Working Woman Wednesday ~ 7/23/2025

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I hope no one is offended by this but I've been feeling like an impostor for the past 2 years.  In fact, this feeling is one of the reasons I haven't been posting much for the past little while.

Let me explain.

For many, many years I was a stay-at-home-wife/mom.  AND I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!

However, about 2 years ago, I started working outside the home for financial reasons, mostly.  Kaylee was married with a home of her own and Laken was well able to care for herself at 16 years old.  The mom-guilt was and is still there to a point but I've tried to make peace with it especially now that Laken is heading off to college in a few short weeks.

I worked full-time and then part-time.  I loved working part-time but it just wasn't feasible for me to continue doing so.  In April I studied for the Pennsylvania Property and Casualty Insurance 

exam and passed!

May 1, 2025 I started my new full-time job working at the front desk of a State Farm Agency.  It is fast paced, challenging and I'm learning something new everyday.

Now, back to the "impostor" comment...

For years and years, I participated in the Happy Homemaker Monday linkup hosted by Sandra at Diary of a SAHM. (Thank you, Sandra, from the bottom of my heart!)  And while I know in my heart that I'm still a homemaker, I depend on the hubby and others in the family for quite a bit more of the homemaking tasks than I used to.

So, I've decided to revamp my homemaker post into a Working Woman Wednesday post.  I hope this inspires me (and others) to know that it's OK to work outside the home, be a mom and a wife and still have interests of my own.

 I'd love to hear your thoughts on the topic but please be kind.

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Last Weekend:

On Saturday, we went shopping to look for dorm bedding.  The bed is a Twin XL and Laken's color theme is light blue, white and pink.  That made for quite the scavenger hunt!  We ended up finding a set of sheets at Target that are white with blue roses that she liked.  As for the ALL white comforter, we ordered it on Amazon with a delivery date that is way too close to move-in day for my comfort!

Sunday was spent at Church and at home getting some things done around the house.  I desperately needed to get the clean clothes put away in my closet.  I've been making piles in front of the closet and I couldn't stand it anymore!

This Week's Notables:

~Working Monday-Friday 9a-5p

~Laken has an eye appointment Wednesday.

~Call in refills on prescriptions (priority)

~Make the hubby an appointment for his yearly checkup that he missed in March.

In the Kitchen:

~Now that we've discovered that Laken has a gluten intolerance, we have to be a lot more cognizant of our cooking ingredients.  Thankfully, there are a lot of gluten free options at the store.  It also helps that Laken LOVES fruits and veggies (especially broccoli:  whose kid is she anyway????)  So while the grocery bill is a bit higher ( those gluten free items aren't cheap), we're coping and hopefully learning to thrive!

In the Craft Basket:

I've actually picked my crochet hook back up and have been working on a throw pillow for Laken dorm room.  Her theme (for the time being) is pink and blue.  She saw a throw pillow in the background of a show with Granny squares (my specialty!) and asked if I would make her a version of the pillow.  I've almost completed one side of the pillow and have started the squares for the second side.

Currently reading:

I started reading "Line of Fire" by Taylor S. Newport Friday evening during Reading Sprints hosted by Katie at Paperbacks and Ponytails on YouTube.  Katie actually recommended this book to me and I was excited to find that it is on Kindle Unlimited.  I downloaded it immediately after reading the blurb.  I'm hoping to actually take time each day to read at least 1 chapter.

On the TV:

The Amateur (movie on Disney+/Hulu)

Picture(s) from the Camera

This is Ellie.  I can't remember if I introduced you to our newest family member or not!  She's a spit-fire and likes to bite toes!  I have to keep my feet under the covers at night or I get a very rude awakening :)

Weekend Plans:

~Spend the entire Saturday at home (remains to be seen!)

~Housework

~Paint the deck and my porch swing if the weather cooperates

~Declutter the "abyss" (storage closet) if the weather doesn't cooperate

~Finish cleaning off my desk area

~Hymn sing Sunday night at Church

I hope you're having a great week!  Please let me know if you can think of anything else I can add to this, hopefully, weekly post :)

Blessings,

Colletta

Happy Homemaker ~ 4/22/2025

Hosted by Diary of a SAHM.

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I hope everyone has a blessed Easter spent remembering our LORD and SAVIOR'S death, burial and resurrection.

I kinda fell off the face of blog-land for a few weeks.  I've been very preoccupied and overwhelmed with a secret "project" that I've been working on but I can now share that:

I PASSED the Pennsylvania Property & Casualty Insurance Licensing Exam!!!

The hubby and I traveled to Harrisburg Monday so that I could take my exam.  I was so nervous!!!!  I studied the material and took practice quizzes for weeks but still was unsure of what the final outcome would be.  I prayed so hard the whole time I took the test.

The wording was different on the exam than was in my online course, so I made many educated "guesses".  I might not have gotten the high score I wanted but I was over the minimum score of 70% and that is all that matters.  It was either PASS or FAIL.  Whew!  Huge sigh of relief!

I start my new job at State Farm on May 1st so I have just over a week to get things situated at home and work on a routine.  I will be working full-time.  In fact, it is an actual 9-5 job.

Now on with the post!

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The weather outside is:

We had a nasty storm Saturday night that knocked the electric out for a lot of people in my area.  Thankfully, we didn't lose our electricity at home.

This next week looks very nice with some great temperatures.  I'm going to enjoy my swing as much as possible.

On the to-do list:

It is 8:17pm when I am typing this post so not much else on the to-do list for today.  I might try to work on writing down what I want my weekly routine to look like so that I can start getting into some good habits.

Happening this week:

~I have to go to our local library to get my fingerprints done for my licensing application tomorrow.

~The hubby has a dentist appointment and Laken has an eye appointment on Thursday.

~Laundry, groceries and cleaning on Friday

~A few of the ladies from Church and I are going to a Ladies Spring Luncheon on Saturday at a Church about 2 hours from here.  I volunteered to drive even though I've never been there before.  I really don't mind driving new places as long as I have my Google Maps!

Currently reading:

I'm getting ready to listen to "Fragile Designs" by Colleen Coble.  It is the April selection of the Good for the Soul Women's Book Club.  I'm a little late to the party but hopefully I can get it finished before the Zoom Book Club Meeting.

Listening to:

Right now I'm listening to the hubby watch an action movie in the Family Room.  I usually have music playing in the background but didn't even turn it on yet tonight.

Watching:

The only show I've really been watching is Farmer Wants a Wife Season 3.  Anybody else watching it?  If so, what are your thoughts?  I've been making the hubby watch it with me so I have someone to talk to about it :)

In the Kitchen:

We've been experimenting with Gluten Free foods.  I'm surprised at the variety of Gluten Free options there are at the market but also a bit shocked at the prices!  I'd love any input from fellow Gluten Free eaters/cookers/bakers.

In the Craft Basket:

Nothing.  A big, fat nothing.  I've been so busy, overwhelmed and preoccupied with my studies that I haven't even picked up anything that looks crafty.  

Picture(s) from the Camera

No new pictures recently.

Prayer Requests

~Laken's health and school.  She has a little over a month left of her senior year.  I pray that she can finish strong!

~My Dad has to have a heart valve replacement.  I would appreciate your prayers that they can replace the valve using the minimally invasive procedure and that they won't have to do open heart surgery. (continued)

~My new job and routine.

~As always, prayers for the safety and well-being of all school/college kids.  (continued)

~Our Country, our Leaders.  (continued)

Bible Verse

"He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said."

Matthew 28:6a

Have a great week!

Colletta