Good Timing

This week at work started out ... badly. We'll just say that things did not go the way I expected them to, and despite trying to appear like an adult I pretty much cried through the workday on Monday.

But today is Thursday, and I had a vacation scheduled for Thursday-Sunday. A camping vacation, which is starting a day late due to some hubby sickness, which will be a perfect chance for me to get away and enjoy a beverage and stare at a fire and do a lot of nothing.

So this week is ending ... well.

Family

So what makes a family? Blood? Time? Commitment? Love? Marriage? And who decides? Is there one person who decides who is is part of the family and who is other? Is it just assumed after awhile? Do you treat "family" different from people who are close to family?

I've always been of the opinion that people with whom you celebrate holidays are family. But I'm told that's not right. I have blood family and not-blood family, and I'm closer to many of the latter than I am the former. But the blood family apparently wins. Weird.

Planning Ahead

Today, I cleaned the floors in our entry, kitchen and living room. I do a quick sweep on a regular basis, but it's not often that I actually move everything, vacuum, sweep and mop. And our soil is quite sandy, so there was plenty of grit around.

And I came to a decision. Even though our children are still theoretical, I'm so getting a cleaning lady when we have them. Just once (or maybe twice) a month. Since I cleaned the floor tonight, I didn't get to bike (too much nasty pollen anyway), make supper or do other stuff. Including, presumably, play with my kids.

Someone should get a better-playing job now so we can afford it.

Community

Today in church the lesson was the good Samaritan and a sermon about being neighborly. Serving neighbors, who is your neighbor, etc.

And I was thinking similar thoughts last night. I haven't started volunteering regularly again since I moved. I'm sure there's a need, and that's something I should/want to do. And I will. But the question of neighbors and community is interesting to me right now. We live in the country, about equidistant from a number of towns. We church and do most of our business in St. Cloud. I work in Alexandria. Hubby works in Palmer (which is rather a small town with few services, etc.). Our kids (who are still theoretical) will likely go to school in Foley. Hubby's fam is around this area. Mine is scattered, though sister will be nearby in yet another town. So where is my community? Where do I set down roots? Making friends, establishing relationships, being a part of a community is an intentional decision. Where do I decide? How do I decide? I don't see geographic change in my future, so this is something that will take some thought.

How Quickly I Revert

Hubby is working tonight, as he has been many nights. Which means dinner is on my own. Not a problem, as I am perfectly capable of preparing and serving myself a meal.

Tonight's meal: an omelet, which is how I describe eggs with things scrambled in them. Eaten from a bowl. With a piece of peanut butter toast.

Last night: random leftovers scrambled together -- potatoes, beans, cheese, onions, etc.

The food of a single girl. At least I know I still got it.

My Worth

My freelance business continues to chug along -- I'll never get rich from it, but I bring in a little extra cash to pay for fun.

I go through elance.com, where jobs are posted, I bid on them, and the buyer chooses someone for their job based on the amount of the bid, a written proposal and the time it will take you to finish the project.

The written proposal is no problem. Neither is the time (I am a very fast worker). But I am often unsure of how much to bid pricewise. Too high and I know I will not get the job. Too low and I am wasting my time. However, someone is almost always lower than me. I figure out how much I want to make per hour and bid that. I bid about the hourly rate I make at my full-time gig, but of course the freelance gigs have no benefits. I read often that I should get more -- people would refuse to work for my wage. But honestly, I need the money and the challenge from the freelance.

I adjust my rate as needed. I feel OK about it now, but I wonder if I won't look back someday and wish I got more.

$2 for a Night of Happiness

Yesterday was my first time in a garage sale. Overall, I am happy to be rid of stuff, though I was hoping to walk away with more cash (we did fine, but I let myself be a little over-optimistic about the value of my crap).

Highlight of the day was that I did make two boys very, very happy. I was selling an old Jump Shots (shot glass checkers) game. Originally $4, marked to $2 later in the day. When two college boys (who we were surprised to see on the garage sale circuit) came to the sale, they quickly made a beeline for the game. Opened it, determined that there were in fact shot glasses and everything. They were super excited. They showed their new game to everyone. They told us they were going to get plowed (though did not invite us over).

They said they loved us as they left.