Day 356 (March 31st)--Saying Goodbye (In More than one way)

Where is everyone? I am beginning to think my site has become boring!

Anyway....

Today I said goodbye--said it twice so to speak. First I went to the last day of our Local Scrapbook store (across the street) being open. It will be sad to no longer have them there.

Then I watched Marley and Me. I was having a bad day and knew the ending had to do with saying goodbye. I bawled for a good hour. I am glad to have such a cute puppy who lets me cry into his fur and gives me kisses. I have a short video I took of his reaction to seeing Marley on the TV but my computer is being stupid. In the meantime, here are some other photos for your viewing pleasure! (If you see the video actually show up below...it means I was successful!)--Okay some random video just came up for our old place we lived in back in 2006. But it's also a cute video and I hope you enjoy it! I just wonder how it got there!

-Jackie

Day 355 (March 30th)--Learn to drive without your shoes

I have a really cute pair of shoes (see above)...the match the outfit I was wearing today perfectly...the problem--after sitting though a long training my feet hurt like heck! So after the training I drove home wearing only my socks...my shoes sat nicely on the passengers seat. This was one of those days I am glad I started at 4:30am--because now I can take a nap and a load off of my feet!

-Jackie (who cannot believe there are only 10 days left in her New things Challenge...)

Day 354 (March 29th)--The Proof is in the Video

Back in November of 2007 I paid my rent but did not put the check in an envelope. The apartment manager not only misplaced it but acted like I was dishonest about it. So I wrote out a second check and paid $30 to cancel the first one, only to find the rent check under my door the very next day with a note of "I found it!"--. If you have read a couple of my recent entries you can probably sense my frustration about my current residence. We will be moving this summer. Rent is coming due so I decided to be proactive against her not losing my rent check. I videotaped myself putting the rent check in the box. Here is the video. Please excuse the first thing in the morning hair and no makeup. I usually look better than this. This is also my first time posting a video so this is also a new thing for me! I do apologize that it's sideways but I have not figured out how to edit that yet. But now I have video proof as well as an internet audience of witnesses who can see that I paid the rent!

-Jackie

Day 353 (March 28th)--Get Lost!

Today what I needed was to get away from Life for awhile and be alone with my thoughts. The work week left me drained emotionally and I was already physically drained from getting over being sick. So today I took my PT Cruiser and literally got lost. I spent a chuck of time driving through the wooded/farmland area in a City about 10 minutes away. Being alone with my thoughts in an unfamiliar area is just want the doctor ordered. I will be doing this again!

-Jackie

Day 352 (March 27th)--Personal Best

Today there is a positive new thing and a negative one. First the positive: I scored a 230 in Wii Bowling as well as 7 strikes in one came--5 of them were consecutive. (the score of 270 came the next day as I took these photos the day after--please excuse the first thing in the morning look) I am am okay bowler in real life (120 is probably my average) but never as good as I am on the Wii.

The negative: Our apartment community has really gone downhill over the last year thanks to our property manager. She does nothing when the police continually come over the same tenants...amongst other things. So I outed her on my Facebook as the worst property manager in the whole wide world! Good thing my profile is only able to be seen amongst my friends....I can't wait until we move!

-Jackie

Day 351 (March 26th)--Bookish

I love books. I really do. Mostly I tend to get my books from the library or from Half Price books, or as a gift. It is a rarity I will get a book from the store right when I hear about it--I will generally get it only after I have read it and decided I like it. When I give away my books I tend to bring them in for money to Half Price books (where they give you diddly squat for them), I give them as gifts or what I used to do was trade them in on Paperback swap. Today I did something different--I gave about 7 of these books--mostly hardcover--away on Freecycle. I put up 2 ads--one giving away clothes (which I have done many times) and one giving away the books. I had seven responses and had to turn 6 people away. The only annoying thing about Freecycle is there are the chosen few who do not read the ad. I always say "must take everything" and these people (especially for the clothes) are like "well list the titles you have for me" or "I'll come by and see what you have." No, when I say "Must take all" I mean "must take all". Not to be mean, but my Mom always told me "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth."

-Jackie

Day 350 (March 25th)--With Flying Colors

Today I had my review at work for my 1 year at the job. This has been a source of anxiety for me because on the peer review section of my 6 month review, some of my peers were less than nice. But I had the evaluation today and my boss rated me as exceeding expectations in all areas except for one which was also one I stated I needed to work on. The peer eval section was good too with the exception of 2 team members who stated my teamwork was only adequate. Whatever. Can't please everyone I guess.

The other interesting thing about this review was I only went in for it---something I ate last night did not agree with me so I ended up taking a sick day.

