Hi- my name is Jackie! Welcome to my little blog.

I thought that a fun way I could introduce myself is, I would give 10 facts about myself.

You can get to know a little about me, and I will also explain why and how I started this little blog of mine. 

I am a jeans and t-shirt kind of woman. I wear a pair of blue jeans and a black t-shirt 6 out of 7 days a week. Some may call it a rut or routine of wearing the same outfit every day. But I just call it my uniform. Let me tell you- it can be very freeing to wear the same outfit every day. You don’t have to make a decision, and you know that you like how you look in it. That said, I do use something called the third item rule to mix it up. You don’t know the third item rule? It is very simple, wear your black t-shirt and jeans, but then add a third item to take it from basic to outfit. Add a sweater, or a jacket, or a scarf, or a piece of jewelry- the third item. So easy, and simple. Almost everything in my wardrobe is black, gray, and white so that it all matches. It makes my life so much simpler, only making one decision of which third item to wear. 

Which is why I am so happy to say that I am now in the most loving relationship of my life. I worked with and was friends with my Man for a couple of years before we got together. We were both married to the wrong people, and we left those bad marriages around the same time. It was a bit of a scandal, I must say, but it is the best decision I ever made. He brings me joy and happiness that I never dreamed of. I like to tell him that he is everything that I never knew I wanted. He will be the one I spend the rest of my life with. He is the one I love making plans with. He is the one who accepts me and encourages me daily. I am just so sorry that I didn’t find him sooner. I love you, Love.

I have two wonderful children, a girl, and a boy. Whom I call “the Girl” and “the Boy”. A quick story why- When I was pregnant with the Girl, I didn’t want to find out the gender of the baby. I believe that we have very few surprises in life, and why spoil it? But my whole pregnancy I just “thought” that I was having a boy. I had dreams about a baby boy and everyone told me that the first child is statistically a male. My Doctor said the baby’s heartbeat was pretty fast, which could mean that the baby was a boy. But then I had the baby, and the Doctor said: “you have a girl“. My ex-husband and I just looked at each other and said: “we have a girl“. It kind of stuck from there, and we started calling her “the girl” in everyday conversation- pretty much from the day she was born. Then the boy came along, and they were a matching set, and it made sense to call him “the Boy”. They are each the smartest and amazingly talented people. Don’t get me wrong, they get on my nerves! But I think that a good Mom can admit that their children do. I have made some good people in the world and I am very proud.

I am a Dog person. I mean, I like cats, and kittens are awesome. But Dogs? Forget it, I LOVE Dogs. I have had dogs most of my life. We had two dogs during my marriage. One that was super smart, almost too smart. An Australian Cattle dog. He was amazing, and a huge pain in the ass. Our other dog was a Puggle. A mix of a Pug and a Beagle. And as smart as the ACD was, the Puggle was dumb. I got both of the dogs in the divorce, no question about that. They loved my Boyfriend more than anyone. As much as I was waiting for my Boyfriend and needed him, the dogs were waiting and needed him too. They lived good long lives, 15 and 12 years old. We lost them both, six months apart. I do miss them. After our Puggle went, we didn’t have a dog for about a month. That was one long month. I started looking for a rescue dog, just to see and ended up with two Chihuahua mix puppies. They each had a rough start, and are not from the same litter. As much as they needed homes, we needed them. They are the loves of my life! They are smart and sweet, and fun! I just look at them and can’t believe how much I love them. I say it to them every day.

1. I started reading blogs somewhere around 2012. There was an article in Better Homes and Gardens magazine about Bloggers. I got curious, and started with one blog from the article, and would add others to a list that I found and liked. I was a little bit obsessed. I had always loved magazines, and this took it to the next level for me. I started talking about these amazing women and their blogs to my family and friends like they were my “real life” friends. I was invested in how they were decorating their homes. I was trying their DIY and crafts projects. I was shopping for items they suggested. I was sincerely happy or sadden by milestones in their lives. It was around the time my marriage was ending, and I need to prepare my home to sell. I took what I learned from these “friends” and used it to update the house. And then later to stage it to sell. I had learned a lot, and it was fun, and I loved it! That was when I decided to start my own blog.

1. I am a woman with grown children in their 20’s. Which means I was a stay at home Mom for almost all of the 1990s. Why is that significant? The year that the Girl was born, 1993- was the year I decided to leave my job and be a stay at home Mom. And it was the year that the Internet became apart of the mainstream. My Ex-husband worked in computer programming and security. Since it was his job, and we were poor, we didn’t have a home computer until 2000. The kids got to use computers all the time at school, so they were learning right from the start. I, on the other hand, was running a household. I just didn’t have time with two kids and two dogs and a husband to take care of. I would not start to use a computer myself until around 2006. And then I was only reading email for the new job I started. I would say that I did not really learn how to use a computer until 2012 when I started reading blogs.

1. Which is why the Blog is called Jackie Can’t Blog. I am really learning everything as I go along. Thank goodness for the Internet, I can look up everything I need to know. And I have my kids help me too. I am getting better every day. Well, I think that I am anyway. I know that there is still a lot more for me to learn. Photography is something I would like to be better at, and I want a good camera. I am working on my writing too. I hope to make this more than just a hobby. I would love for it to be my job. Or at least part of what brings some stability to me and my family. A pretty bold thing to ask for, I know. But you will never get what you don’t ask for. If you have a vision of what you need and want, you need to share it. You never know who will help you.

1. About 12 years ago, I had a very small business painting furniture. I had been painting pieces for my own home and would give items as gifts. I would paint chairs and stools for the Kids school auctions to help them raise money. I helped my sister in law paint items for her children and home. It was fun and satisfying. It helped me with my creative side. ( It also gave me great joy, during a bad time in my marriage. ) I didn’t make much money. I had one really good home show and then did custom pieces for clients. It was when I had a couple of difficult clients in a row, that made me give it up. So, I got a part-time job and left it all behind. I went back to just painting for myself and friends. But I have always wondered what if? What if I had held out? Pushed through and made it work. I wonder…
2. I love to go thrifting and to garage sales and explore estate sales. I love the thrill of the hunt!  Many of the items I look for, I intend to fix up and update! Does it need paint to bring it a new life? Or does it just need a really good cleaning? Sometimes you find a lot of good items, and sometimes you come home with nothing. That is part of the magic! That is part of the fun! I love it.

Well, there you go! A small look at who I am and why I am here with my little blog!

I hope that you will follow along as I blog, and learn, and get to a point where I can change the title to Jackie Can Blog!