T!!! We're Home Dear!
Whoa!!! We’re home T!!! We’re back to control central counting down the minutes until we next post
BTW … Is it Happy Hour yet?? Noticing V AND T missing uh huh, uh huh!
Soooooo, we all made it to FRIDAY!!!!! YAYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!
We don’t want to think too much of work, but we probably should a little. IT’S OVER!!!! Shhh, shhh … nuf of that!
We almost had a little problem with Sr., but our good sense and pocket psychology rules are helping now. We were doing her a favor by gathering the last clients together to put chairs on top of the chair for Friday night wash the floors time after Thinking Group. Sister appeared out of nowhere screaming, “Why are you putting those chairs against the wall!??” We said, “because you only wanted four chairs on top of each table.” She continued to scream, “Where have you been!!!” Then she took over the commandeering job putting 5 chairs here, six chairs there, four chairs here! Damn she’s got so many rules, can’t imagine how she get to bed at night. But, since chairs REALLY aren’t my thing, I figured my services were at that point nullified, and I left the room! YAYYYYYY Outa dere!
I will never figure her out … I’m capable to lead the thinking group (about 40 clients) ALLLLL by myself, but do you think we could do a simple janitorial job!?? HMMM, I spose not! I s’pose it wouldn’t have been so bad, but we’d worked with the clients during the hour making pictures and murals for the client’s Christmas gift for Sister. Ugh, don’t you hate when that happens? Hmpf!
So, as we said, we moooooooved on!
We decided since someone reminded us next week is only four days, and on the 5th we’re off for the long break, someone better look into the x-mas shopping. Probably like many others our heart is bigger than our pocket book. Hmmm…
It didn’t make things any easier to know we were holding our two week check in hand. Let the record show … we walked away until we could figure it out. I know, I know this is not characteristic for the new me. AND, chances are that if I don’t start thinking urgent thoughts in another direction. Those gifts are going to be got! Somehow we have managed over the last 3-4 years to give everyone at the center some small gift. Now there are, of course more clients and more staff. Shoot. Eh the more the merrier they say.
This year I have decided to do it differently. Instead of giving all the clients some small token to take home, I am going to use their money to get them a gift to be used during Thinking Group. This idea stemmed from the fact that when we went to make the murals, there wasn’t one single way to put color on those murals and that did not make me happy. At that, we had to share 23 pencils. SOOOO, I found one of Sister’s special school catalogues and discovered for about $1.88 per 24-boxed set, we can purchase about 40 sets of colored pencils for $75. YAYYYY. My budget for the clients has always been a hundred, which is not a bunch of much. Sooo, I looked at one more thing … and industrial strength pencil sharpener for about $23, which wrapped up my abilities to squeeze blood out of a turnip. ACTUALLY, it’s not much, and Sr. gives each of the staff a Christmas present, which was today. It's a $100 bill. Woohoooo!!!!
That was one portion of it. Next, came the staff. It is very hard as the staff trainer to not get the staff SOOOOOOOOMEthing! Again, we’re not talking national budget here. I figured about $15 each. Then I went back to the school supplies catalogue, well, actually I did that before setting the budget. Hard part is there are 11 then to buy for. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, we decided to have some fun with it. We found 7 of the niftiest little gifts that would be fun to receive if you were teaching a group on a $0 supply budget. I’m looking at a whole lot of fun little gifts. Like someone will be receiving a box full of a couple thousand pipe cleaners. Another will get 3 sets of combined stickers (to the number of 4000), there is another gift idea of a set of 31 special sparkly markers, and another gift of 2 bundles of large sidewalk chalk, and 3 bundles of regular chalk. Another staff is going to get 3 lbs. of felt. Hmm, anything else? Hmm, two more, let me think. Ohh, I know … there is another funny gift I’m calling the eyes package. This is thousands of little eyes for art projects, such as those little half circles with moving eyes and a package of 1,000 stickers also with eyes. Hehehe, Ok, one more what was the last. Hmm… Oh, I know! The last DSP is going to get a couple of boxes totaling 2,000 blank flash cards. YAYYYYY FUN stuff.
I figure I’ll do it like we used to do with the boys when we needed to shop at the dollar store, because I only had $100 for the three of them. I wrapped up all the 100 small gifts and we sat on the floor around them. One at a time they would unwrap a gift, and then they would have to decide each round whether or not they’d keep the gift or try to trade it. I won’t ask the staff to sit on the floor, but they too can trade and swap. We’ll see if the one with 1000 eyes wants to give up some of her collection for pieces of felt, or such. It’s one of those small good feely things. I don't after all this participate in the grab bag, but they will have that too. The staff is so desperate for art and craft supplies, I'm pretty sure I'll be ok with our gifts. Sister just doesn’t allow for requests in the budget. Each year (Once each year), she gives the staff $30 to meet at a teacher’s supply store. Yeeks! I am having fun now imagining them trying to figure the best values as they think through potential art projects with the odd trinkets. I’ve seen them work miracles!