-Jackie

Day 349 (March 24th)--On a Lemony Day, here is some Lemonade

Due to many things (a dreary day, almost getting rear ended, anxiety over my 1 year evaluation tomorrow and some needed drama from someone I know)...it's been a lemony day. I cannot think of a better way to make lemonade when life hands me lemons than to award my favorite blogs the Lemonade award. These are 10 bloggers who show gratitude and/or a great attitude. Here are my 10 nominees in no particular order.

1) Michelle's Blog--she has eight children and shows a wonderful balance in her life. She is also an amazing photographer!

2) Life or something like it--Jeanne really knows how to enjoy the simple things in life. She is a wonderful friend to those around her and an amazing scrapbooker.

3) Jen--This is Jen's Everyday giving blog. She is amazing and really opened my eyes to the Random acts of Kindness we can do for others that do not take oodles of time or Money.

4) Stuff Christians Like--I stumbled across this blog about a month ago. It's amazing the way this author brings up issues that can be a problem in Churches but puts a humorous spin on it all and opens the doors for dialogue.

5) Day by Day--A true example of a woman who leans on her own faith and positivity through her struggles with infertility.

6) Collette--She not only did a year of new things, but has a big heart in the way she gives back to others.

7) Mrs Wissmann--Amanda always brings a smile to my face with the way she enjoys the simple things in life and her entries that are warm and full of life!

8) Heidi's Journey to 30 --Before I knew about the In the New Blog (Jen the original) I found out about the New things challenge through Heidi. I would not have started this without reading about it from her. Heidi tries new things and puts a hilarious spin on them!

9) Mandy's Blog--Mandy is a true example of finding the good in each day. Though she is a Bears fan (boo Bears) she is funny, kind and caring. I have really enjoyed getting to know Mandy first through her blog and then through Facebook.

10) Mallorie's Blog--Mal is someone who is very inspiring. She took her hobby of Photography and turned it into her own business. She is undergoing a photo a day challenge and is very upbeat. (The fact she is a Packer fan does not hurt things either.) =)

So these are my 10 nominees. If you're interested in nominating other bloggers for the award, here are some guidelines:
1) Put the logo on the top of this entry on your blog or post.
2) Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great attitude and/or gratitude!
3) Be sure to link to your nominees within your post and let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
4) Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

Off to inform my nominees!

-Jackie

Day 348 (March 23rd) With sympathy

This morning I learned that one of my co-workers had to put his dog down after a fight with cancer. The dog could barely walk and it was recommended by the vet. He and his family are having a hard time with this so I sent him a pet sympathy card. I know how much Pets can be a part of the family and wanted to show my sympathy.

-Jackie

Day 347 (March 22nd)--Shuttle

Last wknd I was unable to make it to Church because of the 14 hour blinding migraine I had and then on Sunday I had already committed to helping out at Special Olympics. So when I went to Church today I was shocked to find the parking lot blocked off with arrows to go to a shuttle lot. I go to a Church that has three campuses, the third (which is the one we go to) has been opened for a little more than a year and our attendance has grown so much at our campus that they are running out of room. Which is funny because the Church prior to this was a Baptist Church with dwindling numbers. Instead of closing their doors they just gave the building to our church. So part of my new thing today was being shuttled to Church. They picked people up in the shuttle lot, dropped them off at the front door and then brought them back after the service was over. We only have one car in our family so it's nice to have someone else drive once in awhile--even for a couple of blocks! It may not seem but it's really nice! We are blessed to have such a wonderful church to go to!

-Jackie

Day 346 (March 21st) Roxanna Saberi

Today I have 2 new things--one serious and one fun. For the serious new thing I signed a petition to release American Journalist Roxanna Saberi from Iran. In order to silence her, Roxanna Saberi was entrapped by agents of the government and arrested for the crime of buying a bottle of wine. We believe that she is being held in that same Evin prison where most political prisoners are held, tortured and executed. She has been unable to communicate with the outside world for weeks. We believe that Roxanna's life is in grave danger and that she may meet a very grisly death unless we put pressure on the Regime to release her. This petition will be presented to senior Iranian officials in a very public way so that the Regime will feel unable to secretly murderer Roxanna. I did a lot of work with Amnesty International in High School and have been wanting to do a new thing associated with them once again. For those of you who are interested the link to the petition and story is below.

http://www.petitiononline.com/ourdream/petition.html

My other new thing--my husband and Puppy Pretzel's birthdays are today. Mike turns 36 and Pretzel is the old age of 5 (35 in dog years). We had a birthday celebration earlier for Mike as he is not very big on his birthday. However, we had a birthday celebration for Pretzel. He was treated to a nice new Beef flavored bone and also got the Frozen Paws Dog treat. He also stole my sandwich today when I was not looking but that was not a planned treat!

