NotScarlett

Funny how it all works out....

Not working has been a trial for me mentally. I've been employed in some fashion or another since I was 15, and if you count babysitting, 12. It's been difficult for me to be home so much, to not be working and not having an income of my own. I'm very lucky to have a wonderful partner who has supported our household financially through this time, as well as been my emotional rock. Things could definitely be much worse, especially when I consider that they aren't bad for us at all financially. The worst part of the entire situation has been my emotional reaction to staying home.

I'm not a stay at home mom, so I don't have a child or children to focus on. Sampson is a great companion, but I think even he is sick of me being here all the time. As I mentioned in my last post, there is only so much cleaning one person can do. There have been some really bad days over the past few months where I've felt pretty hopeless, wondering if I'll ever find a job in this crappy economy, in a town where it's hard enough to find a job when the country isn't facing huge economic issues. What would I do if I wasn't working? What would people think of me? For reasons I won't get into on this blog, I'm unable to go back to school as I had planned/wanted until some more time has gone by, so I've been feeling really lost.

Something wonderful has come out of what my mom refers to as my  forced life of leisure. I came to realize that I was placing way too much value on whether or not I was working. As B so brilliantly pointed out, my employment status has no bearing on who I am as a person. It doesn't define me, it doesn't make me good or evil, it doesn't tell the world anything about who I truly am. It should not impact the way I view myself nearly as much as it did. Realizing this took away a lot of my guilt about not working, and really allowed me to embrace this time off as a time to focus on myself as a person, rather than Sarah the Worker Bee.

I still have rough days where I beat myself up from time to time, but overall? I can honestly say I like myself a lot more today than I did when I was gainfully employed at my last job, where the work environment had turned me into a version of Sarah that I really did not like. I've found a level of happiness I didn't think I could have in a situation like this. I've learned to be more financially responsible. I've learned to listen to my inner voice that tells me to try things I've always wanted to try, I've paid more attention to my intuition, I've rekindled friendships that had fallen by the wayside because I was "too busy" while working. I feel refreshed and renewed. I've developed a different outlook on life. My self-esteem is moving away from being centered on who I work for and what I do to being based on who I am.

I'm planning to carry my new outlook and this spirit of renewal into my next adventure. Wouldn't you know it, as soon as I let go of all my negative feelings about myself and realized I am more than a paycheck, I was offered a job with an organization I've been admiring from afar for quite some time. I'll be doing work to support values I truly believe in, and I'll have the privilege of working with a dear friend of mine. As hokey as I think it sounds, it is true...you get what you put out into the universe. Negativity brings negativity. If you want to change your life, change your focus, and put joy and positivity into all you do.

Socks Ravelled here.

Pattern: Spring Forward by Linda Welch, from Knitty.com, Summer 2008
Yarn: Great Adirondack Soxie in Rosewood
Needles: US size 1.5

Nothing to see here....

As much as I'd like to tell you I haven't been blogging because I've been too busy knitting, that would not be true.

I have no reason for not posting other than there hasn't been too much to post about; my unemployment is stretching into an unending series of days filled with cooking, cleaning, and playing on Flickr & Twitter. I'm starting to go a bit stir crazy with the lack of activity. Sometimes, in between my compulsive baseboard dusting and my cooking experiments, I actually do knit. In fact, I've got a few FO's to show you this week, the first being a cozy pair of socks.

I can usually squeeze a pair of socks for my US size 7.5 women's feet out of one skein of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport, but knitting at a tighter gauge this time crushed my plans for a one skein pair of socks.

 

I finished these off with some leftover yarn from the Jackson Scarf, the wonderful Glacier in Johnny Cash from the now-defunct (but reborn in other incarnations) Cider Moon. The fit is perfection and the colors blend quite nicely.

Next up: more tales of dusting, polishing, and even BAKING...as well as some more socks. Perhaps I'll even tell you the sad story of that sweater I was knitting...

Perfect Day

After catching a chill during an ill-advised trip to the dog park on a day we experienced record setting temperatures, I spent a few days swaddled in thermal blankets sipping TheraFlu and watching bad reality TV. Today I woke up feeling human again, and knew I had to get out of the house.

Fortunately, today's blue skies were accompanied by temperatures in the low 70's.

It was a perfect day for getting out and enjoying my surroundings. I managed to convince B and Sampson to join me for a day of outdoor fun.

Our first stop was Lake Ella, home of scary ducks and scarier water.

We walked around the lake for a bit, Sampson sniffing everyone and everything he possibly could, while B and I spent some quality time people-watching.

Our initial plan was to head home after our lakeside stroll, but we decided to head to Tom Brown Park instead. Sampson was not at all interested in the dog park, and after a futile attempt at getting him to play with other dogs, we decided to walk some trails.

We spent a long while walking and talking, then loaded up and headed home, where we decided we weren't ready for the delightful feeling of sunshine on our skin to end. B & I dragged a blanket out to the back yard, grabbed some reading material, and proceeded to bask in the sun a bit longer. Sam had no problem with the extended outside time, and promptly joined us in lounging about.

It was a gorgeous day spent with my two favorite living things. Life is good.

Just can't get enough....

...enough Split Pea Soup, that is.

While it has not been as cold in my neck of the woods as it has been for most of the United States this winter, we have had some exceptionally chilly days by Florida standards over the past month. Cold weather calls for soup, and I've been experimenting with many varieties. B and I decided that we could live on the Split Pea soup I've been making...a bowl of this hearty, filling, warming soup with a slice of toasted whole grain bread has become our go-to meal this winter. I've been making a pot of this at least every other week. We truly love it, and cannot get enough.

In light of the prediction that winter will linger another six weeks, I've decided to share my formula for this yummy soup. Please note that this recipe, like most of my recipes, is very loosely written...feel free to add/subtract ingredients as you like. I don't eat pork (for no reason other than I do not like the texture or taste) so you won't find any ham hocks, etc. in my recipe, but  I am sure ham would be a delicious addition. We've added leftover smoked turkey and chopped rotisserie chicken breast to this soup and both versions were fantastic. Also, if you don't have a hand/stick blender, I'm sure you could puree the soup in batches in a regular blender or in a food processor. Puree as much or as little as you'd like, I prefer my soup smooth, while B likes his more chunky.

Split Pea Soup

2 to 2 1/2 cups dried split peas, picked over to remove any small stones, etc.
bay leaves
salt
pepper
thyme
olive oil
3-4 celery stalks, cleaned, trimmed & chopped
3-4 carrots cleaned, peeled & chopped
1 onion
5 cups of your preferred cooking liquid-chicken or veggie stock
2 cups water

Put peas in a medium size pot, cover with about 10 cups of water. Add 1-2 bay leaves and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then let simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes. Watch this pot...it will boil over if the heat is up too high, and your kitchen will be a covered in foam a lovely shade of Incredible Hulk green. Ask me how I know. Drain peas & set aside.

In a large stock or soup pot, saute chopped carrots, celery and onion in olive oil for about 10 minutes. Add peas, cooking liquid, water, 1-2 bay leaves, thyme, salt, pepper & any additional seasoning (I usually add a ham-flavored bouillon cube). Cover and reduce heat to medium/low. Let soup simmer for a minimum of 2 hours, stirring occasionally. (You want to cook until peas are soft.)

Remove bay leaves. Using a hand blender, puree soup to your desired consistency. At this time, you'll want to taste it and add any additional seasoning you feel the soup needs. If you are adding chopped chicken, turkey, etc. go ahead and stir it in, and let the soup heat it through for about 10-15 more minutes. Remove from heat, serve and enjoy!

As with most soups & stews, this soup is even better the next day and makes a perfect lunch.