One Year Later
One year ago I quit my office job. It was scary and exciting all at once. I was going to try and expand my little machine quilting business and possibly do some volunteer work.

I have had a steady amount of work for my machine quilting. I don’t do anything fancy, just all over freehand patterns. I really need to learn how to do more things but I have no desire to learn or do fancy custom quilting. I will leave that for the quilt shops that charge the big bucks. I am finding that there are a lot of people that just want their quilt done with a nice looking texture and don’t want to spend a fortune to get it done.

My volunteer/charity worked turned out to be quilting also. Our local hospice was opening a hospice house so I organized an effort to make lap quilts for their facility. We delivered around 28 of them this summer with many more tops waiting to be quilted.

What I enjoy about not working in the office is that:
I can work in casual clothes
I can set my own schedule
I am doing something I enjoy
I don’t have to go out if the weather is nasty
I can multi-task by having laundry going while I am quilting or dinner in the oven

The down side is:

I don’t get as much done around the house as I thought I would. Standing at the frame is very tiring so at the end of the day I don’t feel like doing anything else.

I miss the chatter of the office discussing current events, TV programs or just day to day life. Some days the only people I seem to talk to are on-line. When my daughter gets home from school she is busy texting and doing homework and by the time my husband gets home from work he unwinds it is getting late and there is always something that needs to be done.

Of course the biggest thing is the difference in paycheck. I am probably making 1/10th of my former salary. I am getting used to spending less. ( Hey I am saving a fortune not wearing panty hose!!!). Most of the time that doesn’t bother me as there is not a lot that I actually NEED but there have been a few times I would have liked to do something that I just don’t feel justified in spending the money anymore.

I know my daughter likes me being home as “Mom’s Taxi” is more available. She has had the opportunity to go to after school games and some other activities that I wouldn’t have been able to get her to.

I know my husband is jealous when he goes off to work in the morning and I stay home but as long as I am busy I don't think he minds to much.

Kathie