: About Me

I'm Cat, a 40 year old wife and mother. I have one child that is 11 years old and going into 6th grade. My husband just turned 45 and decided that he needed a career change so he's going to college now.

I've seen and done a lot in my life so far. I've traveled Europe, been exposed to the finer things in life, got a good education, graduated from college with a major in business and a minor in computer science, got married (twice even), suffered the loss of a spouse, the early birth of my son, financial difficulties, worked my butt off and learned even more through the years.

Life has educated me in so many ways. Business related, I can order cranes, know the ins and outs of the skylight business and welding, have "on the jobsite training" in all aspects of construction, can tell you what's wrong with your air conditioner and can tell you if you need an electrician or the power company if you're having power issues. I also did a time with a phone company installing telephone systems and working directly with Bell South (now AT &T). Most of my "on the job" education came in male dominated fields, but it's made me very well rounded and very capable of handling any sort of "construction" related problem that I or friends might have at home. I'm pretty handy. I was also a Realtor until recently.

Personally I've learned what "love and loss" mean. I've learned how to give and not expect anything in return. I've learned that honesty is not necessarily the best policy and, over time, I've learned that it's probably a good thing to think about what you're going to say before you say it.

For most of my adult life I've been working outside the home. I've had to learn to deal with working and not being home as much with my son. I've figured out ways to "have it all" or most of it anyway, without losing myself in the process. I'm very much a giver, and am still struggling to figure out how to reserve some of that "give" so I can give to myself. Recently I was blessed enough to become a stay home and not work outside the house. It's definitely given me new perspectives on a lot of things. I've also been struggling to find a routine for daily life without the working outside the home.

I've always enjoyed the "homemaker" aspect of my life and now I'm working on putting it into practice. I love to cook and this spring started an herb garden on my deck. I enjoy crafts, writing, listening to jazz, reading and various other things. Most of all I like finding new ways to do the mundane daily tasks faster so I can get on to the fun stuff of living life.

I hope you enjoy the articles that I write. I'm just starting out, but I'll have more articles to come very soon!

My passion is ...

Taking care of myself and my family

I know too much about ...

Death and sadness

My parents always told me ...

Put a smile on my face no matter what

My childhood ambition ...

To be a mom of a dozen kids

My favorite memory ...

The day my son was born

Why I write ...

Because I like to share.. a lot!

What I am reading/watching/listening to ...

James Patterson

My first job ...

Manicurist..when I was in high school

My best moment ...

The day I found out "it's a boy"

My inspiration ...

My life and family

Food & Drink > Cooking (Other) Cooking tips for the on-the-go lifestyle

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Everyone I know is "on-the-go" these days which leads to a lot of fast food drive thru action to make sure that everyone gets something for dinner. Cooking is the last thing on busy people's minds. But it doesn't have to be that way. The family dinner table is not a thing of the past and you'll find that you CAN cook good, tasty meals, without forfeiting a great deal of family time. All it takes is a little pre-planning and a desire to get yourself out of the fast food craziness that has become your life. Plan Ahead: Come up with a plan. I'm not much on meal planning but I do have several ...

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