2009.
Why this year sucked (for me)...
1. Unemployment:
During the first three months of the new year I knew I would be losing my job, eventually. Sure enough at the end of March two of us were let go. My Mom & Dad, Mom & Dad in law, Sister in law, best friend and several other people that I know were all let go as well (some in 2008) and most are still unemployed.
2. Foreclosure:
We decided to give up our house in June. First we tried a loan modification, which they wouldn't do because we were still current on our loan, with no late payments. Next we tried to short sell it, which they wouldn't do without us first signing a promissory note in the amount of $15,000 payable over 10 years - no thanks! And our last option was to foreclose, which will be effective January 2010. No biggie - we'll move on.
3. Hospitals and Losses:
Well, my Grandma Owens passed away at the beginning of 2009 and my Uncle Gary Owens during the middle of 2009. My Aunt Mildred fell, broke her leg and hip (this after having a hip replacement) and is still not doing so well at the hospital, my Grandpa Smith fell the day before Thanksgiving and had slight bleeding on his brain, he was released two days later and a weekend after that my Grandma Smith was at the ER for her eye - which she now has to have surgery on. My Dad has been having issues with his leg (which seems to be getting better) and my Mom had to have neurosurgery on her lower spine (which she is doing well from). Several other family members have been in and out of the hospital for various reasons as well. More so than usual.
On a more positive note...
Nine months after I was laid off I received an email that the company I used to work for needed some help, so I came back to work for them as a regular part-time employee with a 3% pay raise (started December 12th). Hopefully this will be more permanent an I can learn and grow more from the experience of being laid off. I have learned the value of having a job and will (hopefully) no longer complain about having to go to work, or do the things expected of me. I am grateful to be working again. We had a vacation in Cabo that was memorable, especially with the majority of those in attendance being unemployed at the time. This year has definately pointed out our financial flaws and we've learned how to improve upon them. I think we've been doing well. We've managed to pay off every one of our credit cards and our savings account is continually growing. I got to see my brother and his family from Arizona as well as my Aunt and Uncle and cousins from Colorado, aside from the incident with my Grandpa - this made for a great and memorable Thanksgiving - it was nice to have everyone together (with a cardboard cut-out makeshift Grandpa).
The way this year has ended is giving me hope that 2010 will be better for everyone.
Here's to ending 2009 on a positive note. *cheers*
Plans for 2010? (no not resolutions, I have my list for that).
--Vacation with just Craig and I (Brazil? Ireland? Tropical Getaway? Europe?)
--Moving out of the in-laws place (House? Apartment? Condo?..who knows!)
Monday, December 28, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
When it rains...
...it pours gumdrops and lolly-pops!!
I got a job!! Well, actually I got my old job, back! Apparently the lone designer they kept working when I was let go was getting overloaded with projects to work on. Nine months ago when I was let go there were only four projects on the project board and now the board is filled up. This is a good sign of things to come for the company as most people are not doing construction projects during the holidays. As my boss has said, if you don't have much going on at this time of the year, then your next year will have even less, but if you do have projects going on then you'll have a good year. At least that's the trend he's seen in his 25+ years of experience (so I think I'll take his word on it).
Based on the projects on the board they think that it should take us through the next four months. My boss is hoping longer and hoping that they won't have to cut-back again (as I would, again be the one they cut). Fortunately they put me on payroll instead of a contract position, so in the event they have to let me go again I can at least qualify for unemployment. Oh and the even better news is that I got about a 3% raise from my previous pay. I'll only be working three days a week for now, hopefully I can sneak a few days in here and there though.
Also at the same time my old company called me back I also set up an interview with Luxury Design. Its for a residential design assistant position in Rancho Santa Fe. I don't know what the pay is, what the hours would be or really too much about the company so it'll be an informational interview, three days before Christmas. I am doubtful that they'll pay me more than I am getting currently, but we'll see. I do know that I would get a minimum of 32 hours a week, which I am not getting at my current job (24) but it'll all depend on the pay rate as it's also an hour away from home (the pay would have to compensate for the travel). Another thing is that I don't have much experience in residential design. It is something I'd like to get into (professionally) at some point, but my confidence in that area is low.
