Does anyone know where my motivation is hiding?

This morning I wake to a very dreary Tuesday, complete with rain and cold weather.  I am searching for my motivation and can't seem to find where it is lurking...  I know I had it yesterday.  I also know where I put it  last night before going to bed.  Alas, this morning, I wake to find that it has fled.  Oh well.  I know that in two hours time it will find me and I will start my day.  A day filled with highlights and a trip to Hobby Lobby. 

I was abducted last night by my mother and forced to go to the mall to turn in presents for the giving tree (a program where you buy presents for children that won't get any for Christmas).  Needless to say, she barely gave me time to put on shoes before she was dragging me out of my house.  So here I am, looking like a hobo in the middle of the mall, whilst my mother is looking her best.  We deliver the gifts and then trek to J.C. Penney's to exchange some perfume.  Now this is when I want to cringe.  The perfume I usually wear has been altered into a sugary, fruity, sweet concoction and I am not pleased.  I can't seem to adapt and want my clean smell back!!! No luck there.  We wander around spraying bottles and I am half tempted to buy the men's cologne because its the only scent I have found that resembles anything clean without traces of fruit.  Then, at the very end of my hunt, when all hope is lost, I find a fragrance called Acqua di Gioia.  It's not bad at all.  So, when I actually remember to wear the stuff, I'll be able to tolerate myself.

I think I want to be a more well rounded individual.  I think that in order to do this, I am going to have to lay down the Nora Roberts and Lynsay Sands books, and actually pick up a book with substance.  Something that doesn't just fluff around in my brain.  I am a reader; reading to escape the everyday mundane life and jump into something exciting. I read historical romance because it transports me to a time that wasn't easy.  They didn't have technology, telephones, Wal-Mart.  They made their own clothing, visited friends with calling cards they wanted to speak to, and went to the little shops along the street.  I feel like I am transported back in time and I love this feeling.  I want to learn how to do all of the old tricks of the trade and not depend on running down to Wal-Mart to get it.  I am fully aware that I just rationalized why reading romance novels is justifiable, judge me if you want (Erica).

This summer I learned to can pickles and tomatoes and it was a lot more complex than I originally thought.  (My gran liked to kill me because I put a bunch of garlic in my pickles and she said I was sure to ruin them hehe I love garlic!!!)  I learned to crochet last fall and can make hats and scarves and mastered little flowers last week.  I know how to sew; I learned when I was a child, but am definitely a little rusty.

My mom is quite close to a naturalist.  She makes her own soap, starts plants from seed, grows an entire garden, and recycles almost everything.  Paper bags? She uses them to drain grease off of bacon.  Egg shells and coffee grounds? Compost. (She would have her own farm animals, but she lives in the city and her brother, my uncle, is the code enforcement officer and would be sure to issue a ticket).  I want to learn from her.  I want to be shown when is the right season to plant certain veggies, what is a natural remedy for headaches.  This stuff I find fascinating.

Off to make some vanilla caramel tea and attempt some yoga!


   

Kind of like a journal...

About a week ago, I started a crafty blog to motivate myself to finish projects I start and never finish, and to my surprise, it has worked wondrously!  So, following the same logic, I will attempt to document my musings on here.  Using this blog as a journal, I will eliminate the need to start a written journal that will inevitably be discarded and forgotten, only to be found years later with the beginning entry. (I have found quite a few over the past decade) I probably have the world's worst memory, so documenting my life is a great way to actually remember some of the cooler highlights I've experienced along the way.

To anyone who may read this, here is some background info: 

• I have always been indecisive and sway from one great idea to the next.  I did, however, finish all educational endeavors I chose to enter (as my momma instilled in me the policy, "You never  start something, unless you intend to finish it!")  Plus, I am quite frugal and cringe at the thought of student loans that don't amount to anything.   
• I live quite simply, not needing the television or shows on it...I do however enjoy an occasional netflix black and white classic, animated children's movies, and romantic comedies from time to time.  I like technology but have trouble "warming up to it at first."  (Did I mention I work in the retail world selling the aforementioned technology?  I probably didn't, as that is not one of my life goals).
• I teach/ sell all of the new cellular devices that come out onto the market and don't have a clue what I am doing half the time.  The highlight of my day is when an older couple comes in and want to "change with the times" and I get to show them a cool phone and how to work it.  ( It's a good thing I catch on quick and navigate the phone like I know what I'm doing!) I felt like, at the end of the day, I'd accomplished something and it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.  (I even set up this gentleman's very first email account!)
• I have a bachelor's degree in University Studies and can't seem to locate my dream job with this awesome piece of paper.  I did a stint in medical billing but kept feeling unfulfilled.  So when my twin sister decided to go to cosmetology school, I jumped on that bandwagon too.  Sometimes the drama packed environment overwhelms and stresses me, other times I embrace the constant stream of chatter, the odor of chemicals processing and blow dryers buzzing. 
• I live in a relatively small town and like the fact that the guy working at the supermarket is my BFF, that every Christmas (my favorite time of year) I can stroll around Central Park and see a ridiculously large display of bright lights in displays that have nothing to do with the holiday, and that if I ever want a good home cooked meal my grandparents are always home.  That being said, I'd love to see some of the world.  I have been along the eastern coast on numerous family vacations and I briefly stayed in Vegas on a medical billing convention.  Other than that, I am a virtual newbie on anywhere else in the entire U.S.  I have a friend who packed up and moved west, all the way to Portland! He loves it and tries to convince me that I need to relocate.  I have no idea how in the world someone has the kind of guts it takes to do that!!! I have another friend , my old college roommate, who picked up and moved to V.A. and has adapted well to city life.  These people make me want to travel!
• I'm quite thrifty and have a hard time throwing things away that can be reused or crafted into something else entirely.  Now don't go thinking I need to be on that hoarders show, I'm not that bad.  I try to be organized with all of the items I save from the fate of landfills.  Sometimes I have to step back and say to myself, "Self, there is no way that you can reuse that into anything practical! Let it go!!!"
• I'm about bulleted out for tonight, but never fear, I have faith I will be determined to keep this blog (and my crafty blog) going!

Retraction: Just for Erica (rest easy, now the world will know how much I love you): The above mentioned roommate in college wasn't just a roommate... She is also my BFF, sister from another mother, and the most amazing and genuine friend a gal could ever ask for!