Project Upcycle Ikea Kids Table

     One of my personal goals is to minimalize and downsize my possessions.  One way to be thrifty while doing so is to look at what I need and what I already have.  One example:  I need a new art table for my daughter but I am SO SICK OF PINK, because apparently Santa only has pink toys at the North Pole for little girls.  I don't want to necessarily go out and buy another one when we already have two perfectly fine tables, that are just not the right colors.  So, I took the stock dull color $19.99 Ikea LATT table and threw on some paint and duct tape (which is also easy to wipe off)  and here you have it: this suites my daughter much better (in reality, it looks better in my living room)

IKEA LATT Children’s Table and Chairs ($19.99)

Before =  Unrecognized Drag

After= Customized Swag

Acrylic Paints- $5.00

Duct Tape- $3.99
Total project = $28.98

Timing...and 2013

     Timing is everything!?  Or is luck everything!?  Or is fate timing & luck and therefore everything when it comes to circumstances and life's sequences of events?  Sometimes I believe that my thoughts and actions are the main catalyst for the blessings or misfortunes that come my way.  Other times I think that fate is working it's magic because without it where is the romance?  One thing is for certain, I do believe that we create our own luck by working hard, remaining humble, and being the best person we can be to others.

    As I move on to the next chapter in life, my happiness is the focus, and the timing is perfect to help guide me along down the path to happiness.  While I am generally, a very positive, upbeat person, who has many blessings to be thankful for, as I get older and find that I tend to put too much pressure on myself to be everything to everyone, and in the meantime I forget to work on me. When mommy's forget to work on themselves, it effects everyone in the house.  Happy wife- happy life!

    So, for while I am unemployed for the first time since hostessing at Crabby Bills when I was 16, pregnant with #2, and spending precious time with my 2 1/2 year old, I am going to relish in the fact that it is all on my own terms and that there is nothing else I would rather be doing, well except personal enrichment.  Since I don't believe in making New Year's Retributions Resolutions, I did give myself some personal enriching milestones that I want to accomplish soon.

Knowing me this list will evolve and be edited (hence one reason why I don't believe in those resolution things)

1. Dust of my sewing machine and take a lesson or two to figure out to make something useful
2. Brush up on my Spanish; perhaps take a class
3. Start our family side business (much more to come on this very soon)
4. Read more, gossip less
5. Practice yoga, meditation & minimalism
6. Finish my Philadelphia Mural project that I keep "putting off"
7. Continue to carve my path, remember who I am and what I want out of life( you know, the simple things)

Old job- New Year!

     After much deliberation over whether or not I should let someone else decide my fate and whether or not I could look myself in the mirror after giving up, I decided to resign from my organization due my unhappiness.  My unhappiness was leaking into the parts of my life that are the happiest; my marriage, my daughter's day to day life, my family and friends relationships, my health, Amtrak from Boston back to Philly, encountering a heated exchange with the boss and becoming so upset I broke out in hives, hyperventilated and got super sick on the train.  Not a healthy scenario. That as they say was the straw that broke the camel's back. 

     Fortunately, my husband and I are in a situation where I can take a little time off before the birth of our second child so monetarily speaking, we felt comfortable making a decision like this for the sake of my health.   I feel that I took responsibility for my shortcomings that were highlighted during my 5 month trail period with my new boss and can move forward knowing that I was not perfect either, in fact there are some conversations that I wish I could erase.  I stooped down to her level because there was nowhere else to go, but I know in my heart that I stood up for myself and took control of the situation before something really bad happened. 

     While I enjoyed the job duties, business challenges, most of the people that I worked with, and the flexible yet travel focused schedule, I am finally free of the torment that I faced each day working under a horrible boss.  Before I use this term "horrible boss" again I would like to take a moment and clearly define what I am referring to, I will describe what a leader is/what a horrible boss is not.
My definition of a leader:

1. Someone who is not defined by their title or position- who doesn't use their position as a weapon.
2. Someone who looks to others for support when needed and offers support whenever, wherever.
3. Someone who is confident yet humble and leads by example, understanding that mistakes will happen and that if you can take responsibility for your actions you have already corrected your mistake.
4. Someone who is fair, consistent, level headed, and intelligent.
5. Someone who is dynamic and can reach people at all levels, inspire them, empower them.

Ultimately, if you are not lifting up others, you are not lifting up yourself.  Maybe I have read too many leadership books or drank too much Gary Marx, Stephen Covey, and John Maxwell kool-aid, but I expect and demand a leader to have at least one of those traits.  
    Since I resigned in mid December, I am reminded of a scene out of Office Space, when Peter Gibbons voluntarily gets hypnotized for his girlfriend so he could tolerate his current work situation.  While my case is not so extreme, I can see some similarities in the monotony that begins to take place when you are not happy going to work. 

     I am learning that you can control your happiness, but in order to understand what it takes to be happy you have to have the courage to take risks and stand up for what is right, another words, stop allowing people in your life to push you back, take what is yours and move on.  Surround yourself around intelligent people that you want to mirror.   Allow yourself time to heal and to re-open your mind to what it is that makes you happy before jumping onto the next adventure.  Your career makes up on average about 90,000 hours in your lifetime= approximately 3,750 days (based on a regular 9-5, 40 hours a week schedule)

 Time to start doing what brings you happiness.  That is my mantra for 2013.

Enjoy the scene and....one of my power songs.  Because power songs are empowering, and comedic relief is essential~!  "Damn it feels good to be gangsta"