The funny part about all of this happening this past week was that I had JUST begun working on my portfolio so that I could include it with my resume on my job hunt. Oh the irony.
The negative this month: I have yet to get an unemployment check from the past month. I should have received two by now, so it's really affecting our bank account and ability to knock out the last credit card we have. I won't get paid for another two weeks so hopefully I'll get something before then and get caught back up on our bills.
If I am not offered the residential design position (or it's not what I want, if offered), I think I'll sign up for classes at cadteacher.com they offer online and onsight classes for Auto CAD (computer aided drafting). It's roughly a thousand bucks to take all of the classes needed to get certification in AutoCAD. Basically starting you in the introduction class, then intermediate, advanced, project management and finally the exam certification prep class. All of the classes are four hours each day, two days a week, for two to three weeks with the exception of the prep class which is only a few hours in one day. I would want to take the onsight classes as I am not a big fan of computer learning (what if I have a question??). The only drawback is that they are located in Pt. Loma - such a long drive to make for a lengthy class. I think if I could suck it up and deal, then it'll be worth it in the end. Plus I could always stay at my bestest's place (if not my parents)!!
As I posted on Twitter the other day "Things seem to be looking up, for me. Hopefully things will get better for others before 2009's end so we can start 2010 on the right foot!"
I got a job!! Well, actually I got my old job, back! Apparently the lone designer they kept working when I was let go was getting overloaded with projects to work on. Nine months ago when I was let go there were only four projects on the project board and now the board is filled up. This is a good sign of things to come for the company as most people are not doing construction projects during the holidays. As my boss has said, if you don't have much going on at this time of the year, then your next year will have even less, but if you do have projects going on then you'll have a good year. At least that's the trend he's seen in his 25+ years of experience (so I think I'll take his word on it).
Based on the projects on the board they think that it should take us through the next four months. My boss is hoping longer and hoping that they won't have to cut-back again (as I would, again be the one they cut). Fortunately they put me on payroll instead of a contract position, so in the event they have to let me go again I can at least qualify for unemployment. Oh and the even better news is that I got about a 3% raise from my previous pay. I'll only be working three days a week for now, hopefully I can sneak a few days in here and there though.
Also at the same time my old company called me back I also set up an interview with Luxury Design. Its for a residential design assistant position in Rancho Santa Fe. I don't know what the pay is, what the hours would be or really too much about the company so it'll be an informational interview, three days before Christmas. I am doubtful that they'll pay me more than I am getting currently, but we'll see. I do know that I would get a minimum of 32 hours a week, which I am not getting at my current job (24) but it'll all depend on the pay rate as it's also an hour away from home (the pay would have to compensate for the travel). Another thing is that I don't have much experience in residential design. It is something I'd like to get into (professionally) at some point, but my confidence in that area is low.
The funny part about all of this happening this past week was that I had JUST begun working on my portfolio so that I could include it with my resume on my job hunt. Oh the irony.
The negative this month: I have yet to get an unemployment check from the past month. I should have received two by now, so it's really affecting our bank account and ability to knock out the last credit card we have. I won't get paid for another two weeks so hopefully I'll get something before then and get caught back up on our bills.
If I am not offered the residential design position (or it's not what I want, if offered), I think I'll sign up for classes at cadteacher.com they offer online and onsight classes for Auto CAD (computer aided drafting). It's roughly a thousand bucks to take all of the classes needed to get certification in AutoCAD. Basically starting you in the introduction class, then intermediate, advanced, project management and finally the exam certification prep class. All of the classes are four hours each day, two days a week, for two to three weeks with the exception of the prep class which is only a few hours in one day. I would want to take the onsight classes as I am not a big fan of computer learning (what if I have a question??). The only drawback is that they are located in Pt. Loma - such a long drive to make for a lengthy class. I think if I could suck it up and deal, then it'll be worth it in the end. Plus I could always stay at my bestest's place (if not my parents)!!