-Jackie

Day 345 (March 20th)--Karen Kingsbury

This new thing is something I have wanted to do for a long time but have not been able to put it into words....until today. One of my Favorite authors is Karen Kingsbury and her books have spoken to me in many different ways. One book in particular Beyond Tuesday Morning really helped me through a rough patch I was going through in my life in 2006/2007. Today I contacted her via e-mail to let her know how much her books have meant to me, especially Beyond Tuesday morning. Even though she is a very famous author, I think it is important that she hear positive feedback from her fans.

-Jackie

Day 344 (March 19th)--2 second delay

Today I went to a training put on by the Department of Human services. It was video cast to many of the counties throughout the State of MN. Because of this there was a video camera set at each County location and then a TV screen where the program was broadcast from. Each County had a camera to record questions that they might have as they may show the training again in the future. The cameras had a two second delay and I could see myself clearly on our location's camera. So I had a little fun and played with the two second delay. I would do subtle things like move my hand and see how long it would take for it to show up on the camera, fix my hair, wiggle my pen around, etc. Though I did take good notes from the training it was also entertaining to be able to play around with the two second delay. Maybe I should avoid trainings that involve this, it could be addicting!

-Jackie

Day 343 (March 18th) Standing up for what is right

DISCLAIMER: This entry is not a forum for people's political views. The comment section will also be moderated. This is something I have always wanted to do and I did it. Now onto my regularily scheduled post...

Since we are in a recession I know many states are having to deal with some steep defecits. Our Governor of MN (Tim Pawlenty) has been making massive cuts to Social Service funding (cutting dental care to those clients who cannot afford it, removing housing vouchers, etc while putting funding into a new Baseball stadium). With the economic bailout money from the Obama administration and money from a Tobacco settlement paid out to MN, it pretty much elminates our deficit. The Senate of MN is proposing a balanced way to end the defecit while Tim Pawlenty is trying to put a 4 year freeze on additional Human Services funding (for families, the elderly and the disabled). Last week, the Minnesota Senate leadership released a budget plan that addresses the deficit in a balanced manner. To solve our massive deficit, the Senate proposed raising $2 billion in revenue and $2.4 billion in cuts (7% cut to every area in the state budget). By both raising revenue and distributing the cuts across the board, we stop the majority of the budget solution coming from services for low-income children and family, the disabled and the elderly - as has been the case in previous years.

Today I took action and wrote to my representatives (ALL OF THEM) along with fellow Social Service workers like myself in support of the MN Senate budget plan. As a Social Worker I have always found it very important to stand up for what is right. This is one of those times.

-Jackie

Day 342 (March 17th)--N.o.w.

I (sort of) borrowed this idea from Heidi who recommended this book in one of her posts but I took it a step further. I not only read the book No Opportunity Wasted by Phil Keoghan but I also made a No Opportunity Wasted Contact listing 7 areas in my life I am going to step out and do things I have always wanted to do in. I will not give away the things I am going to do as these are for future entries. However, I will give you a sneak peak of three of the 8 areas highlighted: Face your fear, Take a leap of Faith and Break new ground. For more information here is the official NOW website.

-Jackie

Day 341--March 16th--Fighting World Hunger

I totally borrowed this idea from Jen . I went to this site. For every vocabulary word you get right they will donate 10 Grains of Rice through the UN World Food Program to stop hunger. I plan on making this a regular thing and encourage you all to do so as well. I donated 200 grains of rice today alone!

-Jackie

Day 340--March 15th--Glad I did it but

Today I did something I have always wanted to do, I helped out at a Special Olympics event. I ended up helping to see merchanise at their Regional Swimming meet. In about 5 hours time we were 75% sold out of our merchandise. I was also able to catch some swiminning races that they had. The problem ended up being in two areas; disorganization of the where the volunteers should go and disorganization which ended up with them running 90 minutes behind in all the events. I do think Special Olympics is a good cause but on the road of volunteerism, it's really not for me.

-Jackie

Day 339 (March 14th)--Do the shuffle

I got an Ipod Shuffle for Christmas but have not used it before. First we had no working computer because of a stupid computer virus then Itunes refused to upload anything to my computer so I was pretty much stuck. Well, thanks for our friend JP, I was able to finally upload tunes to my Ipod. I have been needing this too--there are 10 of us in the same office area and it can get distracting at times, especially with one co-worker who sits on her phone and with coworkers talking about her nights out at the bar and how she got drunk. TMI if you ask me!

