Healthy

I am not too "organic" of a person. Yes, I recycle. I use cloth shopping bags. I try to use less gas. But you know, sometimes I just get a craving for a Happy Meal & I do drink a share of soda everyday.

Since I have been off of work, I have started thinking about some things & some health issues I have known about for awhile but didn't know what to do about. Well, I've had big changes for about a month now, & I am doing SSOOOO much better! There are 2 categories of changes I want to make & have been making. Health & Personal needs.

Health:

The smallest change in scope but the biggest healthy feeling has (SHOCKINGLY) been DEODORANT. I switched from Secret (my old old standby) to natural deodorant, & I feel a MILLION times better. Now, I'm not preaching for y'all to clear a Tom's deodorant shelf. For sure, keep using Secret & stuff. It's just a personal health culprit that I wondered about, & it WORKED for me. YEARS of pain soooo much better because I am not exposed to the aluminum.

On that metal note, I am working right now (slowly due to costs) to switch over to class, ceramic, & stone cookware & NO MORE Gladware (OMG I used so much Gladware before). Only TUPPERWARE (BPA free) & GLASS storage. No more metal pans.

I'm using flax seed & making myself drink "some" water (BRITA filtered. I have always have just grabbed a quick cup from of the tap, but I need to try to eliminate as much metal exposure as I can). Trying to cut down on my soda love.

I am making a conscious effort to use less paper towels (just something I wanted to do to cut down waste) & more lipbalm & more bar hand soap instead of so much anti-bacterial. I do still have anti-bac next to the sink & use it when I "need" to, but when I just need to wash, I grab the regular soap.



Personal:
More writing, reading, manicures, school effort, & coupons.

Mantras

 It's a miracle

Osama bin Laden has been killed. I know there are a lot of political feelings about this, but I feel that this event is an important turning point in history.

AMBER HAS BEEN FOUND ALIVE in IL. Battling amnesia & in the hospital. Her parents are on their way from GA (where they live) to there. I can't even say how I feel about this; maybe I don't understand the scope myself. Absolute relief that she has been protected traveling so far, weather, & people who would harm her.

I was approved to have my student loans deferred for 2 days because of my un-employment. Well, that doesn't help me at all. So I called the company today & not only was connected to a PERSON, but a NICE & KNOWLEDGEABLE one! So my account is fine & fixed.

* * * * * *

I have XM radio in my car. I highly recommend it if you can. If you spend any remote bit of time in a car for commuting or anything. Worth every penny (in my opinion).

When work was getting hard at the end, when I would hear these lyrics in these songs, I felt peace & positivity (corny but true, especially when you see these songs. Not the normal artists I would pick).

 I'm beautiful in my way
'Cuz God makes no mistakes
I'm on the right track baby
I was born this way.
Don't hide yourself in regret
Just love yourself & you're set
I'm on the right track baby
I was born this way.
...
I'm on the right track baby
I was born to survive.

-Lady Gaga "Born This Way"



See I never thought that I could walk through fire
I never thought that I could take the burn
I never had the strength to take it higher
Until I reached the point of no return

And there's just no turning back
When your heart's under attack
Gonna give everything I have
It's my destiny

-Justin Bieber "Never Say Never"





See the sunlight, we ain't stopping
Keep on dancing till the world ends
If you feel it let it happen
Keep on dancing till the world ends
-Britney Spears "'Til the World Ends"








Do you have any positive mantras that have helped you lately? I don't have ones always or certain favorite ones. Just some come thru now & then.

April, 2011

Now that some dust has settled, I can finally talk about some of this stuff. Events that needed to remain private as we worked them out. Events that God brought us & have been months in the making.


For sure it's been one of the most challenging times in my life. 2nd only to that 6-ish week time period in 2008.

* * * * *

I never thought it would happen to me. Even that it could happen to me. This is what 20/20 & Dateline & 60 Minutes are made of; not my life. But it came & made me heartsick.

I saw a Facebook status update from M, telling A to call her. Didn't think too much of it. I have been involved in several similar rounds of phone tag. Can't call someone? Just Facebook them.

Then, scrolling more down into my Facebook newsfeed, I saw a status update from A's dad.

A is considered to be a missing person by the MI police. She didn't come to work for 2 days, & they contacted her emergency contact (old roomate). A's car was found abandoned in GA at a Family Dollar store, where she bought some shampoo & other sundry things.


That's all we know since 4/9. A & M both used to babysit Emily & I all the time when we were kids. I don't have an older sister; I have A & M. & she is just gone.