As I posted on Twitter the other day "Things seem to be looking up, for me. Hopefully things will get better for others before 2009's end so we can start 2010 on the right foot!"
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Day 62 of 1001
Day 62 of 1001 status update of the list.
1.Get a job, any job...and then what I really want when it becomes available!
Well I worked a total of six days over the course of four weeks (the third of which I was sick and didn't work) with my friend Laurel packing wine glasses. All of the money I earned for that was "under the table" and has since been put toward "79. Pay off credit cards" so it was very beneficial to get this small side gig. I am hoping in the future they have little odd jobs for me to do so I can get a little more extra cash!
9.Attend a meet up for digital scrap booking [11/6/09]
I finally ended up going to one of these meet-ups, read about that here. I also managed to finish the book that I had a credit for. It turned out pretty well but I learned that I need to be a bit more careful when I proof future projects, there are a few things that bother me about the book (but they only bother me it seems).
28.Bake a different cake, cookies, muffins or brownies once a month [2/32]
Made Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins, which were very good. They were made with yogurt so it kept them really moist for days!
30.Paint my toe nails a new color each month [2/32]
I painted my toe nails a deep red shade this month. Not too fancy for a picture.
31.Wear my hair down at least once a week [in progress]
I actually went and had my hair cut and since then have worn my hair down more than once a week this past month, actually I think I've worn my hair down more than I have up!! It's had mostly good days but some bad ones in there too.
34.Get my art work/pieces framed [1 done, countless remaining]
I finally got my favorite flower that I drew my freshmen year of design school framed! It's done with pastels and very very chalky and when we moved I was afraid it'd get damaged. I've been babying it for over six years and it's been stuck to the walls with thumb tacks - it's about time I got it framed!! I still have several other things that need to be framed but they are currently packed and sitting in our storage unit. I may pull a few things at a time to get them framed though, I know of a few that we could actually hang up in our room.
38.Make everyone's gifts for one Christmas
I made soap (I also bought gifts, this was just for fun).
I also made my Dad's gift which I will post up after Christmas, although I may not cause I might just market the idea!!!
55.Have an outing/event with a minimum of two friends once a month [2/32]
Went to see New Moon with Krystle, Craig, Amber, & my brother the day after Thanksgiving.
62.Add friends and families birthdays and anniversaries to calendar (with years)
Horray for facebook and a big chunk of my family (and friends) for posting their birthdays publicly and sharing their anniversaries with me. I got a big chunk of this done just by hitting up the events page!!
79.Pay off credit cards [ONE left]
Huzzah... only one left between the two of us and it's below the $1k mark. Wahhooo!! I just made one payment on it today and hoping to make a second and final payment before December's end. Good way to kick off the new the year, don't ya think?!
83.See Michael Jackson's 'This is It' in theaters
Failed. The time line just didn't work out in my favor. If any theaters happen to be playing it still, I'll go soon.
84.See New Moon with at least 3 friends
We went and saw New Moon on 11/27 and it was much better than the first movie, but not great. The on screen chemistry is still NOT there for Edward and Bella. I think that's the part that bothers me the most because in the books you fall in love with their type of love and it's just not believable. And of course they cut parts of the book out and modified bits here and there, which is understandable to get it into a decent movie time. Although I wouldn't mind a 5 hour movie with an intermission.
89.Sell all of the items we currently have on craigslist [4/6 +Misc]
I managed to sell 4 items in one week. I still have 2 higher priced items up for sale on craigslist. Hoping to sell them soon. The money I got for the 4 items also went toward "79. Pay off credit cards".
91.Make a chore/errands schedule (and stick to it)
I have yet to make a chore/errands schedule because of where we're living now. It's difficult to plan when I am going to clean something because my in-laws don't have a set schedule of when they clean or do things, they just do (and tend to do, before I do).