-Jackie

Day 338 (March 13th)--Undercover for Nothing

Besides going to taste tests for extra money, I also like to do mystery shops from time to time. I do not go as often as I used to but I have done a lot of them in my day--everything from going to a daycare center posing as a prospective parent to being on a consumer panel discussing steaks to evaluating Lifetime fitness. Today I was supposed to go undercover posing as an agent from a phone company where I would go into an apartment complex to see if they had this company's promotional materials in their move in packet. So I go to Target and buy the gift card they are supposed to get after the audit is over, I change my clothes from jeans to business casual and go out of my way to get to this place only to come to find out they refused to participate in the study. I did all that mystery shop work for nothing. Well, almost for nothing. I e-mailed the scheduler when I got back. They are still paying me for the shop and I will get reimbursed for the $10 gift card. Let me say I will never live at that apartment complex I audited though--the agent was yelling at some tenant on the phone in front of me about going to court blah blah blah.....

-Jackie

Day 337 (March 12th)--Rock the Shamrock (Shake)

Today I did something I have been wanting to for a long time.....I tried a Shamrock Shake....and it was DELICIOUS! I now understand why people look forward to the "Limited time" McDonald's has then each year! Will I ever have one again? Most certainly!

-Jackie

Day 336 (March 11th)--a Couple of new things

Today I was not feeling well (and am blessed to have such a great boss and great job) so my boss told me I could go ahead and finish the day from home. (We can work from home once in awhile). So I was able to lie down for a couple of hours then make up the 3 hours I had left. While I was typing up my case notes I watched Oprah who had celebrity chefs on her show talking about how to make the take out style meals at home for a lot less. Previously, the only cooking show I ever watched was Rachel Rae and only in small tidbits. I learned today how to make some meals such as Shrimp Tacos and Restaurant Style Nachos from tortillas. I learned from Chefs like Tyler Florence some cost cutting solutions like substituting Turkey breast for Hamburger and the importance of having a slow cooker (which we do.) The first family they profiled on there spent $400 a week on take out. I wonder where they struck it rich. I kick myself for spending over $30 a week on fast food/takeout!

EXTRA CREDIT: Kohl's was having a sale and I was in DESPERATE need of new jeans (my old ones keep sliding down, even with a belt) and tops for work. I ended up getting a pair of Gloria Vanderbilt Jeans. I have never owned a pair of this brand of jeans before...I might have to buy another pair in the future. I have been having trouble finding a nice pair of jeans and these are the PERFECT FIT and for a great price!

-Jackie

Day 335 (March 10th)--Integrity

Integrity is a word I have heard a lot about lately and is something I strive for in my life. I like Horton in Horton Hears a Who Sums it up best when he says "I meant what I say and I say what I meant."

When I think of my car dealership who have not only sold me all the cars I have ever owned (expect for my 1st one which was a hand me down) and is my repair shop one word comes to mind: integrity. With that said I nominated them for the 2009 Business of Integrity for the MN Better Business Bureau. Every year the Better Business Bureau Serving Minnesota and North Dakota honor businesses that demonstrate and exemplary level of Ethics. I really hope they win. The awards ceremony is not until October 28th but I think it would still be a nice Honor for them. We hear enough about businesses that rip people off or have poor customer service. I like to let the businesses who go the extra mile know they are appreciated!

-Jackie

Day 334--March 9th--Recipe Submission

Remember that recipe for Chocolate Chunk peanut butter Cookies from last week? Well, the place I work for is celebrating their 40th anniversary and are putting out a cookbook of recipes. Well, this recipe is going into the cookbook! Since it is not being published as a book for sale it is just going to be a cookbook for staff and families. Still, it's nice enough that I have mastered a recipe I can finally submit for something like this!

-Jackie

Day 333 (March 8th)--Carnival Games

Yesterday we went out to lunch with our friend "A" for my hubby's birthday. He is a big Wii fanatic like me and lent Mike and I some games. Today I tried one of those games, called Carnival Games. Many of the games on there remind me of the games that were at my High School graduation all night party. Frog toss, Test Your Strength, the one where you roll the ball but it can't come back on the other side. Fun times!

