about the cool things that I do in my life that aren’t solely related to trying to start a photography business.

At the moment I can’t post any pictures because my external hard drive is in the trunk of the car with the other important stuff incase we have to evacuate due to the fire in the mountains a little bit south of us. Here’s a taste though of what I plan on posting about once the danger has passed and I can bring my hard drive back into the house.

• Our new home
• Painting and settling in to our new house
• Painting the nightstands and the dresser
• The awesome patchwork quilt I’m making (and my new found disdain for cordory)
• Books I’ve been reading
• …And so much more!

So don’t give up on me! I hope to be here a lot more.

Long Time Gone

It’s been quite a while since I’ve posted anything on this blog. I started a new blog for my photography business that I want to start but I’m thinking that I might still want to keep this as my personal blog. Many things have happened in our lives since the last time I blogged here.

Today we’re buying a house. Yep, that’s right. We decided that we’re done with landlords and relying on other people to get things done and to make sure the mortgage gets paid. So we decided to buy a house close to where we work (we drive 30 minutes each way now and that’s way too much time on the interstate and in a car). We close on it today and we couldn’t be more excited. I’ll be sure to keep everyone updated on the process of making the house ours.

The other reason I decided I want to keep this blog is because I really want to post about gardening, but I don’t want to post about gardening at my other blog since it’s about photography and starting a business. (Not that gardening isn’t about photography too.)

Speaking of photography the other thing that has happened this year is that I’ve decided it’s finally time to start my own photography business. I used to want to be a wedding photographer, but I think that now I’ve decided that I want to do portraiture. Mostly children and families with some couples, pets, and senior portraits thrown into the mix. I got a nice camera finally and have been practicing. I’ll post a few pictures for the people here to see as well as the link to my photo blog. Have a good Memorial day weekend everyone!

These are just a few, I’ll post more at a later date. Or, you can follow me at my other blog Jennifer Chapman Photography

Long Time, No Blog

So much has been going on lately that I haven’t had much opportunity (or energy) to post in quite some time. I was the same way with my journal/diary in grade school. Three weeks ago I started my new job and I have to say that I am LOVING it! While the work can be quite stressful the women I work with are amazing and the children are wonderful. However, it has been quite some time since starting my days, five days a week, at 6am and then working all day. I have not been quite this tired since college. There is something to be said for being tired though. I have not slept this well since college either. It is truly nice to be back in the work force.

Yesterday we went to the Farmers market and picked up this beautiful utensil crock the pottery woman custom-made for me. Isn’t is gorgeous?

I also have been working on a snowman doll for Christmas. If it turns out well I might make a few more and post them for sale on my Etsy account (which has been beyond neglected).

Then there’s my cat Daisy…I must share with all of you the patheticness that is my cat.

Yes, that is her water bowl… It was a warm day and we had the AC on. She was cold so she was laying by the window and it was like she was cold but too hot. Silly cat.

Now, for a quick update on several of my ventures.

The Garden:

Not Doing so well….I think most of the stuff I planted doesn’t like the container aspect of my garden. The Roma tomatoes are turning red even though they’re smaller than the cherry tomatoes. The cherry tomatoes are doing amazing though. So is the lettuce. I started more outside this time, but I don’t know how well they are doing. Everything else is going to get pulled up sooner or later and replaced with more fall-hardy crops.

Baking Soda and Vinegar in place of Shampoo:

Going pretty well. My hair looks and feels clean. One complaint though: I have dandruff and this method is not helping it to go away. I’ve had to switch to using my dandruff shampoo I had left every few days. Once the paychecks start coming in I plan on trying some Tea-tree oil in my mix (or before the mix) since I’ve heard it can help with dandruff.

50 Book Challenge:

Failing miserably. It is almost the end of August and I’ve yet to finish one book. I started The Forgotten Garden but had to return it before I could finish reading it. Right now I am reading The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood. It’s a very good book, I just have limited time to read now that I’m working.

Well…Until next time, that’s all folks!