I just applied for college ... Again

Hey there!

So some of you know of the internal debate I've been having for a while now. Do I go back to school and get a degree? Deluxe has not cared nor required a degree for any of my advancement and my current position would require that lovely strip of paper for almost any other company. That being said, I've wanted to go back to school for a while but I could never decide what for. Business Management seems to be the target but then it's really the difference between Project/Operational Management like I was doing or Software Management which is sort of the path I'm on now.

There was a point relatively recently when I felt that I was near the end of my days at Deluxe and had started to look elsewhere for employment. I'm still with Deluxe and I stand behind my decision to stay as long as things change - both with myself and within a few areas we've identified as needing improvement. However, when I was looking about the internet for potential new opportunities I found that some companies will trade the paper for experience - which I have. But there are companies out there that simply want the degree. It doesn't even have to be a degree that pertains to the job you're applying for. And that's what kills me. I won't mention any companies specifically but one in particular disappointed me in this particular area. Require a degree, that's fine. But at least make it pertain to the position.

Anyway, all of this has led to me re-debating the need for a degree. If I stay with Deluxe then I don't "need" one because Deluxe knows what I'm capable of. If I ever want to leave Deluxe, I'm handicapped without one. If Deluxe ever gets bought out or whatever and we get reviewed for our own positions - which I've seen happen elsewhere - I could be screwed. I don't want to wake up when I'm 40 and which I had gotten the degree "way back when." I'm already almost 30 so if I'm going to do this, now's the time. I should have done it a long time ago.

All of that being said... I applied for Gen Ed classes at LAVC today. Cal State won't allow me to directly apply for a 4-yr degree because technically I've gone to college before. Those credits are over 10yrs old and so they don't transfer but they still consider me a transfer. And I can't transfer without the full set of Gen Ed courses. The good news is that JC is significantly cheaper and easier. I should be able to blast through it in a year or so including Winter/Summer semesters. Then I'll spend 2 years at Cal State and be done with my Bachelor's. Of course I'll want my Masters but we'll cross that bridge later.

Deluxe does offer really good tuition reimbursement but it's not worth the paperwork for the JC and they only pay for 2 courses per Semester. I'm planning 3-4 courses per Semester. I only need 13 courses for Gen Ed. So I should be done in a year or so.

This better be worth it... This next year is going to be boring as sh*t. I've already done this once before!!! That reminds me ... Sorry mom!!!

Christmas came early!

Hey y'all!

Oh how I've missed flea markets! I went to the Rose Bowl Flea Market on Mother's Day and I was not disappointed.

I walked around for the first 45 minutes or so not feeling so great about my choice to go. I didn't really see anything that caught my eye. Which is really disappointing.


Greg convinced me to keep going and "perk up" and I'm glad he did.

I've really been on a mission for a vintage christmas. Typically vintage christmas items are hard to come by and very expensive. You'd think family would just hand things down - damn hoarders! :)

I found a few really cute stuffed Santas for a grand total of $25 for the 3 of them at various stands. Hopefully I'll find some great ornaments soon. I also found a green metal 6" tree that lights up. The vendor wasn't sure if it worked but wanted $40 for it. I had to pass.

In between the santas I found a stand that only sold quilts and they were $25 each. They had some really lovely quilts and I snagged this one for my collection. I don't know what I'll do with it yet but the colors match my guest room so I'll probably put it in there. How was I supposed to pass this up for $25?!

On the way out for the day, we passed a vendor selling metal garden ornaments that looked like animals. Again, how am I supposed to pass that up?! I can't. After about 15 minutes of trying to figure out which one I wanted - though truth be told I'm going back next month and getting more - I settled on a cute little armadillo. 

And then.. I thought I was going to end up buying a trailer. I have had this weird, back of my mind idea of redoing a 15-20' trailer. I don't know why, actually. It just hit me one day. Walking around, there was a vendor with a vintage section and this was the display...

Unfortunately for me but fortunately for Greg, it was not for sale. How cute is this though?! It only furthered my want to get my hands on my own. That would be an amazing project!

I'm so glad I went and I've absolutely missed them since I was away. I might slip off to another one soon... There are so many!

For those in the LA area, these are my favorites and most frequented... 

PCC Flea Market - Pasadena, CA - 1st Sunday each month

Rose Bowl Flea Market - Pasadena, CA - 2nd Sunday each month

Long Beach Flea Market - Long Beach, CA - 3rd Sunday each month

Death of the 40-Hour Work Week

I came across this article today and I'd like some professional opinions...

I don't remember the last time I worked a 40-hour work week. But I also don't recall my employer holding a proverbial gun to my my head forcing me to work more hours than necessary.

There are those that say that if someone is not able to get their work done in their allotted 8 hours per day, that they're not good at time management. This statement I wildly disagree with. There was a time very recently where working 16-hour days had become my norm. My circumstances were a bit singular but it's not uncommon and certainly not in the business I'm in.

