Awe-Inspiring August - 2018 #AugustBreak Five things about me

Well, I'm not really sure that these five things are truly Awe-Inspiring but that's the theme I've got going on this month so we'll just have to pretend.

August Break prompt for yesterday was 5 things about me.  I started the post but then got busy working and had to take the hubs to the doctors so I never got to finish it.  (He is fine btw).  In any event, I'm sure you'd like to know five things about me so here goes:


1.  I love scarves/shawls and have a bunch of them!

Maybe I use them to hide behind?  (See #5).  I love the colors and they really come in handy when we go places and I can use them to cover my shoulders when it gets cold or my head if it starts to rain (I hate umbrellas).  After taking these pictures I can see I really need to sort through them again.  I used to have them all neatly arranged in color scheme. 


2.  I've ridden a helicopter into the Grand Canyon and had a picnic lunch on the ledge.

Spur of the moment decision to do this and I am SO glad we did.  It was a wonderful experience.  We have read about crashes during this tour but our pilot was great and I was never afraid.  

3.  I've lived in the San Francisco Bay Area my entire life and have driven over the Golden Gate Bridge a lot but I never walked across until my 60th birthday.  Then my family and some friends helped me celebrate and walked with me.  

It was a great day, not too cold but not too hot.  Even my 90-year-old mom came with us.  I'd like to do it again sometime for sure.  It reminded me that there are other sites around San Francisco that I'd like to see, like taking a tour of Alcatraz.  Such fun things so close to home!

4.  In 2006 we started going to concerts on a regular basis and since then we have been to 96 shows.  Some were comedians like Ron White and Jeff Dunham or plays like Jersey Boys, Rock of Ages and Rain but I'm counting them anyway.  Counting the 3 we went to in the beginning of our relationship, that makes 99!  I am making scrapbooks about them.  I showed some of the pages two years ago when I did the A to Z challenge about that subject.   

Last year we went to 13 events! We saw 18 different bands and 1 comedian (Michael Carbanaro - heard of the Carbanaro effect?  He's a magician).  This year we are cutting way back and only have 7 shows.  Tonight is our first one at The Mountain Winery in Saratoga where we will see Rick Springfield, Greg Kihn, Loverboy and Tommy Tutone. 

5.  I am an INFJ but didn't know what that was or that I was one until a few years ago.  I just thought I was shy.  I was in one of the groups like the August Break and everyone was talking about the Myers-Briggs personality test so I took it to see what all the hoopla was about.  

Our daughter (the one who just got the Psych Degree) says that this test really doesn't mean anything since it is all in the way you answer the questions and that you can manipulate the answers any way you want.  I took the test three different times over a period of several months and got the same answer all three times.

Interestingly, we got a new car and the license plate starts with 7NFJ!  It must be true if the DMV knows it :)    

That's 5 things about me.  Learn anything new?  Share something about you!  Play along with #Theaugustbreak2018  

December Reflections - 2017 - Five things about me

Today's prompt is 5 Things About Me...

I'm not really one to talk too much about myself actually, but here goes...

1983 - Before Surgery

1986 - After surgery and braces

1.  I had major surgery in my early thirties that changed the shape of my face because I was having TMJ joint issues.  Because of that surgery I now have a chin, but I also have lost some of the feeling in that chin, to the point that I can't always tell if I spill something while eating or drinking.  I had my mouth wired shut for six weeks and during that time I had to eat liquid foods only, first through a syringe with a long tube that I pushed along the inside of my mouth and down to the back of my throat.  Eventually I was able to use a straw.  I'll never forget the time I had been practicing all day and when my husband came home from work I was so excited to show him my accomplishment.  I said, "Look what I can do" and proceeded to drink through a straw.  He started laughing and said, "Very good honey" and took out his handkerchief to wipe all the dribble off my chin.  He loves me.  I also still have some of the wires in my jaw and you can feel them if you rub along my jawline.

