Fabulous Finds On Our Goodwill Shopping Trip

Greetings and Happy Hump Day!  Yes, we are halfway there.  I absolutely love being able to see light at the end of the tunnel. 

Today I want to talk a little bit about one of my favorite things to do and that is furniture rehab and repurposing.  This is something that I actually started in 2002 while away at college.  I was living in this adorable, Pepto Bismal pink garage apartment in Valdosta, GA; but, it was in need of some paint and few pieces of nice furniture.  I couldn’t afford nice furniture or anything like that, so I went for clearance items and Salvation Army items as well.  I purchased a three drawer clothes chest from Wal-mart, you know, the kind that’s in a box and you put it together.  It was the brown laminate furniture with the plastic black handles that you see all of the time.  Not very fashionable; but, it was functional.

Courtesy of Walmart.com

As time went on and I was settled into my classes and things at work stabilized I was able to do a few little extra things here and there.  The chest of drawers stuck out like a sore thumb in a stark-white, sterile looking bedroom so I decided to “rehab” this piece of furniture.  I found a long flower stencil at Michaels, some brushes and a couple of cans of paint and some nice drawer knobs from Home Depot.  I repainted the entire body with a flat, antique white color.  I then painted orchid flowers on both sides of the drawer.  I painted the edges gold and to finish the project off I replaced the black plastic handles with antique drawer pulls that had a really nice flower design on the.  I really wish that I thought to take a picture of that!  But, that was my first project and little did I know that I would actually enjoy doing that.  Sigh!

Fast forward almost fifteen years…my daughter and I went shopping the other day at a Goodwill in west Omaha.  We found several treasures that are definitely project worthy! I am really excited about these items and the plans that I have for them.  My husband is happy as well, especially since I found something that will help me to relax and will help me bolster my creativity.  

It is amazing what can be found in Goodwill as well as other places.  I am literally surrounded by thrift stores! As you can see I have several pictures of awesome finds.  Thanks to our "little pumpkin" grabbing stuff from the shelves :-)  I found a beautiful foot stool that is in fabulous shape.  I plan to reupholster this.  My mother-in-law is eyeing it, I think :-)

We found a very nice jewelry box that is very plain; but, has HUGE potential. This should be fun!

This is a nice crib that we found and Cecilia (our little pumpkin) was really excited about it.  She was on the floor rocking it back and forth, so I think one of her dolls may find its way in.

We found this little trinket box (at least that's what it looked like to me at first glance).  Once again, I think that this has good potential to be something more.

And finally, the one that I am very excited about...the glass jar!  Yep, I am going nuts over this simple glass jar because I have always wanted to create a terrarium.  If you are unfamiliar with the concept of a terrarium, a terrarium is a container in which plants are grown. There are so many different ideas and themes for these. I can't wait to share the results!

I thank you for stopping by again!  Please check back later for the results of these projects.  I plan on doing a complete before and after on each item.  Have a blessed and wonderful day!

Romans 12:6

"Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith;"

Mystery Shopping (Brief Overview)

Good morning everyone!  It is a new day and I wanted to take a few minutes and share with you a few programs you may find to be of interest.  Some are mystery shopping programs that I have been a part of for some time and others are cash rewards programs.  I will post about the cash rewards in a separate post.

I will list a few of the shopping companies that I work with.  These are companies that have provided me feedback and have paid.  Please know that I would not write a post about anything that I have not personally tried myself.  I would under no circumstances provide what I like to call “drive-by information.” Simply put, if I have not tried it or have no plans of trying it, it will not be on this site.

There are a number of mystery shopping companies that I have worked with in the past.  If you are not familiar with mystery shopping, mystery shoppers are exactly what the title states…shoppers that shop undercover, essentially.  Mystery shoppers perform compliance checks for clients that decide to contract with a certain mystery shopping company.  The clients are companies such as Walgreens, Kroger, Lane Bryant, to give a few examples.  These are a few that I personally have worked with:

•   Intellishop
•   Bestmark
•   Reality Check
•   Jancyn*

The shopping companies listed above are the companies that I have been registered with for five years or more.  Intellishop and Reality Check are two of my favorites because of the fact that there are literally shops all around me.  Bestmark is another good one if you are interested in automobile shops (these tend to yield higher payments!)  In all honesty, I have not done a shop for Jancyn in a while.  When I did I can say that they paid on time and were very good about providing feedback.  We moved not too long ago and a lot of the shops are further than what I am willing to travel right now.

