Well, I realised when I looked at my bank balance yesterday that I wasn't going to be able to afford the $80 I usually allot to myself for groceries this week. Nope. I had $40 for groceries and nothing for petrol.But has the shine worn off my flatting experience yet? Nope! My grocery list consisted of toilet paper, milk, fish cakes , bread and for a treat 3 tubs of herbs, poppy seeds and pepper. That was $25. Then off to the vege shop where I got a substantial amount of veges and fruit for ten bucks including a big bag of potatoes. (Hence the the herbs and poppy seeds I bought earlier). And we had a yummy-as dinner. In fact I don't feel impoverished at all!
Well, here's yesterdays effort. I feel like a bit of a bad mum coz I left Catherine infront of the computer from 12:00 to 5pm so I could do this! But she pretty much never gets to go on the computer anymore, so maybe it adds up to even.
I have done 4 panels now. Only 2 more to do and I've done the whole thing. Then I 'm going to signwrite it back to definedesign.
And only 2 more sleeps and we're off to the Auckland Folk Festival again!! Doesn't really matter if it rains... I find it kinda fun (but I can think of other people who don't share that view!!)
Did the signwriting on my new neighbours ute. Charged a decent price for it too.
I've been training myself to look at signs and price them in my head, so when people say "roughly how much for such and such" I'll be able to rattle off a quick estimate.
Well the friggin rust came back in my back window! So I've had another go today. This time I cleaned the rubber as well (which may have been the problem), and bought myself a stripping disk for my drill. No 45 min sand and scrape.. just 5 minutes with my drill!
But whataya know... this has been the rainiest summer ever!! I thought I could get this done inbetween showers... well, I felt I had to. We might not get many sunny days... so while it rained I covered the window with a drop sheet. But I don't know if it was wise, coz as I went to paint, the branches overhead dripped water onto the wet paint!! Oh well. It's gonna be hidden under the rubber anyhow.
Check out my bogging anyway. I'm totally getting better at this!!
Hopefully we get some sunny days in the coming months before winter sets in again. I want to get the whole thing painted and re-signwrite my van to what it was.... before I peaced-out my van in an attempt to get some freedom.
Did I tell you? My new neighbour is a christian and hes gonna get me to signwrite his ute, and he said he'll pray for my business to pick up. I really feel God wants me to do the word of mouth thing. I keep hearing that phrase.
Can you believe it??? I'm in my own little flat! We're on deck chairs at the moment... I'm lov'n it! It feels like camping and there's nothing to clean!
We have lovely neighbours who even helped me move in... they say they all kinda look out for each other, which is how it should be!
And check out my first weeks shop. I have a $60 food budget and I spent $40. Then I used the rest to buy a chopping board, a bread knife, a ladle, a teatowel and a bath plug.
Oh yeah, and I'd been asking God if He would provide for me. Over and over again. My reason being, I thought, you can't go rent a penthouse and buy a ferari on HP then say "Lord, provide for me!" which I thought in way was what I was doing. But what do you know. First day in my new flat, I read Word for Today and it says :Leaving a job or moving locations can always seem scary. It comes down to 2 questions "Will you protect me Lord?" and "Will you provide for me ?"
I don't have it with me, but it said , yes, as the Lord promised to provide for Abraham when he left his country, He promises you too.
Well, I'm going to frame that and put it on my wall when I get scared over my bills.
PS. Why does God always wait till AFTER youve made your move to confirm your decision?? this is the second time that has happened!!
Check these out. I am selling them on Trade Me. (Now that I'm moving out I'm gonna need every little bit of cash I can scrape together). Anyhow... you'll never guess how I got these. We were waiting in the car, and this lady was putting them in the donation box and Catherine asked if she could have them. Now you can tell we weren't in South Auckland at the time... I mean.... who gives away brand new Chuck Taylors and Dr. Martins???? Flip!
Anyhow... these are barely worn, so if you want to pick yourself up a bargain, you can purchase them here and here.
PS> I probably shouldn't have told you I got these for free... oh well... I'm just not street smart, am I?
