Josh and I will hopefully get to take a vacation at the same time before Christmas. It seemed to be the least busiest time of year and I figure work won’t miss me too much then. Apparently the week I return will have little to no one at work. I think we’ll be down to four or five in my office. Skeleton crew, that’s more like a side of ribs.

We’ve had some progress in the kitty world. Sawyer is quite brave now. She’s coming up to us and meowing. She’s not running away from us when we come near. Spot managed to sleep on our desks this evening for a bit. I’m not sure if he was trying to get a little closer to the evil princess or now but he was there even after she left.

Speaking of the evil princess. She is getting on in her age. I know it will be rough for me when she passes. She may be evil, but she is my evil little princess. Her asthma still bothers her, especially in the summer. We’ve been trying to manage it but she hates pills and will maul you if you try to go near her face without food or dairy based liquid.

Oh man. Speaking of dairy. I have some low sugar ice cream bars in the fridge. I should go get one! They are really good. I think they are made by Blue Bunny.

As I had planned earlier, I’ve been couponing for work stuff. I am gathering goods food drives and for toy drives. With coupons, I’ve managed to get five Santa Mr. Potato Heads at 0.99 USD each. I scored some stuffed bears for $1 each and some games for under $5. I’m still acquiring toys but I am trying to stretch the dollars and get more for the same amount I typically spend. So far I’m doing awesome. I will try to remember to take a picture. I’ve got goods for three drives.

I am also thinking of making some things for the toy drives. I have tons of fabric scraps and I might be able to make some toys for smaller children. Dolls, fabric shapes? There are plenty of free patterns out there. I think it is just going to be a time issue for me. I have freelance work to get done, regular work and a husband that I like to see. Perhaps a work lunch project. Maybe.

Hello my lovelies!

I’ve been actively researching grants. Whoa is me there aren’t any for the. I’m specifically looking for grant money to send me to various web/technology conferences and workshops or training. Ideally I’d love to go to SXSW but alas it isn’t happening. Work can’t send me because well, budget cuts! I peeked around at federal grants but honestly grants aren’t my area of expertise. If you know of any grants and are willing to pass along the info, help a sistah’ out! We are also delving into the world of social media as well as exploring other technologies, so it would be nice to talk to others who have felt my pain.

In other news, I’m researching button makers. Partly for work and partly for personal reasons. I have taken on many hats in my job and well, a button maker seems logical.

I’ve pretty much sucked at crafting this holiday. It feels like I am working non-stop. I have my job, my freelance and then work around the house. The yard work is never ending, though there is a giant 15 foot area cleared in my front yard. Crazy. Josh went a little wild with the cutting. Not that I’m complaining, it just makes me laugh.

Word just came down to me that the plan is to have the shed finished by February. I was hoping to have it done my Christmas but I’ll take February just the same.

Finally, I shall leave you with a new video from Mumford and Sons. If you’ve known me long enough you’ll probably remember that I have never had a true favorite genre of music, but I do like these guys. I think what draws me to it is the emotion in the songs.  Enjoy.

I’m working on a freelance gig that has been doing a lot of research. I’m trying to make it as easy as possible to use. I’ve been given some specific requests but basically allowed to use whatever I need to, to get it done. I was given some websites containing aspects of what was desired and after exploring options, I’m finding a lot of sites using wordpress linked with external sites. Fun!

I’m also trying to find ways to fund work related training, workshops, conferences etc.  In the time of budget cuts, training seems to be one of the things that gets trimmed first. It sucks, but it’s reality. So, I’ve been actively looking into free or low-cost avenues (and grants too). YouTube is of course a good resource, but sometimes you need to talk to people face to face. If you’ve got any ideas for web development, design , social media or video, shoot me a comment! I know I’m not the only one out there.

I’m a bad bad blogger. Heck, I haven’t been tweeting much either. I need to start a routine and maybe I will start again. I haven’t had a routine in a long time.  Let’s just blame it on me having cable, OK?

Hrm. I should go. Josh is getting frustrated with the evil princess walking in front of his screen as much as I get frustrated with her sitting on my keyboard.