Making it Home
We're alive and well...
we're just still not online. This I am posting from my cell phone. I'm just glad to be able to be here at all. I can only post a few lines at a time, or the page expires. The downside of it being a phone I guess. I'm working at a dollar store now. I left the pharmacy after my grandfather passed away in September. My sister works there also. We definately enjoy working together.Just to let you know -
We'll be getting the keys to the house today, and we'll be without the internet for a while. How long, I'm not sure. I'm the kind of gal who likes to see how things are going to be handled before adding bills to the pot. Right now, we're moving in on a wing and a prayer. Borrowed towels and blankets - it's going to take some time to get things together. But, I'll be taking lots of pictures and post when I can. Of course, I'm also still working (outside the home) and studying for my tech. certification. I have a class this week as well. Should be interesting. The best part is I have this weekend coming off - and I'm working a lot of 9-5's (instead of 11-7) - so I'll have more time home to get things done there. YAY.I am SO excited, though a little nerveous. I know it's going to take some time to get things really setteled for us, but this is a step in the right direction.
But, we're going to be able to have a sewing/craft room now - and for some reason, that makes everything else fade into the back ground. Knowing all I have to do is grab some second hand sheets, and voila - we'll have curtains, pillows, and perhaps a crochet rag rug for the halls and bathroom.
~*~GoodMorning~*~
I almost forgot to share the news about the house! I only had time for a real quick post yesterday while dinner was cooking and Dh was in the shower. After that, we were grabbing all the family/us time left available to us. Anyway, here's a hint -
Yeah, the place is a mess. There is stuff packed up there, but no one was there. So, a note was left, and they'll stop by today and see if there's any change - but the mess is going to be there. Hopefully, we'll get to get in and start cleaning up this weekend though.
Two down...? to go
Well, I did it. Yesterday, I got out of work an hour early because it just quieted down to nothing. There were 4 of us - and NOTHING to be done. So, I got home at 7pm instead of leaving at 7pm. Kind of cool - but we are moving soon, and short checks are not going to help so much. So, I promised myself to complete at least 1 training CD to compensate - and I did both of them
Granted, the one was one I've been working on, and was over half complete already. I had actually done it 3 times already; but my computer kept freezing up and shutting the program down causing me to loose all the data 
Finally, I caught on and started exiting the program after each assessment so it would record and book mark my progress. Of course, that wasn't until it did it to me the SECOND time at the FINAL assessment. Ok, I'm slow sometimes 
None the less, I got an extra hour home, and will be paid for 3. Not a bad trade off. Even if the time with DD was spent doing 'homework' together. Since we homeschool, we're always doing that any way
~Ever Changing~
Well, it seems there is yet another change in plans. We are still moving - only now instead of moving into the 1br. apt, we're moving into the house itself. My Mom (our landlord) is concerned about taking the risk of leaving it empty, and the risk of renting to another set of tennants with it being for sale. So, they offered it to us for a reduced rate in the rent. We're also going to see if we can buy it ourselves. I doubt it - esp. with both of us working our current jobs under a year, heck - under 6 months! But, we'll see what we can do.It's hard not to get too excited about it - but I love that house. Even though it's not in the country, there are many things we can still do from there. There's a little front yard in front of the porch. We can have have a container garden on the porch, and still plant some things in the front as well. I'm thinking herb garden
The house has a pantry off the kitchen, and a cold storage in the basement. It's going to be hard having to leave when the time comes. I'm leaving it in the Lords hands though. If it's meant to be, he'll show us the way. If not, we'll wait until He shows us something else.
We shall see.
Little Bits
I'm working on getting some things ready for our new home. This week, we have Dawn Dish Detergent on sale for $.88 a bottle. I had a $1.00 coupon off - so I bought two bottles for $.76. I have another coupon, so I'll be going back for more ;-) That should have us set with dish soap at least for a bit.They also had Campbells Select soup on sale 2 for $3.00 - I had a couple of $1.00 off coupons so I got 4 cans for $4.00. That's what my pantry "stash" consists of so far, LOL.