One of the other features that I do like about most of these shops is the fact that they offer certification tests.  These are informational tests that require a certain percentage on the exam in order to perform the shops.  Please note that not all mystery shopping companies require these.  But, most do require a writing sample from you when you sign up.  In fact, some require you to resubmit writing samples every now and then, so keep that in mind when you sign up.

This can be a great way to earn some extra money. My husband and I are planning to go to Disney World in March of 2017 and one of our goals is to not touch our savings for this trip.  I do advise you to be diligent in your mystery shopping endeavors.  There are a lot of scams out there and unfortunately, people fall for them.  Please be careful!

That’s all that I have for the moment.  I hope that you enjoyed reading.  If you have questions or suggestions, I am all ears.  Have a wonderful day and happy shopping!

Proverbs 12:11

“Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense.”

Happy Monday To You!

Hello to you!  It is Monday, so you know the saying, “I hate Monday!” I hear it all of the time from my little cousin.  Well, I love Monday because I feel that I can start fresh.  Don’t, get me wrong, there are some Mondays that I wish were actually Tuesday because I’m off on Wednesday.  But, I figure I can do one of two things: 1) I can be bummed out over a single day, or 2) I can be happy and get the day over with.  I choose to be happy!

This week is also the first full week of October.  I am always curious about what happened on certain days of the month in history.  For example, this day October 3, 1929, did you know that a prison riot took place at Colorado State penitentiary where several inmates attempted to escape and it turned into a hostage situation?  I am certain that there are other things that took place on that day in 1929; but, criminal justice was my minor in college so naturally this caught my attention, LOL.

The reason why I am bringing up commemorative dates is because the month of October is “National Work and Family Month.”  This designation was brought on by the recognition of changing family dynamics over the last several decades.  For more information, click on the World at Work site for more information. 

The information about National Work and Family Month was an amazing find for me and I am sure that you will find it useful or interesting as well for one reason or the other.   The reason why I find it amazing that I am just now hearing about this is because I did it through asking a simple question, “what went on in October?”  Blogging is forcing me to ask simple questions that I normally would not ask at my full time job.  For example, normally I only focus on the number date, not the significance, if any.  I absolutely love that my brain receives this type of stimulation!

That’s all that I have for right now.  I am planning on posting again early this evening.  I recently signed up for a few programs I want to share with you.  If you belong to the same ones I certainly hope to hear from you about them. 

Have a blessed and happy Monday!

Proverbs 14:23

“All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.”

Yay, we made it to Friday!

It is Friday and for a lot of people that means off for the weekend (Saturday and Sunday).  I am quickly finding out that the term weekend can actually mean different things for different people.  Either way, I hope that you have a wonderful weekend and if you’re traveling, please be safe!

I want to take a few moments and express my gratitude for those who are taking the time to stop by my page and pay a visit, whether it is a long one or a short one.  I am amazed at my current stats.  While I have not reached a huge number, in fact it’s under one hundred right now, I’m still ecstatic.  Let me explain why.  In the past I have created other websites and while they were good-intentioned, I let them fall by the wayside.  I didn’t stick to a schedule, a plan, a strategy.  Looking back, I guess they were not going to serve a real purpose.  To top it all off, I was also a huge procrastinator and defeatist.  That is a toxic combination in any endeavor.

I just might take a picture of my desk so you can see how dedicated I am to this site.  I am actually using every tool at my disposal (Excel, Word, and even pens and notebooks – sometimes I have to just physically write things).  All of this and my two motivators, my husband and daughter, snoozing away with our dog Peaches keeping watch over all of us.  I love it!  God has blessed us all.

Anyway, I am off to prepare for work.  I am looking forward to the day and the little project that do have.  I mentioned that I enjoy repurposing furniture and other little items.  I found my first few treasures and am looking forward to their re-birth.  I am excited about posting about these over the next week so please be on the lookout.

Have a wonderful weekend!

3 John 1:2

“Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.”