-Jackie

Day 332 (March 7th)--A Down to the Wire new thing

Tonight I actually had a different new thing planned but due to technical difficulties I was not able to do it. So you will see THAT new thing in the coming week. Tonight I found a article about famous feuds....quite a few I had been already aware of but I decided to research a Specific Hollywood feud between two sisters from old Hollywood--Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine. Olivia played Melanie Wilkes in the Movie Gone with the Wind---and I guess just picked on here younger sister Joan like nothing else! They both went into the acting business but their mother would not let Joan use the family name so she had to come up with a screen name! Also when they won their Academy Awards (Joan first) they would blow off the sister that was trying to congratulate them! They finally stopped speaking all together in 1975. This is the kind of Story line that is so good I don't think Hollywood could come up with something as good if they tried! In my family I have had some bumpy patches in the past with my sisters, but nothing EVEN close to this!

-Jackie

Day 331 (March 6th)--Beans!

This new thing has been a two day event--I have been working with a taste testing agency on a new product (I can't get into specific details due to confidentiality) but I tried 16 bean side dishes in the course of two days. I do not think that will be a staple in my diet anytime soon!

-Jackie

Day 330 (March 5th)--How'd I do that?

When I went to check my bank balance this morning, it was off my $50. I went online to check my purchases and found out I wrote my electric bill out for $50 more than what it should have been. When I check the account online it shows a copy of the cancelled check. Oh well, guess next months electric bill will either be free or next to nothing!

-Jackie

Day 329 (March 4th)--Aerobically effective

I have to say that sometimes my best ideas for new things come very spur of the moment. This is one of those times.

I am a Proud owner of a Wii. My husband is a huge gamer---I am not. I do like the old school Nintendo with games like Super Mario Brothers 2 but it's not something I put my heart and soul into or look for the newest systems, etc. The Wii however, has impressed me. This afternoon I was exhausted (after starting work at 4:30AM) and napped for 3 hours. Tonight I played Wii bowling and Tennis (not the new thing) but I wondered if it counted as exercise so I consulted some studies (this is one of them) to see if the regular Wii games actually burned calories. I was pleased with the results. They actually had a guy exercise for 30 minutes a day with the Wii without making any changes to his diet or adding any additional exercise. There were results. I do plan on mixing Wii Sports in with other forms of exercise and down the road I really want a Wii fit but I was glad to do this new thing and get this information.

BTW, that is a picture of my hubby playing on the Wii. (Though he prefers his PS2)

-Jackie

Day 328 (March 3rd)--5 hour energy?

Today I tried 5 hour energy. I actually tried the decaf version in citrus because they had it for really cheap at the drugstore. It was a little potent to drink straight up like they suggested so I put it in my Carnation instant breakfast smoothie. The results? I did feel good for the first part of the day but contrary to their no crash slogan, I crashed around 12:30. I will say I drove 200 miles today to see out of town clients and listened to about 13 new messages (my clients enjoy calling me about things when they know I will be out of town). So I took it under some intense circumstances. The million dollar question is--will I use it again? Probably not! I once drank 2 smoothies with energy boosts from Jamba juice in one day. BOY did I have energy that night. It wasn't the same here!

-Jackie

Day 327 (March 2nd) Berrylicious

I am just starting to get back into scrapbooking. I used to be a huge fan. I happened to stumble across Lisa Bearnson's Blog of Creating Keepsakes magazine and she had a recipe for a berry smoothie using Carnation instant breakfast. So I tried it. Though it was delicious I still found myself hungry again after a couple of hours. I think I will just have the have the smoothie with a boiled egg to eat like I normally do.

-Jackie

Day 326 (March 1st)--Cooking with Jackie

(This is the book where the recipe came from)

I am not much of a baker. When I usually make a cake, cupcakes or cookies it comes from a mix. Not today. Today I made Peanut Butter chocolate chunk cookies using a recipe from the back of an Amish Themed book. They turned out really well and are delicious! I WILL Be doing this new thing again. For those of you who are interested: here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

3/4 c margarine

1c white sugar

1 c brown sugar

1/2 peanut butter

2 eggs

2 tsp Vanilla extract

2 1/2 c flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt (optional)

1 8 oz candy bar, chopped

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Beat margarine, sugars and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in chocolate pieces. Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Let stand a few minutes before removing from cookie sheet. Makes 4 dozen cookies!

-Jackie

Day 325 (Feb 28th)--Indoor Sunsoaking

My dog loves to say in the sunlight and today was no exception. While I was on the computer today he decided to lay on the carpet in path of the sunlight coming in the window. I wanted to see what the big deal was so I took a spot right next to him and later my hubby joined us. I can see why he does it.....it lighted my mood and was really relaxing. Also Sunshine can be one's friend on a snowy winters day. Yes, I will do this one again. I don't have any photos of this as I need to get batteries for me camera but here is a dog soaking up the sun for a nice illustration.

-Jackie