I've also been playing at netwinner
While you can win cash - I haven't. But I am collecting my points to get free gift cards. For now, I'm sticking with the Target Gift cards because they are within walking distance and I can get food items there to help with stocking the pantry back up. Not to mention the other household items we'll be looking to get for our new home. It may seem silly, but it's the only place I've found that you can get money (gift cards) without giving out your banking, credit, or pay pal information.They mail you the gift cards for your redeemed points, or send you a check if you win a cash prize. Plus, I can play while I'm doing other things online, like now - LOL.
However, it's time for DD and I to go for our morning walk - So I'm off for now
Death by Overstudy?
I used to do home health care for the elderly. One of my favorite clients was one of the first women doctors to practice in the US. She was still very conginitive, and I enjoyed her company very much. She liked that I read to her from a gift for her 100th birthday - a book of Times Union Newspapers from 1900-2000.I remember one article distinctly - it was about a Harvard Student who died suddenly in the middle of a class. It was determined, as he was very studious, and had a perfect GPA; that he died from overstudy.
We laughed, she rattled out the more likely causes of his sudden death, based on the description of the sceneario in the paper. We talked about how far medical science had come so far from the years when she began to practice medicine .... However, today - I'm feeling that.
I'm studying for work, and I'm sure it's killing me. Hurting anyway. I've got 2 CD's to complete, not to mention a binder full of worksheets and passages to read and work with. Sigh. I'd rather be crocheting, sewing or even dreaming about how to set up our new home.
Guess I'd better get back to hitting the books though
That's better ;-)
I did it, I cleaned my room I also rearranged it some, and there is much more space in there. Phew! I reorganized the one large dresser Indigo and I share, and left Dh's alone. I figure, why set myself up for the hard feelings. If he likes it 'like that', why fight it? Not like I have to look for my clothes in there - though I am definately missing a top - so maybe I should 
My Sil cooked dinner tonight, that was a nice change. Cheeseburgers, onion rings and green beans. Hit the spot, really. Plus, it leaves the last of the chili for me to bring into work for lunch tomorrow
.In just a couple more days, we'll know for sure when we're moving. Though, now I'm feeling a little nerveous about it... The guy Dh and Db have been working for is really shafting them. Last Friday, he shorted everyone 2 1/2 days worth of work, and said he'd finish paying them this Tuesday (today), and he didn't...My brother quit, supposedly the guy is going out there first thing in the am to pay them what he owes them all. We'll see.
I guess they had to redo something, and he felt he shouldn't have to pay for that. Somehow, that dosn't sound right to me
. It's not the first time there have been payroll issues. Not to mention all the time they loose working waiting for supplies and such - yet, Dh is still away from home all week - to come home with having actually worked less hours than the 30 hours I work in a week.It's even worse when he's just getting paid for fewer hours when he's worked even more! I just get upset, because his being gone isn't helping us at all. He could get a part time job that has him home every night for all of that 
. Ok, the whine is gone. It serves no purpose, I just get so frustated sometimes.I'm going to go browse the net for a bit...
Note to self -
Go clean your room! UG - it's hard keeping everything for all of us organized into one bedroom of the house. Every time I get it set up, someone - (yes, sometimes me) goes in there to get something, and so it starts - crumbling like a stack of cards.
Yesterday, I was sent home from work as soon as I got there. The head pharmasist started appologizing to me becasue she'd called my house at 9:45 or so to tell me I could stay home, as it was so quiet there - no one wanted to be on the roads. She offered me to clock in for a couple of hours since I'd gotten all the way there - but my little guy was going home that afternoon, so I took the oppertunity to get back home to my munchkins. Of course, I had to make one impulse buy on the way out the door - pink and white heart shaped marshmallows! The best spent .99 in a while for me. I called the kids, told them I was on my way back home, and that I'd make pancakes when I got home. I came home, they were cleaning up the kitchen - I finished dishes while DS ran the vaccuum, and made pancakes with hot cocca with the heart shaped marshmallows floating on top. Ds's Aunt picked him up a short time after, and I sent him home with the last of the marshmallows so he could have some "love" in his hot cocca with his Aunt too. His Father is back from his month of working in Hawii - and looking for work again. Once we move, we'll be closer to where they are, and it won't be such a big deal either way - I'm going to tell him to grab what he can. If he's on the road, the little guy can stay with us, and when he's in town, he can just walk up the street and still be with his Dad too. Oh, how I can't wait to move!