Well, it's all go. They called me while I was at the bach (holiday house) and let me know they did the checks (no, I've never robbed a bank and yes, I paid off my computer without a hitch)... and I've pretty much got the place! So I'm moving out this week.
Now all thanks to this guy really. I got myself his book for christmas. His name is Nick Vujicic (Voy-a-chich) and he's a motivational speaker who has no arms or legs! Now, if a guy like that can be happy, well you can bet I'm gonna listen to what he has to say. I read the first few chapters of his book I'd found this place and decided to move the same day! Now, you wouldn't think moving out would be a big event for a 33 year old... but let me tell you, I've been desiring this for so long, but every christian message I've heard has been all about being content in your situation. He's the first person to tell me to follow my dreams! Be optimistic! There's a future for you!
God told me in August 2010 that I was bitter. I thought I had to learn to be grateful. Maybe not! Maybe this overwhelming desire to have a place of my own was a God given desire! Maybe God WILL provide for me like He promises in the bible? I mean, the doors have just swung wide open. All it took was for me to take some initiative and act upon it.
In the last 10 years, up until this point, I've thought that God is pretty cruel. I thought "If God is good... it's just this abstract kind of good that must be beyond human understanding, because life stinks". I've just been hanging out for Jesus to return because all I saw for my future was living the next 15 years with my morbid mother who's given up all her own dreams and sucks away mine and then it's a brief 10 years of independence before I retire on a meagre pension then wait for dementia to set in. Yup. I'm not exagerating. My whole blog was a pretence. That's been my view of the future for the last 7 years.
But maybe God IS a God who gives dreams?
Anyhow.... like I said... if a guy with no arms and legs tells me it's ok to dream for the future, I'm gonna listen.
I highly recommend his book. "Life without Limits". And check out the You tube video anyhow.
Tick tock, tick tock.
I don't find out if I have the place untill maybe Monday now!!
I was so sure I was getting the place that I went and bought a mattress off Trade Me. I could be putting it back on Trade Me in 4 days!
I was going to wait until tomorrow to post my news, but I 'm like a kid waiting for christmas. 2.30 Thursday just can't come soon enough! My news? I may be moving out of home!! Look at this post I found from 2009. A poem about wanting my own place. That's how long I've been waiting for this (actually, way longer).
And it's just across the road!! Now don't think I'm mad. It's PERFECT. Catherine is still a hop jump and a skip from her school. If I want to get something from Mum's she's just across the road. And Mum can't feel like I've completely abandoned her, because, well.... I'm just across the street for goodness sake!
Now.... none of this has actually come to fruition yet. I'm viewing the place tomorrow at 2.30. There are other people wanting this place... but I've rung a couple of times now, and apparently I'm at the top of the list of contenders. Why the heck IS that?? Is it because I've been transparent and told them I'm REALLY keen to get this place, as it's just across the road from mum? I've also told them I havn't really had any landlords, and only a brief flatting experience with an abusive boyfriend, which I thought may have worked against me, but the property manager gave an approving "mmm-mmm" on the phone. (Maybe it was like "Mmmm-mmm girlfriend!" ?).
I've been so excited writing lists of all the things I'll need, and what groceries I'm going to buy each week with my meagre $60 grocery money. HEAVEN. But this morning, the day of the phone call I woke up thinking "I can't do this. I don't have the money... I'm going to end up in debt" and I rang a friend for advice. But later on as I was out doing my shopping I felt a surge of confidence again and 1. remembered that mornings are not my best time and 2. Mum and the house have that effect on me and the sooner I'm out the more inituitive I'll have.
I could write a blog post alone on the list's I've been writing, but I'll leave it here for now. Fingers crossed!!
Got a wedding to go to in February, so I decided to make myself a frock. $1.50 altogether. (Fabric $1 a metre, newspaper home made pattern). Just need to get rid of my fat-balomba tummy... How much weight can I loose in a month? Maybe if I just drink water and eat fruit for the next 5 weeks?
Creative and arty... love to read, learn new things, and a bit of a fruitloop, but oh well, I join the cry .."I'm a blogger... hear me ramble!"
One daughter, Miss Catherine M. My little social butterfly, and my complete antithisis.
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