Is going after your dream responsible???

I've always been a very responsible person. Even as a young child I was a very responsible person. I did what I was told and what was expected of me by my parents. With my friends in high school, college and after college, I was always the designated driver because I was responsible enough not to drink so that everyone got home safely. At work, I'm the one that has the instincts and forethought to make sure everything is done the way it needs to be done. And because I'm the responsible one and people know this, it is expected that I will be responsible. I am so responsible that I'm in a dead end job and I come to work everyday and give it 100% (ok maybe 80%). Do you know how tiring it is to be physically and mentally stuck in a place with no possibility of advancement and no way out?!?!?!

On Saturday I worked a museum event and I was on my feet for almost 5 hours and I did manual labor. I restocked the beer and wine; I refilled the water pitchers; I moved tables and chairs. And it felt good - to actually work - to actually use my mind and body to earn my money - instead of sitting at desk all day and staring at a computer screen or talking on the phone.

A few years ago I was up against the wall with nowhere to go and I decided to pursue a teaching career. I studied and took the Praxis and I passed the test. I applied for the Non-traditional Teacher License program and on the same day, the director of the museum resigned and I was appointed interim director. I had a lot of internal conversations with myself and external conversations with my husband and my close friends about moving forward with the teaching thing or staying at  the museum. I decided to stay at the museum because it was more money and an opportunity to hone my director skills.

During the 10 months that I was interim director, I thought a lot about what I would want to do if I didn't work for a museum. Museum work is very specialized and there isn't much turn over - especially at my level. So to get out I would need to be creative. I dreamed of having a small retail store. I had dreamed for many years of taking over a small dance supply store where I used to work, but the business closed before I was in a position to explore that option. I love dance and I love to be around dancers. But I also love yarn and love to be around yarn. Maybe a yarn shop?!?!?!

So my question is -- is quitting my stable, well-paying job to follow my dream and own a yarn shop irresponsible???

I have a husband and a small child and this decision would involve a change in the way we live. I would have to draw a salary from the shop (no matter what I sold) because we have to have 2 salaries. So I realize that I would bring home less and my hours would no longer be office hours (although I'm at the museum at least one Saturday every 7 weeks and we have lots of nights and evening events). I know the committment is more than just the hours that the shop is open but as a responsible person, is this what I'm looking for??? Something to call my own and be responsible for??? I want to love what I do everyday. I want to get up in the morning and be excited to go to work. I want to be passionate about what I do. I want to be creative.

Kitchen Remodel 2

Here are more pictures from our kitchen remodel.

After the plumber and electrician were done, we could insulate the exterior walls. Yes, our wonderful 1950s ranch had not insulation in the exterior walls.

Then the next week my father-in-law returned to sheetrock the room.

After the walls were taped and the wall mud was applied, my wonderful husband was responsible for sanding the joints and applying more mud were needed. Here he is after the first sanding...

Then the walls were primed and cement board was put down. The big brown puddle in the middle of the floor is leveling compound. The beer box is covering the HVAC register in the floor.

Now for the wall color debate. I like the dark color and husband and father in law like the lighter color. I wonder who will win.

The tile floor is going down this weekend. It has been a bear and hopefully today will go much better than yesterday. Pray for my father-in-law who is a saint to do all this for us (well, let's admit it - it is really for me!)

Kitchen Remodel

I apologize for not putting more photos of the kitchen remodel up until now. The last time I blogged about it was January 23rd and we had just started. Well, we have come a long way...


I will pick up from where we left off.

New plumbing and electrical

It may be hard to tell from the picture above but the white PVC pipe is our new drain lines for the kitchen and the new copper pipe are the new water pipes for the sink. This picture also shows the new yellow electrical wire and the new electrical boxes. We are going from one usable outlet for small appliances to 7 new outlets all over the kitchen!!! We have learned a lot about the new way of doing plumbing and electrical. We will have a drain for each side of the sink instead of two drains coming into a P-trap. Also our appliances that need electricity are not hard wired anymore but they are a plug just like the refrigerator. 

New light switch for dining room and outside light.

And maybe the best thing is that the dining room light is now actually in the dining room. Before we had 4 light switches in a very odd configuration on the kitchen wall.

I will post more of our progress the weekend.

Is Yarn Really Cheaper on the Internet???

The question all knitters struggle with - is yarn really less expensive on the internet???

So I'm starting an little experiment. As I work on different project, I'm going to do a price comparison between my LYS and several popular online yarn shops. Here are the rules - it has a be an exact comparison - Berroco Vintage from the LYS up against Berroco Vintage online. Maybe later I will get into the debate about LYS versus big box stores.

So here goes. I knitted this sweater, Huron by Jared Flood, for myself. I used Berroco Vintage instead of the Classic Elite Portland Tweed that the pattern called for.

I purchase (5) skeins of Vintage at my LYS for $6.50 a skein for a total of $32.50.

On Webs Vintage sales for $6.50 per skein and it is the same at Jimmy Bean Wool Online.

Webs shipping fee is $6.25 and Webs only has free shipping on large items like looms, etc.

You have to spend over $49 to get free shipping from Jimmy Bean Wool Online so with the $4.00, you will still pay more ordering online than driving to your LYS and touching and feeling the yarn before you buy it.

So support your LYS - they are not more expensive on Berroco Vintage then the online dealers.

OWN

Oprah has done it again!

I stopped watching The Oprah Winfrey Show about 10 years ago. She just lost my attention and I thought that she was getting kind of weird. I was so young and I wasn't searching for the meaning of my life. I wasn't having a middle life crisis so she lost me.

But I'm hooked on OWN! I love the Behind the Scenes show and the show with organizational guru Peter Welch is much better than Clean House and Hoarders combined.

If you too gave up on Oprah, give her another chance with OWN!