In the mean time, I've really got to go clean my room. I've got laundry started - but I've got to sort through the dressers again. Dh has been "helping" with the laundry again, and I can't find anything
. Trust me, I'm not complaining. At least he tries! Oh, speaking of which - quick funny to share about the first time DD did laundry totally on her own when she was just 9 years old.
I woke up at 5am - DD was up already, and rushes to me to tell me one of the (then) puppies piddled on her blankets she'd tossed to the floor in her sleep. (Actually, she made a pallet on the floor to sleep near the puppies, but we weren't supposed to know that ...)
Any way she goes on with "But it's ok Momma, I got it. My blanket is already in the dryer, and the sheets are in the washer now."
I was shocked! I checked the machines, she had everything set properly - I was seriously impressed she didn't try to cram it all into one load! I asked her "How did you know what to do, who taught you?"
She says to me ...
are you ready?
"Well, I figured Daddy does it all the time, so how hard could it be?"
Oh, how it's KILLING me!!
Ok, slight exaggeration. But seeing all the holiday stuff going on sale for 90% off at work and NOT shopping is really getting to me.On the one hand - we don't have our holiday decorations and stuff any more - not even stockings...but then again - my intent is to make our tree skirt, stockings, as well as other decorative items. Not that we won't buy anything - we'll definately need lights and garlands at least. But since we're not even in our own place yet, it's kind of a moot point to try to decorate it for a holiday that's a year away... The place we're planning on moving into is just a 1br. so I'm sure we're going to go with more of a winter theme as far as decorations go. Ok, that's not really "why", but still. I like decorating for the seasons more than specific holidays per say. Oh, but how I love a bargain. I have to keep reminding myself that the point of the decisions we've made in light of our current situation is to KEEP IT SIMPLE, so we can really move forward. Cluttering up our space with things just because it's what we could afford, vs. making our home cozy and functional with items that we LOVE and can use will only defeat that purpose.
Out of everything we've lost this year I only really feel the loss of 2 items. Our couch - it was a sleeper AND had a storage space for extra blankets and linens in it. I don't know how we'll ever find anything even close to it. The other thing is a china cabinet, and that is because it had been in my family for many years. When I was a little girl, I used to look at it and dream of the day I'd have pretty things like that in my house when I grew up - and then I was blessed with THAT pretty thing, and now it's lost. The rest of the stuff is pretty easy to replace if we need it. My canning pot, and the few jars I'd accumalated during our first year of canning. I only had the hot water bath pot - not a pressure canner. Though I will one day ;-)
Oh well. The good news is the shelves were pretty raked over by the time I left work today, so with a little luck, I won't be so tempted next week.
After all, Big Changes are often accomplished through a series of little changes. And I'm so ready for those changes. I just have to remind myself of that every now and again ;-)
Back on a 'regular' schedule :-)
Meaning, I work today - and have tomorrow off - that's what usually gets me through Mondays Plus, the last load of laundry is in the dryer. DD and I had a relaxing girls day yesterday - DH left for work in the morning, and won't be home until Friday 
. We made the 'best' of it. Did our nails, our eyebrows, primped a little and watched a few 'chick flicks' on T.V. Tomorrow, we're going to my sisters for a baking day. Cookies, and bread - we're teaching my sister how to make yeast bread without the machine
Though I don't think she's up to the kneading yet - she just had surgery last week. Well, I'm going to read a bit before I leave for the day. Reading here reminds me why we're doing what we're doing :-)
Nothing definate yet, but ...
We might be getting moving into an apt. of our own sooner than we thought... My mom may have her 1br apt open in the next couple of weeks - she's offered to let us move into it.Of course, on the one hand - it's a 1 br. apt...But, Dh is out of town working during the week, so it'll be just DD and I. We don't have to worry about having too much stuff - we'll just aquire the things we need to fit the apt.
The rent is much cheaper than even a 2 br. apt. The extra $200 a month less in rent we could save towards a place of our very own.
We can't have an all out garden, but since it's ground level - I could easily maintain a container garden. That plus some herbs in window boxes could make it rather cozy.