1986 - After surgery and braces

1983 - Before surgery

2.  I am, according to the Myers-Briggs scale, an INFJ (although my psychology major daughter says that it is a less than a perfect test).  I didn't know what an INFJ was until a few years ago but it perfectly fits this "I don't like big parties and would rather sit home with a good book" woman.  I mean, I'll go to parties but I am more comfortable with smaller groups of people I know well.

3.  I have three sisters and all our names begin with the letter "J."  I wrote about that last year in the A to Z Challenge as my letter "Q" for quartet.

4.  I love the beach but don't get there nearly as often as I could.  It seems so far away but is only 20 minutes, max.

5.  I've lived near San Francisco all my life and only walked across the Golden Gate Bridge once, for my 60th birthday.  It was fun and I'd like to make time to do it again, as well as go to Alcatraz Island and see other San Francisco sites.  We have a Big City Hunt tour we can take too.

That's five things about me.  Want to share some things about you?  

December Reflections - 2019

So there are days when I have lots of time and days when I have none.  While I love the freedom that working from home has given me all these years, I think it's time I try to figure out some sort of routine.  That's one of my goals for next year.  I'll be making my vision cards soon so I'm gathering bits and pieces to do that.  Blog post about that coming. 

For now, we have a few days of the Reflections that I have only posted on Instagram and I'll share them here. 

Day 10 - Gold  - Some little ornaments I have hanging in the studio. 

Day 11 - 10 years ago.  This showed up in my newsfeed for that day.  I don't remember anything specific that happened on December 11 but I do know that 10 years ago is when my husband hurt his back at work and our lives have not been the same since. 





Day 12 - Made me laugh. - interestingly, I have nothing for this.  Do I not laugh enough? 

Day 13 - 5 things about me.

I always find it hard to think about different things about myself.  For this I said:  1)   I have 3 sisters and all of our names start with the letter "J."   2)   I've been to Alaska and seen the "North Pole."   3)   I love Koala bears but owls are starting to capture my attention.   4)   I've lived in 7 places but they are all within a 5 mile radius of each other.    5)  I love blackberry or boysenberry pie better than chocolate. 

If you are really interested, you can see five more things about me here.








Day 14 - Floral - Have to admit, I just added this one today!  One of the pictures I colored earlier this year. 









Day 15 - Best decision of 2019.  Deciding to try different types of transcription instead of just medical.  It has been interesting and will be of financial help as well.  Never too late to teach an old dog...

Day 16 - Hot  - Struggling with this one as it is definitely NOT hot here but "cold" is coming up later in the month so I guess I'll use these:

And that time we had an explosion:

I may come up with something else for hot later in the day but I wanna get this out for now.  How's your December going? 

December Reflections - 2016

December 7 - Five things about me:

I've done these a few times so most people know the usual things (married 32+ years, three children, work for myself, blah, blah, blah), so here are 5 "new" things.

1)  I am determined to lose more weight in 2017.  I am down 24.6 pounds from my all-time high.  I still have a way to go.  Hungry Girl is my best friend right now.  I've told my husband that he has to cook his own meals or eat what I eat.  It is working.

2)  I hate exercising (which makes #1 a little harder) but I have been doing planks almost nightly and I can do an elbow plank for 2 minutes and a full arm plank for 3-1/2 minutes.  My stomach is getting flatter but my arms are killing me :)  At least I don't have to leave the house to go to a gym and get all sweaty.

3)  I am a craft addict.  Mostly scrapbooking and paper crafting, mini-albums, cards, things like that; but, I also do some crocheting and I have done embroidery in the past as well.  I have WAY too much stuff, but I get such joy out of making things for people and I can't look at hardly anything without trying to figure out how I can use it craft-wise.

These cardboard inserts scream mini-albums to me.

4)  I am an introvert (INFJ in the Myers-Briggs world), which I just realized this year.  It explains so much, like why I have more on-line friends than real ones (not really, but my close real friends are cherished and few).  I am married to a definite extrovert (he talks to EVERYBODY, whether they want him to or not).  It is just one of the things that makes our relationship so interesting :)

5)  I never lie.  Sometimes I may not tell the whole story, but if you ask me a direct question, I'll have to tell you the truth.