Goal Setting Part 2

Greetings everyone!  I hope that you are having a wonderful week.  I did not have any posts for yesterday (Wednesday) as I needed to run errands all day. But, it was fun because I turned it into a total mommy/daughter day and we had a blast. 

I was able to think about my plans for this blog and for eventually becoming a work at home mom.  I did try to blog some time ago; but, I didn’t take it seriously enough and I did not stick with it.  Also, was a huge procrastinator! But, I realize that in order for me to make this work, I have to form a habit and stick with it.  In fact, this is the most that I have ever blogged so, so far so good.

One of the things that I need to do is to build my online presence.  Utilizing social media pages such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+ will be a huge help!  The key, at least to me, is consistency.  I need to be more consistent, have a purpose and stop getting side-tracked! (“Oooh, squirrel!”) I’ve been working on that for other things such as my household and that has gotten a lot better...there is no reason why it shouldn't work here as well.

Another thing that I need to do is to stay excited!  I am now looking at this as not just another job; but, as a fun, exciting adventure!  I will also be able to meet new people and exchange ideas, share thoughts, etc.  I’m getting excited just typing that!  As long as I keep positive and remain excited, I believe that it will all fall into place.

Well, that’s all that I have for now.  Time to fold some laundry then head in to work and start the day.  Wow!  Now I’m excited about that too.  Have a great day!

Proverbs 14:1

“The wisest of women builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down.”

Mapping Out Some Sort of Work at Home Strategy

Welcome back! This week I am challenging myself to create a schedule to devote to my ideas.  This is where my little girl comes in to help mommy.  She wakes up around 4:30AM without fail.  When I was pregnant with her I would still wake up around this time purely out of reflex.  I’ve always been an early riser - dad, not so much.  Once I’m up, I usually cannot go back to sleep.  But, I usually just lay in bed until it’s time for morning chores. 

I’m attempting to make use of whatever “down time” I have so I can devote time to my page.  “What better time than 5:00AM!”  I figure that I can devote a good, solid two hours in the morning while everyone is sleeping.  I’ll just make certain that my coffee is within reach.

I love Microsoft Excel!  So, I am creating a calendar (broken down by day) with my blocked off time frame for my page.  As I stated in my previous post, I believe that one day I can work from home full time.  I can adjust this calendar accordingly :-)

I am really excited about getting started.  I am also keeping an open mind about this.  I do not intend to put all of my eggs in one basket; so, I am looking at various ideas.  If you have ideas that you would like to share, I am all ears!  I am not only looking at applying at different companies; I am also looking into side hustles, creating my own crafts, etc.  My goal is to see what works best and go from there.  This is not only a way for creating a second income; it’s also an adventure!

Thanks again for stopping by. Have a blessed day!

Busy Mom in Bellevue (Attainable Work at Home Goal)

Greetings and thank you for stopping by!  My name is Jessica and I am a wife to a U.S. Army soldier and mother to a fourteen-month old little girl.  I am also employed full time at a local eatery.  I absolutely love what I do; but, I love being at home with my little girl even more.  I have always been career-driven and independent.  But, more and more I am realizing that I truly want to be at home.  Looking back about twenty years ago or so, I never dreamed that I would want to be at stay at home mom or anything like that.  It’s funny how that works out.

My goal is to make a transition from full time work outside of my home to working from home!  How long will that take?  I am not sure; but, I am looking into several different ways to do that.  I think that one of the most important things about making this transition is the fact that I truly am excited about it!  I can imagine myself being able to work from home and my family and I be comfortable by the time our little girl starts school.  I believe that this is a very reasonable and attainable goal.  

That is why I am writing this blog.  I want to use this blog to not only gather and share information; but, hopefully to gain support.  I’m not talking monetary or anything like that.  I am talking about advice and words of encouragement.  I also want to hear your story about how you became a work at home mom, work at home dad, side hustler, etc.  I am also very interested in gaining a good work-life balance as well.  I can only imagine that this will be a huge adjustment, especially since I’m used to the daily grind of everyday work.

That’s all that I have for now.  I thank you for stopping by and I pray that not only am I successful; but, that you are as well. 

Proverbs 14:1

“The wisest of women builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down.”