Halloween Trick or Treat Bag

I made this adorable Halloween Trick or Treat bag for my little girl. The pattern I used was from www.allfreecrochet.com. The pattern is called Happy Pumpkin Treat Bag.

As a mom of 4 daughters and one grand daughter, I have just realized how much I do for everyone else in my life an how little I do for myself. I know I have stated in previous posts I was going to take more time for me to be able to rejuvenate myself. But old habits do die hard. A lot of things are going on all of the time and I do feel like I am going a 100 miles a minute. I don't want to sound like I am complaining, I love my family, I love my life, just feeling a little run down and I think I am upset in the back of  my mind that my family is not seeing the signs that mom maybe needs some help. But like a good mom I pick up my boot straps and charge forward. I guess from now on I will say there is always tomorrow for what does not get done today. I am watching my children grow and become young adults and it just amazes me to see how my children have grown. I still have a  5 year old at home, boy is it different raising children and being in your forties LOL. But she is a challenge and a joy all rolled up into one. Some days I don't have the energy for her, that is when I say, Cheryl, that is why you are doing so many workouts so you can keep up with this little bundle of joy. And a joy she is, she was a surprise to me and her father, but she came just at the right time, many family issues was going on and she gave us something else to focus on. To all the moms out there that do so much for there family and ask so little in return, my hats off to you. Hug yourself and do something special for yourself.

Canning fresh vegetables

This year I plan to discover new things. Last year I canned bread and butter pickles. This year I have tried my hand at canning green beans. I just heard the wonderful sound of one jar sealing and I have 2 more to go! Love it! If you would I have told me 5 years ago would I be canning fresh veggies today, I would have said who me??? After watching us plant a garden year after year and have a bountiful crop of fresh veggies that we could not possibly eat all by ourselves. I said I needed to learn how to can or preserve my food other than freezing, which is not always the best way to preserve some fruits and veggies. This year my goals in canning is to can fresh apples, applesauce, and make my own salsa. Today I canned green beans, I don't have a pressure canner, I process my veggies in a large soup like pot in boiling water. For the green beans I canned today I used the following recipe:



How to can Green Beans by Raw Pack

• Wash green beans and remove ends.
• Cut or break into 1 inch pieces.
• Pack tightly into canning jars.
• Add 1/2 teaspoon salt for pint jars.
• Add one teaspoon salt for quart jars.
• Cover with boiling water.
• Leave 1 1/2 inch head space.
• Seal jars.
• Process in pressure canner at 10lbs pressure.
• Pints for 20 minutes.
• Quarts for 25 minutes.

If you have a garden why not try canning today! 

An unusal Quiet Sunday Morning

I have a nice Sunday morning to myself today, very unusual in my home! My changes have taken place in my family unit since I last made a post on this blog. I had one daughter to go to college at UNC Charlotte and now she is home for the summer and doing great in college. Very proud of her. Had one my oldest to move back close to home from Wilmington, NC and I loved having her close by, but as a mom I know I can't clip my children's wings just because I would like them to be closer to me. Corrine really loved living in Wilmington not to mention her boyfriend is there, and from home Wilmington is 4 hours away.  She got a great job in Wilmington and has now moved back with her boyfriend and his 2 small children. I worry about her, because the boyfriend is so much older and as mentioned already has a family. Corrine is only 24 and has so much of live she can still experience, I think being a step mom at 24  she might resent the choices she made later down the road. The biggest thing I have learned raising 4 daughters is sometimes you have to let the fall and just be there to pick up the pieces if needed. My 23 year old just go a great billing job working for a company called Labcorp. I am so proud of her! She has worked really hard, especially since she has a 2 year old daughter, (Nyazia). Azia for short is the a bundle of joy. I really know now what it means to be a grandma, and the bond and love for your grandchildren is so much different and special than with your children. As you can see I am a 24, 23, and 19 year old, now the challenge of my life is my 5 yr old. She is so smart and alert it  scary sometimes. Many say what were you thinking having another baby, I think me and Mike were blessed with her at a difficult time in our life, many things were happening to my husband at that time, and I think Kyosha came to give him something positive to focus on and not the negative.. And as you can imagine he does have a very special bond with our youngest child, she follows him everywhere he goes. With so much going on in my family and  life, very little time for mom to be just mom, like this morning. I think I spend so much time protecting my family I get lost in the mix,, and they do put me in check sometimes. As for me many changes have happened in my journey to own my own business, I started with a family home daycare, which I had to close due to low enrollment. Now I have Cheryl's Virtual Assistant Company. I work from home with a well know cell phone carrier. I love what I do and it gives me so much freedom to spend time with my 5 year old that I think I missed with my older 3 children. Cheryl's Virtual Assistant Company is my baby and I know can grow in leaps and bounds but I need the best advertisement and I am working on that now. I also employ others to be independent contractors under me and also have the opportunity to work full or part time from home like I do. I currently work full time.  Anyone reading this post that is interested in hearing more about my business please click here.

Another challenge is for  me to lose a few pounds the downside to working at home you don't realize how much the unhealthful snacks you eat put pounds on you so unnoticeable. I have a daughter, Lakasha, that is working on keeping me motivated. I love to walk but don't like doing these things alone and a lot of time it is just me and Kyosha. I have joined Sparkpeople.com which is a free website that offers food, exercise videos and so much more for free to assist you with weight loss, but I cop out a lot. I had to refocus my motivation to say I want to be her for my 5 year old, so I have stared concentrating on dietary changes, and incorporating exercise as well. Will be stepping up my game on exercise in the next few months. I will post my journey as I embark on this goal. My goal is to lose 20 lbs at first, and tone all over.

home business

I am really surprised how hard it is to get potential employees for my business. Everyone is so leery of work at home opportunities, which I completely understand. Sometimes I wish I had a magical cure to ease everyone's fears that expresses interest in Cheryl's Virtual Assistant Company. I have been in business for 3 years and have 2 independent contractors under me now and would love to have more! I know the services I have to offer would help so many that are unemployed and have been trying to look for work for a long time. I still have my nose to the grind stone and talk about what I do at home to each and everyone I know! Hopefully by this time next year, I will be talking more about Cheryl's Virtual assistant company and how I have helped so many people! Until then I hope any of my followers or anyone who happens to see my blog and this post interests them please contact me by email at cmartin153@live.com.

Thinking of the new year

As this year ends and a new one starts I would like to set some goals up. I hope to expand my business Cheryl's Virtual Assistant Company and help many others learn how to work from home llegitmately. Second, I have gained some weight in the awful belly area and I hope in the new year to change my eating habits and shed at least 20 to 25 lbs. I am a snacker and what I snack on is not always the best. Hoping to change my eating habits a little at a time. I also want to get back iinto my crocheting, I love making and creating things and I have let this part of my life sit, need to get back into it. My first project will be making my daughter a blanket, with her sorority symbol in it. She is part of Alpha Kappa Alpha.

Merry Christmas

As this holiday season is fast approaching I would like to wish a Merry Christmas to all of my family and friends.