92.Take 30 minutes everyday to do a chore/clean
I haven't done this either, but I have been keeping up with picking up after myself and my husband. I have yet to be overwhelmed with multiple cleaning tasks, so I feel good about where I am at on this one!
Not too much completed when I look at the entire list, but I have quite a while to get things checked off. Hopefully 2010 will be better to all of us and I can get cranking away on the list faster and easier.
1.Get a job, any job...and then what I really want when it becomes available!
Well I worked a total of six days over the course of four weeks (the third of which I was sick and didn't work) with my friend Laurel packing wine glasses. All of the money I earned for that was "under the table" and has since been put toward "79. Pay off credit cards" so it was very beneficial to get this small side gig. I am hoping in the future they have little odd jobs for me to do so I can get a little more extra cash!
9.Attend a meet up for digital scrap booking [11/6/09]
I finally ended up going to one of these meet-ups, read about that here. I also managed to finish the book that I had a credit for. It turned out pretty well but I learned that I need to be a bit more careful when I proof future projects, there are a few things that bother me about the book (but they only bother me it seems).
28.Bake a different cake, cookies, muffins or brownies once a month [2/32]
Made Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins, which were very good. They were made with yogurt so it kept them really moist for days!
30.Paint my toe nails a new color each month [2/32]
I painted my toe nails a deep red shade this month. Not too fancy for a picture.
31.Wear my hair down at least once a week [in progress]
I actually went and had my hair cut and since then have worn my hair down more than once a week this past month, actually I think I've worn my hair down more than I have up!! It's had mostly good days but some bad ones in there too.
34.Get my art work/pieces framed [1 done, countless remaining]
I finally got my favorite flower that I drew my freshmen year of design school framed! It's done with pastels and very very chalky and when we moved I was afraid it'd get damaged. I've been babying it for over six years and it's been stuck to the walls with thumb tacks - it's about time I got it framed!! I still have several other things that need to be framed but they are currently packed and sitting in our storage unit. I may pull a few things at a time to get them framed though, I know of a few that we could actually hang up in our room.
38.Make everyone's gifts for one Christmas
I made soap (I also bought gifts, this was just for fun).
I also made my Dad's gift which I will post up after Christmas, although I may not cause I might just market the idea!!!
55.Have an outing/event with a minimum of two friends once a month [2/32]
Went to see New Moon with Krystle, Craig, Amber, & my brother the day after Thanksgiving.
62.Add friends and families birthdays and anniversaries to calendar (with years)
Horray for facebook and a big chunk of my family (and friends) for posting their birthdays publicly and sharing their anniversaries with me. I got a big chunk of this done just by hitting up the events page!!
79.Pay off credit cards [ONE left]
Huzzah... only one left between the two of us and it's below the $1k mark. Wahhooo!! I just made one payment on it today and hoping to make a second and final payment before December's end. Good way to kick off the new the year, don't ya think?!
83.See Michael Jackson's 'This is It' in theaters
Failed. The time line just didn't work out in my favor. If any theaters happen to be playing it still, I'll go soon.
84.See New Moon with at least 3 friends
We went and saw New Moon on 11/27 and it was much better than the first movie, but not great. The on screen chemistry is still NOT there for Edward and Bella. I think that's the part that bothers me the most because in the books you fall in love with their type of love and it's just not believable. And of course they cut parts of the book out and modified bits here and there, which is understandable to get it into a decent movie time. Although I wouldn't mind a 5 hour movie with an intermission.
89.Sell all of the items we currently have on craigslist [4/6 +Misc]
I managed to sell 4 items in one week. I still have 2 higher priced items up for sale on craigslist. Hoping to sell them soon. The money I got for the 4 items also went toward "79. Pay off credit cards".
91.Make a chore/errands schedule (and stick to it)
I have yet to make a chore/errands schedule because of where we're living now. It's difficult to plan when I am going to clean something because my in-laws don't have a set schedule of when they clean or do things, they just do (and tend to do, before I do).
