SpoonFullofJelly

Life gets busy for everyone after Halloween. There are so many social gatherings, gifts, and activities. To keep our budget intact during the last few months of the year, we estimate how much we might spend. This lengthy task happens in January and since I did it for a customer, I can show you. First Step - Total up the number of people you gift. We shop for 10-12 people and 2 Secret Santa. That is 12-14 gifts. We can sometimes trim it down if the gifts are for couples rather than individuals, but we at least know the max. Step Two - Calculate the total amount you want to spend on each person or total for all gifts. Our amount is pretty steady every year. Step Three  - Total the number of events, luncheons, dinners and parties that you will attend in 2017. We usually do two dinner parties each year. We then attach a max amount of money we want to spend at these events. Step Four - Total and divide. Add all the amounts and divide by 12 months. We save a small amount each ...

All of the home study paperwork is done. Now we wait! Each and every week someone asks how we are doing and where we are in the process. All we can say is, "We are waiting". Infertility and adoption is all about waiting. You wait each month to see if you are pregnant, you wait each cycle for the next try, and then you wait to figure out the next step. When you are adopting, you are waiting on papers to be approved, waiting for meetings, and then waiting to be matched. There is nothing you can do that will make the time go faster. Patience is my flaw. My generation and the proceeding ones are not good at waiting. I can wait when I have a time frame but to wait for an unspecified amount of time to receive information that may or may not be an end to the means, is beyond my level of patience. I should provide some wonderful suggestions on how to wait, and how to deal. Isn't that what blogging is all about? People provide tips and tricks to overcome the situation that...

In response to: Reshma Saujani - Teach Girls Bravery Not Prefection   I have really gotten into TED Talks in 2016. They have opened my eyes to a plethora of topics presented by experts in their fields. The latest talk that pointed out an interesting problem was presented by Reshma Saujani. She presented on how boys are taught to take risks and girls are taught to be prefect. She went on to say that girls have stop doing, trying and even stray away from challenges because they feel like they couldn't excel or was not ready.  I was not one of those girls. I was applauded as being brave throughout my childhood. I was able to speak to adults without being shy, I could give a speech in front of a crowd and even attended an event without knowing anyone there. I traveled to other countries including Japan without my parents at 14 years old for a few months. I even travel around Asia in my early twenties alone and with friends. I have always felt that I was brave.  Howev...

Happy New Year!   Welcome to 2017! This is a New year to either continue the old or begin something new. One of my goals this year is to read a book every month. I began posting my 'what I read in a month' a few months ago in hopes to get back in practice of intentionally reading one book each month. Out of fear of posting about a book and not finishing it, I only displayed the books I read at the end of the month. But since I am back to reading a book a month, I am proud to announce the books I will read at the beginning of the month. During January 2017 I will indulge in:   **Post Features/Contain Affiliate Links Maruki's Books- Bringing Up Bebe I am hoping to learn about another method of rearing children. I received hands-on training from more than 6 mothers in Japan on how to raise children the Japanese way. Their practices were extremely close and felt comfortable to me. I love their methods of letting children play, work together and even le...

If you look around the internet, you will find millions of posts about how to improve yourself in the new year. It is a breath of fresh air to see so many people analyzing their lives, lifestyles, careers and more. They provide so many tips and ideas of how to get started. They even give wonderful ideas of what to release from your life and add to your world.  Think about what you would like to happen throughout 2017. These are items that can happen at anytime of the year and in any order. Think about the various people that come and go from your life everyday. What you want to change can often effect them.  My 2017 Goals:   The Spiritual   R ead and Journal Through 2 Books of the Bible The Financial Payoff 1/4 of my Student Loans The Self Improvement Drop 30lbs Wear a Skirt at least once a week Stop Biting my Nails The Intellectual Read a Book a Month Mind my words The Career Grow this Blog Sell #2000 Jars of Preserves The Family Fin...