One Day At A Time....

With the end of the semester brings much needed freedom. The freedom to craft! As I have been looking around blog land, there are a few projects that I really want to try, but have not had the time to explore because of homework, papers, traveling and studying as well as working full time. This blog post is all about some of those projects I have found that I really really want to try. Here we go with project #1 Laptop Sleeve http://www.skiptomylou.org/2010/07/29/laptop-sleeve/ (note: This was a guest post from http://www.crapivemade.com/ ) As part of going back to school, I had to get a new computer.... had to.... ha! As if I was forced against my will to do so.... (Thank you student loans!) Right now it has mostly been safely stashed away in the laptop sleeve of my book bag. Functional? yes. Pretty? maybe. Sick of getting my scarf and gloves stuck on the Velcro closure? Absolutely. Project #2 The One Hour Bag http://www.skiptomylou.org/2010/07/20/one-hour-bag/ (note: This was a guest...

How many of you have procrastinated and have lots of last minute shopping to do? (imagine me slowly raising my hand....) Well thousands of shops realized people wait till the last minute and are offering FREE SHIPPING TODAY! If you go thru this link to find your stores of choice: http://www.upromise.com/guest/2141091302 This company: will help me pay for this: It's a Win-Win situation!

(Hocking Hills, Labor Day Weekend 2010) I relize I haven't blogged in a while, and there is a reason. Going back to school part time while working full time has left me busier than I thought. 40 hours a week at work, 5+ hours a week in class, 4+ hours driving each week, 3 hours of Institute each week (Choir and BG Institute), and about 50 hours of sleeping each week and who knows how many hours of homework.... where does the time fly off to? A student in my comp II class brought to my attention about a week ago that there are 5 weeks left in the fall semester! yikes! time sure has flown by quickly!

Yep. It's true. Julie Perry is going back to college! Those that have known me for quite some time already know that I struggled a bit at Owens Community College due I think in part to the undecidedness of my major, graduated with my associate of Arts (General Liberal Transfer Studies, aka the general classes that apply to any degree equaling the 1st 2 years of my bachelors degree) in December of 2004, then went off to the working world. After different experiences, many unexpected blessings and much thought and prayer over the last 6 years, I decided in February/March 2010 that I really wanted to finish my bachelors degree. Part of what kept me from going back to school was the aversion I had to student loans. I graduated with my Associates degree with no student loans at all. I say this not to brag, but simply to state that fact. Somehow I got over my total dislike of student loans and applied to UT and FAFSA earlier this year. I start school today. While I am excited to be taki...

My new favorite ice cream! HALF THE FAT AND A THIRD FEWER CALORIES!

Really, making nachos is SOOOOO hard and time consuming that you have to buy a kit?

I wish people would tell me when I have something on my face! I spent part of my lunch hour in the library by my office. I was there for a good half hour or more. I got back in my car, looked in the mirror to find marshmallow sauce from my lunch dessert on my chin. Really people, I know I am pale, but I am not that pale that the marshmallow sauce just blended in to my skin tone.... someone must have noticed!

We finally got the boxes out of the dining room and the dining room table put together! After being in the house for almost 2 weeks, it was getting annoying walking over boxes. Next up: the living room! (and the indicisive refridgerator/freezer that isnt sure what it wants to do)

So I am grounding myself.... Why you may ask? Well, it's a long story.... My parents bought a new house. (yippee!) They closed on it about 3 weeks ago. Now you may ask "But, Julie Perry, you moved out of your parents house almost 5 years ago, how does this affect you?" Well, I am moving into their old house. So in the 4 weeks after they closed, we have put in our "intent to vacate" with our current landlord (thank goodness! We are very grateful to be getting out of that mess....), packed and moved most of my parents old house to their new house, and now we are packing our house and moving it to our new house (which is my parents old house.... make sense?) Anyway, we currently have 1 week left to get out of our townhouse. So hence the grounding. I am grounding myself. I need to finish packing my house by Saturday morning at 9 am. That is when we are moving everything else out of our place and into the house. There is just so much to pack that I e...