92.Take 30 minutes everyday to do a chore/clean
I haven't done this either, but I have been keeping up with picking up after myself and my husband. I have yet to be overwhelmed with multiple cleaning tasks, so I feel good about where I am at on this one!
Not too much completed when I look at the entire list, but I have quite a while to get things checked off. Hopefully 2010 will be better to all of us and I can get cranking away on the list faster and easier.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Finishing the Cider
This is an update to my Hard Cider is Easy post.
We finally got around to bottling and kegging the hard cider. I think we waited longer than we should have to get to this point but we finally did it. This is what one of the one gallon jugs looked like after it fermented in the jug for about a month and a half (3 weeks would have sufficed). You can see that the yeast went crazy and bubbled out of the container (which is why an air-lock with a bubbler would have been better to use).
We started off by sanatizing everything we were going to use.
We then boiled about 2 shot glasses of sugar with enough water to allow the sugar to dissolve, let it cool to room temperature and then poured the jug of cider into the pot.
Very carefully poured this mixture into the bottles.
And finally, we capped them and put them back into the temperature controlled freezer set to about 68*.
The reason we added sugar to the mixture was to allow the cider to get bubbly in the bottles. We tasted one of the bottles we did of the Raspberry Cider and I wasn't pleased with it yet, but it has potential. We'll let it sit a while. The regular apple cider that Craig did 5 gallons of, smelled WONDERFUL!! He kegged it and now we're letting it sit a while. I am sure we'll be enjoying it with company for Thanksgiving and Christmas this year!!
We finally got around to bottling and kegging the hard cider. I think we waited longer than we should have to get to this point but we finally did it. This is what one of the one gallon jugs looked like after it fermented in the jug for about a month and a half (3 weeks would have sufficed). You can see that the yeast went crazy and bubbled out of the container (which is why an air-lock with a bubbler would have been better to use).
We started off by sanatizing everything we were going to use.
We then boiled about 2 shot glasses of sugar with enough water to allow the sugar to dissolve, let it cool to room temperature and then poured the jug of cider into the pot.
Very carefully poured this mixture into the bottles.
And finally, we capped them and put them back into the temperature controlled freezer set to about 68*.
The reason we added sugar to the mixture was to allow the cider to get bubbly in the bottles. We tasted one of the bottles we did of the Raspberry Cider and I wasn't pleased with it yet, but it has potential. We'll let it sit a while. The regular apple cider that Craig did 5 gallons of, smelled WONDERFUL!! He kegged it and now we're letting it sit a while. I am sure we'll be enjoying it with company for Thanksgiving and Christmas this year!!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Cheeseburger Casserole
I am posting this recipe upon request. I had a facebook status saying that I was making this recipe because my Mom used to make it and I thought it was yummy so I wanted to try it. After making it I did have some thoughts so I'll post those too!
Cheeseburger Casserole (Serves 4-6)
6 Medium potatoes, cooked and cubed*
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
4 tablespoons A1 Steak Sauce (or equavalent)
1 lb. extra lean ground beef
6 slices processed American cheese
1. Spread cooked potatoes in buttered 8" x 12" shallow baking pan.
**The pan I used was not buttered, I don't see why you'd have to do this as nothing stuck to the pan I used (a glass pirex dish).
2. In 2-quart sauce pan, melt butter. Stir in flour. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add milk, seasonings, and 2 tablespoons of A1. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Pour sauce over potatoes.
**I mixed all of these ingredients except for the flour and cooked it until just before boiling then slowly sifted in the flour - worked out fine and seemed faster.
3. Mix beef with remaining 2 tables spoons of A1. Form 6 patties. Arrainge on top of sauce/potatoes.
**It's much easier to just crumble the ground beef on top. I would even suggest adding a little more A1 to it if you like the flavor of A1.