This quote in particular stands out to me:

"Meanwhile, more than half of the 7,500 people who took CNNMoney’s work-life balance quiz last week said they feel pressure to work more than eight hours a day and to work some weekends, too." 

I absolutely agree with this but I don't know why it is. Like I said, no one has a gun to my head and yet I continue to work the hours I do. I have a loyalty and commitment to my company to provide a service. A service that as a woman without a college degree, I am underpaid for as it is. And yet, I continue to put in every ounce of energy I have. Why?

I don't think the 40-hour week has died in recent years. I think it's been gone for a long time for those people, like me, that will do whatever it takes to get the job done. With the job market getting ever smaller, there are just more of those people out there now. I work with hundreds of them.

Are we being abused? Or are we abusing ourselves? We know companies won't hire more people to do the same job. So are we stuck? Or do we need to get creative to figure out a solution to working so much? Do we just back off and let things happen?

I know for a fact that if I didn't work these ridiculous hours, no one would perish. The company wouldn't cease to exist. Most people wouldn't even notice. So what's this pressure we feel to work more than 8 hours per day? Where's it coming from?

Work-life balance is not something I'm familiar with though I am working very hard to change that. I know I'm not alone in this...

What can we do to change?

Tres Leches Cake

Hey everyone!

I just got back from a lovely-ish few months in the UK. My first order of business? Food! I'm not really sure why but I have a serious craving for Tres Leches cake. When it comes to store bought, I prefer Portos. But today I'm going to make my own from this super easy recipe I found on Pinterest!

Pintesting is awesome fun because sometimes you never know how things will turn out. This one should be pretty easy because it's not a from-scratch recipe. Still, we'll see how it goes.

Firstly, you'll need a few things:

Cake:

• 1 boxed French Vanilla cake mix
• Ingredients to complete boxed cake mix

(I used a Betty Crocker French Vanilla cake which required 1/2c oil, 3 eggs, and 1c water.)


Milk Filling:

• 1 (14oz) can Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1c Evaporated Milk
• 1c Half n Half / or Milk

Frosting:

• 1 1/2c Heavy Whipping Cream
• 1tsp Vanilla
• 1/2c Sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

• Prep and bake boxed cake per the instructions on the box.
• Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes.
• Poke the cake using a skewer every 1/2 inch or so
• Mix together the Milk Filling ingredients and pour over cake. Making sure to fill in all of the holes.
• Cover and refrigerate a few hours. You can leave it overnight but who has the patience for that? NOT ME!
• At least 30 minutes before serving, combine the Frosting ingredients and spread over the cake. 
• Return the cake to the fridge until ready to serve.

Let's do this!

I started out with a Betty Crocker french vanilla cake mix. I've not used it before but the Pinned link did note that mixes that contain pudding work the best for this recipe. I purchased it at my local grocery store. I hate when recipes request an ingredient that I have to go to a specialty store to purchase. 

Ironically enough while prepping and baking this cake, I was watching an episode of Bones. This particular episode was about an ex-con who worked in a bakery. It feels fitting to be baking a cake with that playing in the background. 

Anyway... I threw all of the ingredients from the box into my mixer and whipped it up. I love my KitchenAid mixer and definitely missed it while I was away. 

I threw the mix into a 13x9 metal pan and put it in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes. My whole house smells like vanilla now. I LOVE IT! I forgot how easy baking was... I feel like I should have more to do. 

While the cake was cooking, I mixed together the Milk Filling in a medium bowl. I have a lovely set of vintage pyrex bowls that I bought at the Rose Bowl Flea Market here in Los Angeles. I want another set but they're hard to come by and I've not been in the states in a few months. I think I'll stop by again next Sunday and see what I can get my hands on. There's nothing in the baking world like vintage kitchenware. 

I let the cake back about 30 minutes and it rose beautifully. I let it stand about 5 or so minutes and then poked its life out with a wooden skewer. I'm not one for measurements but if you'd like to be precise, the original recipe calls for holes spaced about 1/2 inch apart. Mine weren't completely random but I didn't use precise technique. 

Now it's time to pour the milk filling over the top. This part is important because you need to make sure that you fill in all of the holes. If you miss some, you'll end up with some dry spots in your cake and there's nothing fun about a dry Tres Leches cake, I assure you. 

Now it's time to refrigerate for a few hours. While it refrigerates, I'll whip up the frosting... 

Combine the Frosting ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix until soft peaks form. A bit of patience is required with this step as whipping the frosting will take a few minutes. It'll be worth it, I promise.

Once your frosting is ready, I poured it out onto the cake directly and dispersed it over the cake with a spatula. You can add berries if you'd like as well - I did not, yet. Then, voila, you're done! Let the cake rest in the fridge before serving. 

ENJOY!

RESULTS

This recipe was impressively easy to read and follow. The ingredient list is short and easy to find - which is always a bonus. The cake looks delicious and tastes just as good. There are no dry spots throughout and there was plenty of milk for the entire cake. As far as homemade Tres Leches goes, this is an A+ in my book. 

Credit for the recipe goes to:

Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom

All photos used throughout are original images taken during the baking process by the author.