It's even closer to my job than where we are now. And it's a closer walk to the bus stop. It's also less than a block away from my ex - which means my youngest son can WALK to come see us
Also, he's (my ex) had a heck of a time finding local work. We'd talked about us moving closer to him so the little guy could easily live between the two houses without too much adjusting to do...I'm so excited. But, we won't know for sure until the 18th of this month when it will be available.First Pictures of 2007
Well, we were a bit lazy yesterday ... but I did get a couple of pictures of the kids before their company left -
My Son and Daughter
My son and daughter with their friends from Rochester who were here for the weekend.
About that soup ...
I had actually made a double batch of the tortelini soup - thinking I'd have some to send the guys with when they went to work, and still have some for lunch at work. Well, DB had company coming for one of those pay per view things that night. Soup was on, so I offered it and for $14 it fed 8 adults and 5 teens so full, no one even wanted us to cook the chicken wings and other snacks we had purchased for the gathering...so it's still in the freezer for another day. There was enough for me to send home with one couple, and the last of it was eaten the very next day by a couple who had stayed the night, lol.New Year, New Blog
Happy New Year!It's a new year, and I'm here feeling full of hope and anticipation for the days ahead. It's filled me with ambition to make plans, set and reach goals to make this year better than the last.
While I'm aware I won't wake up tomorrow morning where I know need to be - I do plan on taking the first steps in getting there.
My blog here is where I'm going to keep track of my goals, sort out my plans, and keep track of progress through out the year. It probably won't make sense to anyone but me for now, but I hope it will be coming together soon. It's a little easier and safer for me to keep this online, because it will be easier to keep track of here, than on paper.
Hopefully, I'll figure out how to have catagories in my side bar. That will definately help - there's so many things I'd like to keep track of!
Menu Planning - something I've wanted to do for a long time now, but never seem to get into it. It's not that I'm ever at a loss of what to cook - but I'd really like to keep track of the cost per meal to help our budget, and be able to see where I can make better nutritional choices for my family. For now, I'll track what I prepare for meals with the recepies and what the cost was. I'm hoping that will create a base for me to start off with. I'd also like to start a price book - which won't be kept online, since I will have to keep it with me while I'm shopping.
Stocking the pantry - It's a 'thing' with me. I'm happier when I have a full pantry. We're starting over, and it's hard for me to see how to do it. We always had a well stocked pantry, so I know I can do it...starting from scratch though, it's different! But, for budgeting reasons (time and finances), and peace of mind (mine), not to mention the help it will be in menu planning, it has to happen. So, it will.
Crafts - I would like to make more home made gifts this year. I sew and crochet - but with 3 kids, 3 step kids, and NINE grandchildren ... I really need to be working on something on a regular basis... Of course, I'll have to keep track of what I make and for whom ... not to mention where I stash it once it's completed! I'm thinking that I'll purchase some gift boxes and keep a picture of what's in it taped on the side with a note of who it's intended for and for when. That way I can keep it on the shelf in our closet. I'll keep a dryer fabric softener sheet in it to keep it fresh, too.
Since we're starting over - it seems to be an oppertunity for me to work on having the home made home of our dreams. We only have one comforter left of our own and it's not in the 'best' condition... DD and I will work on afghans and quilts, and any other 'soft' items we can for our new home. We can't do a lot in the way of curtains until we know what size/how many windows we'll have - but I am keeping an eye out for deals on fabric that make us swoon
Homeschooling - I'd like to have something online to show DD's progress. Something to help family and friends keep up with what she's up to. I also think it will encourage her to keep things moving along ...
Finances - I really need to learn how to budget. Track what we're saving, where - and SAVE it. I've no problems with being frugal, but all of our efforts seem to get lost in some kind of void. It's time to break the cycle of week to week...
Personal - Quit Smoking. For health, and financial reasons. Not to mention the time...It just encourages laziness in me. Even if I'm just taking a break, there are better and more fulfilling ways to use even a few minutes here and there ... I know this. Maybe now that it's here - I can keep it more readily in mind.
Exercise Regularly - I'm on my feet for 8 hours a day at work - but it's a pharmacy so, I'm not really working much off at work, but I'm tired when I get home! I walk to and from the bus stop it's just not enough of a walk to make me think it's doing much. I don't want to gain a lot (more) weight from quitting smoking. I have a chronic back problem, and that will just exasperate it.
I think that's about it for now. It's almost 6am, and I should get at least a nap in
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