So I realize that I haven't updated about my "Lent" Goal a lot. Well, its a few days past the ending date we set and I have learned a few things: 1.) I have a new found love for alfalfa sprouts! They are SOOOOO good on salads and sandwiches. (And if it didn't look so funny, I may just eat them out of the box! (after rinsing, of course!) 2.) By not rushing to the "Golden Arches" to avoid the inevitable lunch rush line at the drive-t hru , I have been able to stop by a few of the local restaurants in Waterville and Perrysburg . Here they are, listed in order of how much I enjoyed them (from most to... um... not as much as the most, but still good) and my usual at each place: Dave's Cosmic Subs (My Favorite Sandwich? The Grateful Dave.... it comes with alfalfa sprouts!) Red Robin (AMAZING Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad!) Smeedlaps Smithy (Buffalo Chicken Salad) Coffee Gallery (Don't worry; No coffee was consumed, but they do have goo...

I have decided that at some point in the future (sooner rather than later) I will be going back to school to finish my Bachelors degree. I have avoided this for quite some time now (seeing as I graduated with my Associates degree in 2004, I'd say about 5-6 years now.) One of reasons I had avoided it was I was really REALLY not wanting to get student loans. Well I have decided weather or not I have to get student loans, I want to finish my degree. I have opened a Upromise account for the purpose of earning money on things that I already buy and letting that earned money help pay for some of my expenses. All I do is input the Shoppers cards i have (Kroger, Giant Eagle, etc.) and it looks at what I buy. If anything I bought is on their list of participating products and brands, they will add a percentage of the cost of the item to my account . Once you add your shoppers cards to the account you can shop and forget about it as everything is figured for you. There are additional opti...

I just got a call at my office from a woman needing the end of our address. I gave her the city and state and as I waited for her to write them down, she asked "Do you have a zip code?" Part of me really wanted to tell her no. No, we don't have a zip code. They took it away. What kind of question is that? "Do you have a zip code?"

I try to set them.   I have grand plans on keeping them.   Then January 2nd rolls around and I usually have forgotten them.   Somehow New Years Resolutions just don't work out for me. But Lent does.... (I realize members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints don't practice Lent, and mine is not following any traditions contrary to my beliefs; I am just setting a 40 day goal.) So what is this year's goal?   NO FAST FOOD!*   *now let me clarify. I am categorizing fast food as the following -food is given to you in a bag while you are in a vehicle -no waiters Buffets don't count against me (although it has been several months since I went to one.) Eating McDonalds inside the restaurant does count against me... .   My sister Christina has made a deal with me. If I make it from 2/17/10 to 3/29/10 without eating any fast food, she will give me $20. If I slip up, I have to give her $20.   ...

So my last post I was excited to be getting a brand new printer.... well I have the printer, but because we didn't have a cable long enough to go from the printer and around my desk to where my computer is located, I just have a very high tech paper weight. the tech guy here had to buy a 20 foot USB cable.... and it isn't here yet....

Can it be true? I'm getting a new printer at work?!?!?! I realize this might not be as exciting for you as it is for me. but what you must understand is that I have the oldest computer at work... by like 3 years or more (and in computer age, 3 years is a long time!) I've only been without a printer for like 3 days at work, but even when I did have a color printer, it didn't print on cardstock which ment I couldn't print the business cards, or the time cards. Now I can print color things at my desk that I would either have to have someone else print, or I would have to print them on the other side of the building, meaning I would have to go to the other side of the building, load the correct paper product in the printer, go back to my desk to hit the print button, back to the printer to collect the printed items, then back to my desk to do whatever I had planned on doing with it. (that is if I remember what I was going to do with it)

So in a previous post, you will note that I got a camera for Christmas.... My family is SPECIAL! :-)