I take "some" comfort that it seems she went to GA on her own, possibly to see her sister & parents that live there. But it is unusual that she just left. But now that it has been so long & they have had bad weather, it is more worrying everyday.

* * * * * * *

The day before that, my 97 year old great-grandmother passed away. I hope that I am her when I am 97. Relatively healthy & super happy & loved.

I hesitated to take time off of work because my co-workers disliked when I took 1 day off for being sick the week before & I knew things were going to happen at work that week, but my boss was really understanding & I was out of work for 3 days to go to TN. I'm really glad that I did because it was nice to see all my cousins there & celebrate the good times everyone had with Grandma.

* * * * * * *

I got a text message from a co-worker while we were on the way home from TN. 3 people in my department were laid off.

When I got back to work that Monday, I was #4.

I knew things were slow & bad for months. I know that I left on good terms. So I was ready.

When my dad was laid off in 2009, my aunt told him about a school program for Medical Coding & how it is a growing business. He never followed through with it though because he got another job pretty quickly.

So I talked to my aunt to learn more, & I really think I could like it. There is always opportunity in that field to advance as you can complete more & more certifications. Plus a lot of reading & analysis.

I'm in 1 pre-req summer class through JCC, then I'll be in a certification program at U of M October, 2011-May, 2012. Then I'm ready to work at a hospital or doctors office anywhere, plus add credentials to myself by self-studying and testing in different billing specialties.

* * * * * * * *

Meanwhile, Tim couldn't come with us to TN because he is beginning a graphic design job in Traverse City! Tim is moving in ~1 month, & I'll be up there full-time in July when our Adrian lease is over.

God really took care of us by providing a job for Tim as I lost mine, & allowing me to find a growing career (vs. my dead journalism degree & dying mortgage industry/experience). I also am collecting unemployment, which helps fill the gaps in the meantime.

Long awaited (?) update

Some things have been in a current of change in the Chorzempa household. I can't/won't comment on them more than that until anything is finalized.

I believe them all to be good changes to keep us secure in a future. 1 battle I've felt is several negative people lately, but I have to stay true to my path & choices & kill them with kindness.

I have 3 Lia Sophia events this month, & I NEED them to go well :-/ I believe in this so much & our great products & sales, & I have so many things I want to try out, but it's hard to show that to people I guess.

Wish I could give y'all more than that.

Hard Time Right Now

Kelly, that Tater Tot recipe DOES sound really good! I will have to make that.

I'm supposed to have 2 dinner parties this weekend. Gotta clean my house to be sparklie & make it semi-baby proof for 5 kidlets. I know Sunday is on, & I know my sister & other friend are coming Saturday, but I hope the people the dinner is FOR actually come!

....Having a sad & hard time lately. I can't talk too much about it, hard as that is. My job & Tim's small job are really taking a toll.

Jackson Bridal Fair 1/16/11

My 1st LS post!

I had a chance to promote my business & all the benefits brides could have for wedding jewelry by hosting a party. I was really lucky, I know God wants me to succeed with my jewelry because He gave me this chance. Bridal Fairs can be very helpful to us advisors because brides WANT & NEED these types of things (florists, jewelry, etc.). Also, I know I can really relate to these girls because I was in the same boat just 1 year ago. I've wanted to get into a show, but wondered if it was too late.

Monday night, my cousin had the website link posted on her Facebook. I was just looking around, & I saw there were not any jewelry vendors at all; not even fine jewelry stores. I emailed the coordinator, & she emailed me right back on Tuesday, & the rest is history.

I already had a ton of wedding stuff for my display, & I already even knew the perfect Bride bracelet I wanted to raffle off to build my customer list. All I did otherwise was order a case (100) of catalogs & print some party packets. My OCD preparedness paid off!

Helping others for FREE Part 2!!!

Cell phones for soldiers! Recycle & donate your old one.

soldier cell phones



Jackson area prom dresses on 1/29. I'm going to take some of my old dresses & jewelry.

Cit Pat article

On the run

Tim & I both drive an hour to work. & I am learning new cooking skillz all the time. I really want to cook meals at one time for the future. I've seen websites for 1x a month cooking every meal for that whole month. I don't know about THAT, but these are some things I have done in the 2+ months I've been married & commuting.

-I usually get to the grocery store on Sunday's. Last weekend, I did that CVS heist & I went to the local store, & I really liked that. I'm going to keep seeing how I can work on this strategy.