There are a few more staff left that don’t “do” regular groups. For the secretary and the new QMRP assistant I decided to buy each a box of a dozen of my special pens … I like the Pilot Precise V5 fine tip rolling ball. I know too though that I’m pretty possessive of mine. My favorite color is blue. Just so they don’t mix there’s with mine … they got black. Eh, it was an executive decision. The assistant keeps borrowing MY pens, and the secretary hides her pen, because everyone comes in her drawer to pick up the phone and snatches them. So that should be ok. I figured I should also give the new dance instructor something, since most likely no one else will. So, we got her a spindle of CD’s … I think you can only use them once, but I could get a set of 50 for $18. Yesterday, she was in the office asking if she could print out something she’d saved. And, I thought AHA! Young student -a Computer person!!!! Music ... WALLAH!
The last gift was for my peer, the other QMRP. She has a rough budget like we do, but she also always thinks to give others gifts. PLUS, she always brings me something homemade and sweet to eat for my gift! We went a little overboard, but we got, or will get her a cordless, optical mouse from Logitech. She’s never really used it, but personally it’s a sweet treat too! It’s important too because the other Q’s like me without real family. She only has one brother who lives in California. Chances are also that she’ll ask what I got the clients and might chip in. That way … she too can feel more free to use the colored pencils and sharpener for her one hour Town Hall meeting with all the clients. Good deal!
To cover this, I want to acknowledge that when my friend opened my 2-3 months of mail he found a spare check had come back from the school for $187, which will cover all but about $13. YAYYYYYY! I won’t have to buy books next semester because I am repeating a course. I have now three more areas to cover. I usually spend another $100 on Sister and the extra Sister that live at the center. Most of the staff are fudly dudlys as far as chipping in … All except our friend, one of the old time staff (sister’s spare person), and the other Q. So, I figure $20 from those 3 and I will only have to contribute $40 out of pocket. See, that’s not so bad. AND, there is a chance that all of the above (beside the sisters), can be ordered and delivered within 24 hours and there is on the catalogue a special 15% discount that Sr. won’t use, because the year is almost over and she doesn’t use this catalogue often. Besides it expires December 31. Sooooo, with that $45 spare dollars, I have my out of pocket money covered! SOOO, it’s like so far … xmas hasn’t cost me anything. Well, at least out of the rent/bills money.
I am still hoping to do some of the cost of my friend’s b-day gift for Christmas in the framing of T’s print. That was absolutely the best deal! It is perfect! The only remaining gifts is my sons, daughter-in-law and Granddaughter. Her other family give her an abundance of gifts, so at my son’s recommendation we put money in her piggy bank account. Hehehe. Usually we do something like $50 in quarters. I know it is not much, but she is still at the age (4), she enjoys feeding the piggy. :) For the other three, I would like to buy a meal so we can eat together. This year maybe Chinese over at my oldest son’s. If I could swing $50 each for them, they would think I’d gone over, which I probably will, but they know I do that kind of thing for them. It means just a tiny bit more they can spend freely. Love them to pieces. And, I figure if I can buy 54 people gifts from my free money, I should at least be able to spend $200 on my family. Fair deal?? Then, we’re all done and everyone is happy!!!!!
As far as me? I’ll get those sweets from my peer, a handful of clients’ parents will send a card or small gift, and maybe a few peers … no one gives big gifts at our income level! Nice! One of my sons will get me a little something, and the big gift will come from our friend. He’s promised to help me get my eyes checked and new glasses purchased. To be fair, I told him if it could be done, we’ll use the same frames we have. I have no interest in anything different. Just need to see. So, that’s it! Christmas wrapped with a bow.
I’ve expended about my limits … a couple of trips to the bank, a looksee in the catalogue, and one trip to Hallmark gift shop to find the Sister’s gift. I can trust there is always something nice there. She usually puts the gift somewhere in the center for all to share. This year … the other sister said that she was willing to help. I’m not sure what she meant by that, but maybe she’ll go to the store with me or suggest another. The people at the Hallmark Store have been real nice in bringing out a chair for me, so I can rest between things. They’ve won a real solid good customer in me :)
Ok, so that’s it! Wallah, almost done! YAYYYYY!!!
Hey T’s up! She’ll be happy that we wrote! YAYYYYY T-ster!
posted by Ann Marie @ 12/16/2005 08:17:00 PM
Comments: 7