There's my five things.  Want to tell me five about you?  Love to find out!

August Break - 2019 - 5 Things About Me

I've done posts about myself before so I'm trying to think of new things, or at least a new way of looking at them.  Working from the top left down: 

1) I am a hopeless romantic and believe in knights in shining armor, BUT, I also believe that I can be Queen and not just a princess waiting for rescue.

2)  I've had the "Bill Loves Jan" sign for over 30 years and it sticks on the dashboard of all my cars.

3) We went on a helicopter ride and had a picnic overlooking the Grand Canyon for our anniversary a few years ago.  We stayed in the Excalibur Hotel which looks like a castle (see #1).

4)  I am a creator and absolutely love working in my new backyard studio.

5) I am a Pisces and I love the ocean.  I don't get there as much as I'd like and that has to change. 

For last year's list you can look here.   Lots of links in this one to keep you entertained.  I'd love to hear 5 things about you!  

Just Jot January – 2022

So I haven’t been exactly following all the prompts in the #JustJoJan series this year. I hope you are understanding. (Thanks Kim).

I am choosing to write about the vision cards I made for this year. My main themes are the same as last year but I’ve used some different wording and the pictures are different.

Miles Mansion

Connection

The Studio

Healthy Me

Discovery and Adventure

Prosperity

I really love putting together these cards and going through the magazines and pulling the pictures that speak to me about each area. On the back I have written some of the things I’d like to accomplish this year and by doing so it gives me some direction but also takes the pressure off around the whole “resolutions” thing that happens every January. If I make a list of 5 or 10 things on each card and I get 3 or more done then I consider it a win. When I look at them again in June as I do, if there are some areas that have not gotten as much attention, I know what to focus on for the next six months.

Some folks have more focus areas but I think these about cover most of my everyday life so that’s what I’ve been using. I think I’ve been making these for almost 10 years now and I first got the idea from Jamie Ridler, who is a really great guide for helping you get in touch with yourself and what you want to make with your life. She is also the creator of the Studio Yearbook that I use each season. We are in the Winter one now and it is very helpful for transitioning from one year to the next.

Obviously I am not a great artist, but having the “image” section nudges me to give it a shot. Looking at that, I can clearly remember the night I watched “The Birds” in the studio while I was creating. Similarly, I don’t fill in every box every day, sometimes just choosing a picture like the one of our family Christmas to show what was happening on that day. Still can’t believe that less than a month after that picture was taken mom is gone. Yet I clearly remember that this was the best picture that we took that day because my son said something that made us all smile. Can’t even remember what it was now but we definitely all look happy. Around the circle in the “You” page I wrote a bunch of questions that start with “Tell me why…” like, Tell me why not? Tell me why it’s hard? Tell me why you don’t? Tell me why you feel it.” Etc. I know that kind of stuff is not for everyone but I think it helps me remain grounded and purposeful with the things that I do. We only have one life and I’d like to live the best one I can.

How about you guys? Do you think something like vision cards are easier than making resolutions? Like to collage and play with crayons? Think it’s all a bunch of hokey? Tell me why!

from WordPress https://scr4pl80.com/2022/01/27/just-jot-january-2022-11/

July in Janetville - Channeling Sherlock Holmes

As you may be aware if you've read any of my recent posts (please tell me you read my posts), I am a fan of Sherlock Holmes and all things detective.  I just had to have the newest Graphic 45 paper called Master Detective:

I plan on using it for the pages I do from our Big City Hunt in May.  Perfect, don't you think?

I've also been looking for a way to make some extra money because business is slow lately and I came across a description for the smartphone app Mobee, "Make Money Mystery Shopping."  Years ago (like 35 years!) I was a mystery shopper at Mervyn's Department store.  It was a lot of fun.  I was given some money up front and I had to go in the store and buy certain things in certain departments at different times of the day.  I had to return some things too and then I had to write a report about it.  I remember that when it was over, I bought a trenchcoat with the money I made!