When I go to the store, I always buy 1 dozen eggs. Not that I really cook with them a lot, once in awhile 1 or 2 in a week for...cookies or something. But the directions I use recommend not using fresh eggs (I found it does work better with older eggs, too). So, I buy eggs on Sunday, then hard boil the eggs I have left over from the last week. These are nice snacks for a few days.

I always make sure I have on hand:
-PB&J
-bread
-crescent rolls & mini sausages (<---easy & quick meal we like)
-Summer Sausage (<---during the weekend, I'll cut one up & put the slices into a sandwich baggie in the fridge)
-Bagged up snacks-I have a basket in my kitchen full of mini ziplock baggies. Different snacks all the time, which I may or may not have made myself. Even if I buy cookies or scones, I'll put them in so I can just grab one in the morning instead of wasting time every morning.
-Instant potatoes-I know...not the best. But they're handy if you need them.

Besides the eggs, I try to cook 1 crock pot meal over the weekend, & maybe 1 snack item. Last weekend, I made puppy chow & put it into the mini ziplock baggies. Today, I already made 4 mini ziplock dishes of pudding, & I'm hoping to get some jello going. & I might get more puppy chow supplies tomorrow.

Sometimes in the week when I do cook, I might get 1 or 2 more servings, so those work well for lunches, too. The little steaks I like to buy come in 4 packs, so I'll cook all 4 at once. I just learned 2 chicken recipes we liked, & 1 pan lasted 1 dinner meal & me 2 days of lunch.

Helping others for FREE!!!

#1) Save your tabs from your pop cans & soup cans!

Ronald McDonald House

I worked at one when I went to a conference in Miami during college. The manager there says that the metal in the tab is actually worth more money because the metal is a stronger alloy (to force the can open), & that metal is used in a lot of medical equipment.

#2) Save your old greeting cards!

Info about St. Jude


#3) Box Tops For Education

School

If you type in your zipcode, this website will tell you schools that take them. The schools can use the money for supplies. These are plastered all over many kinds of products!







Are there any others?

CVS Heist #1

Katie The Frugal Lady, a friend from High School, has mastered couponing & also racking up drugstore points & dollars. I still haven't figured out probably 1/2 of her tricks, but it is something I want to concentrate on. So I tried my luck yesterday at CVS. I needed groceries, so I decided to shop for some things at the CVS & shop by their ad, & some other things I just couldn't get there, so I went to my regular small chain grocery store.

CVS sent me an email for $4 CVS Dollars off a $20 purchase. Plus, when I walked into the store, I scanned my card at the reader thingy, & it printed for me $1 coupon. Long story short, I didn't end up getting my $4 off. I thought it was automatic when I used my card, but I guess I needed to show the email. Oops that was my mistake. But I still did REALLY good (I think?)

So here's my loot & totals. Katie, tell me how I did:

Pepsi products were 3, 12 packs for $10. My receipt says I saved $1.66 each. I believe that.

Eggs were $0.99 a dozen. I paid $1.64 for a dozen last week at Walmart. My receipt says I saved $1.30. That seems a little high, but I do know drugstores mark that stuff up higher than grocery stores do.

Bread was $0.99 per loaf. CVS didn't have any!! I wish! I could have saved at least $0.50.

A small-ish bottle of Palmolive dish soap was $0.88. That's better than the dollar store. My receipt says I saved $0.79.

10 sponges were $1. My dollar store only had 6 in a pack.

Then I had my $1 coupon.

I have a couple other items on the receipt that were full price, but I needed (makeup sponges & CVS brand "Magic Erasers"). Since those, plus the $3.60 bottle deposit skew my total, it's hard to tell by looking at the total price I paid out. All in all, I paid out $23.50.

Purpose

I have a BA in English & I work in a mortgage office at a bank.

Even during college, my personal writing REALLY got back burnered & hit hard by my school writing. Then, after I graduated, I wasn't writing in my bank job either.

After spending 2009 & 2010 gearing up for my Lia Sophia business, dating & engage-ing with my long-distance Timmy, planning a wedding, & moving, my writing really suffered.

So this blog is to get me back into practice. Of course, I'm hoping it will spark me to write deeper personal things into my own hand-written journals (yes, old fashioned, I know. But I miss it.)

My life is not an open book. So you won't get anything too gushy on here, or many of my business secrets. I have to protect some privacy & intellectual property. But I'll try to be fun.

So read along as I process mortgage docs, adjust to married life, drive an hour each way to work (gives you a lot of time to think!), sell beautiful jewelry, try to cook, try to save money like my good friend Katie, & try to do the best I can.