Working Woman Wednesday ~ Changes ~ 8/20/2025

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Life changes are happening around here!  Again!

We moved Laken into her University dorm room last Thursday and I'm still adjusting to that BIG change.  

Also, life in the insurance world just wasn't for me.  I prayed about making a change and after much consideration, I applied for a Teacher Assistant job with our local Head Start Program.  I prayed and prayed for the LORD to open the door if it is where He wants me.  The day after I interviewed, I was offered one of the open positions!

I went in today to fill out paperwork and take my drug test.  Now I'm just awaiting my orientation to be scheduled and then I can get started in the classroom.  I'm very excited about this position and am praying that it helps give me focus and purpose now that my girls are out of the "nest".

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Last Weekend:

So I'll start with last Thursday since it was a BIG day:  As mentioned above, Laken moved into her dorm at the University.  We got to bed late Wednesday night after a full day of packing and got up at 5am Thursday morning to load up the car and make the trip for move-in.  Her move-in slot was scheduled for 8:30am-10:30am.  The drive is a little less than 2 hours but we weren't certain how traffic would be.

We picked Nate up at his apartment which is only about 10 minutes from Laken's dorm and then drove to the drop-off line.  I was impressed by how smoothly everything went.  We had just about everything unpacked and situated within the allotted time.  We had some shopping to do at Target, Wal-Mart and HomeGoods and topped it off with a stop by the good old Dollar Tree :)

We grabbed a late lunch and then dropped everything, including Laken, back off at the dorm.  It was time to say our good-bye and I love you.  I held it together for the most part until after we dropped Nate back at his apartment.  On the way home, I cried and bemoaned the fact that my purpose in life had just shifted in a major way.  

It was also Kaylee and Shawn's 4th Wedding Anniversary!  Happy Anniversary!

Friday:  more crying and wondering what my purpose and existence was now.  I decided to give myself one day to feel all the feelings and then it would be time to move on with life.

Saturday:  We ended up making a trip back to Laken's dorm to drop off a few items that she forgot and also two packages that had a late delivery.  We took Laken and Nate to lunch and headed home.

Sunday:  After Church, I took a long nap.  It had been an exhausting few days.

This Week's Notables:

~New hire paperwork with Head Start Program

~The Steelers have a preseason game on Thursday night

~My cousin's little boy, Damon, has his first tackle football scrimmage Saturday morning that I'd like to go to watch.

~Sunday afternoon is a Church Picnic.

In the Kitchen:

~I was asked to bring a dessert to the annual Angel Program Picnic.  I decided to go with something quick and easy so I made Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies.  Delicious!

~This evening when I made dinner I got a bit nostalgic for the days when my girls were little and I would make their favorite meals.  I think I'm going to have moments like this for a while...

In the Craft Basket:

I finished the throw pillow for Laken dorm bed in plenty of time.

Now I'm working on crocheting myself a tote bag.  I'll try to add some pictures next time.

Currently reading:

I decided to give up Kindle Unlimited and instead get a library card.  I put myself on the wait-list for "Tea With Elephants" by Robin Jones Gunn and my turn came up!  I've loved everything I've read by Robin but especially her "Sisterchicks" series.  This series is the "Suitcase Sisters" and I have VERY high hopes for it.  I'm 100 pages in and am LOVING it so far.  I dare say that I might even be able to post a Book Review sometime soon.  They've been few and far between this year.

On the TV:

I watched the Providence Falls series on Hallmark over the past 3 weeks.  Also, some Steeler preseason games :)

Picture(s) from the Camera

Weekend Plans:

~Damon's football scrimmage

~Clean

~Laundry

~Church Picnic

I hope you're having a great week!

Blessings,

Colletta

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