With Mobee, you are given a mission inside a store and you use your cell phone to take pictures and answer questions.  You are instructed not to take photos of any employees and NOT to mention Mobee!  (Mission Impossible??  "As always, should you or any of your I.M. Force be caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions. This tape/disc will self-destruct in five/ten seconds. Good luck")!

Sounded like fun to me (and I'm pretty sure they can't self-destruct my phone) so I downloaded the app.  There were a couple of "missions" at Target and Best Buy close to my house so I decided to take a stab at it and see how hard/easy it was going to be.

Not exactly a deerstalker but close enough :)

The first one I tried was at a Target Store.  I opened the mission and was instructed to find the "GoPro" display in the store.  Once there, I was asked a series of questions about the display, what was on the display, if there was a light on inside the display and then I had to take some pictures of the display.  All of this is done right in the app so it gets sent in automatically.  One of the questions was about a BLUE tag somewhere on the display.  I did not see a BLUE tag but there was a YELLOW one there so I took a picture of that, thinking perhaps Target put the wrong color tag on it.  Maybe I'd get extra points for finding a mistake!  There were about 30 questions in total and I had to take about 5 or 6 pictures, all the while watching to make sure there wasn't anybody "following" me or getting in the way of my picture taking (which was tricky since Target can get crowded and it was next to the toy aisle!)  While in that department I found a small tripod that I had been looking for to use on my table so that I can start attempting some videos.  (Maybe that's the deal the stores have with Mobee, to get you to buy stuff - because I'm pretty sure I spent more than the 150 points I was getting for doing the mission - LOL).  I answered all the questions, took the pictures and submitted the results.  It wasn't too bad and I kind of had fun sleuthing.

Feeling confident, I went to the app and saw that there was a similar mission at the Best Buy down the road so I decided to give it another go.

Again I was to find the GoPro display and take pictures and answer questions about how the display was set up.  This time there was a BLUE tag on the display and so I took a picture of that.  The whole thing went a lot faster this time since I knew what the questions were going to be and there were a lot fewer people around so I was able to complete the whole thing in under 10 minutes - and I didn't buy anything - so there!

When I got back to the car I already had an email about the first mission I had done, saying there was a problem.  Apparently it was rejected because I did not take a picture of the BLUE tag, but took a YELLOW one instead.  I sent them an email back explaining that there was no blue tag and I thought Target had made a substitution.  Since it was the weekend, they said they would take it into consideration and get back to me.  Subsequently, I got notified that they were still refusing it, so lesson learned.  Don't submit anything that is not called for!

  Of course there are not always missions around your area, but I have noticed there are generally a new batch every Sunday.  I just wish they would give you a little more information about the job before you start it.  There was one called a "Just Let It Bee" mission at a Home Depot.   The app doesn't tell you anything until you are at the location so I went there to see what it was about.  In this case I was to find a store employee and ask him about some kind of air conditioning unit or something.  I was to say I was doing some home remodeling and was interested in a particular brand and hear what they had to say about it.  I decided not to try that one because I'm a bit introverted and asking questions about air conditioning units is not in my comfort zone.  Perhaps if it had been about scrapbooking, I might have tried it!  Also, there were no extra points for talking to employees and that seemed like a harder job than just taking pictures and answering questions about store displays.  Fortunately the Home Depot was not too far away so I didn't waste too much time on it.

As of right now I have 475 points with 175 points pending for the job I did today.  You get extra points for going to places for the first time and for other achievements, like 750 points for completing 15 missions at Best Buy or 20 missions at Target.  You redeem your points for gift cards or, if you are so inclined, you can use the points to donate to different charities.

While I'm pretty sure I won't make a million dollars doing this, it is fun and gift cards to Barnes & Nobel or Amazon, etc. are nice rewards.  I also noticed there are a couple of other similar phone apps so I'm going to do some more investigating and check them out.  I'll let you know if I come across anything interesting.

How about you?  Ever been a mystery shopper?  Like detective work?  Need to make some extra cash?  If you decide you want to try Mobee yourself, use the referral code HSPW and we'll both get some extra points!