4. Bake in preheated 375* oven for 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
**Or in the microwave until beef is cooked thoroughly, which for me took about 20 minutes.
5. Place cheese slices over meat patties. Continue baking for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Ok.. my overall notes (per the way my Mom made this) and my suggestions:
- When you're cooking the potatoes, do it as if you were going to make mashed potatoes (peel, cube into bite size pieces and boil) only not quite as long. You don't want the potatoes to be mushy, but if you can cut them with the side of your fork then that should be good. Roughly a 20 minute boil.
- Pre-cooking the ground beef before putting on top of the potato mixture. This would ensure that the beef is cooked throughly and evenly. When I was cooking this (per recipe) it seemed to take a while for it to be cooked all the way and the edges were over cooked. You could also pour off the grease and it'd be a healthier dish.
- I used way more than six slices of cheese, I used enough to cover the top of the entire mixture. Everyone seems to love the cheese/ground beef part the best too, so the more cheese the better, I think. I even thought of just using shredded cheese over the top too (cheddar and mozzarella mix).
- My father in law suggested adding sliced ortega chili's to the mix, which sounded really good. Both he and my husband put salsa on their plates too. I imagine this meal would be great with anything you'd put on a cheeseburger.
So there you have it. Let me know if you end up trying this. It's super simple and most people like it.
Cheeseburger Casserole (Serves 4-6)
6 Medium potatoes, cooked and cubed*
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
4 tablespoons A1 Steak Sauce (or equavalent)
1 lb. extra lean ground beef
6 slices processed American cheese
1. Spread cooked potatoes in buttered 8" x 12" shallow baking pan.
**The pan I used was not buttered, I don't see why you'd have to do this as nothing stuck to the pan I used (a glass pirex dish).
2. In 2-quart sauce pan, melt butter. Stir in flour. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add milk, seasonings, and 2 tablespoons of A1. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Pour sauce over potatoes.
**I mixed all of these ingredients except for the flour and cooked it until just before boiling then slowly sifted in the flour - worked out fine and seemed faster.
3. Mix beef with remaining 2 tables spoons of A1. Form 6 patties. Arrainge on top of sauce/potatoes.
**It's much easier to just crumble the ground beef on top. I would even suggest adding a little more A1 to it if you like the flavor of A1.
4. Bake in preheated 375* oven for 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
**Or in the microwave until beef is cooked thoroughly, which for me took about 20 minutes.
5. Place cheese slices over meat patties. Continue baking for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Ok.. my overall notes (per the way my Mom made this) and my suggestions:
- When you're cooking the potatoes, do it as if you were going to make mashed potatoes (peel, cube into bite size pieces and boil) only not quite as long. You don't want the potatoes to be mushy, but if you can cut them with the side of your fork then that should be good. Roughly a 20 minute boil.
- Pre-cooking the ground beef before putting on top of the potato mixture. This would ensure that the beef is cooked throughly and evenly. When I was cooking this (per recipe) it seemed to take a while for it to be cooked all the way and the edges were over cooked. You could also pour off the grease and it'd be a healthier dish.
- I used way more than six slices of cheese, I used enough to cover the top of the entire mixture. Everyone seems to love the cheese/ground beef part the best too, so the more cheese the better, I think. I even thought of just using shredded cheese over the top too (cheddar and mozzarella mix).
- My father in law suggested adding sliced ortega chili's to the mix, which sounded really good. Both he and my husband put salsa on their plates too. I imagine this meal would be great with anything you'd put on a cheeseburger.
So there you have it. Let me know if you end up trying this. It's super simple and most people like it.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Digital Scrap-booking Meetup
Well I checked off another item on my list: "9. Attend a meetup for digital scrap-booking."
I have been interested in converting to digital scrap-booking for a while now and my mother in law bought me a 3 month membership and 8x8 storybook through Heritage Makers for my birthday in August. I am just now getting into it and will be activating my membership so that I have access to all of the fancy "papers" and embellishments. I had joined a meetup group for digital scrap-booking a while ago, not thinking it was part of the same Heritage Makers group and have had other things going on when they'd have meetups in my area, so I haven't been able to attend. They finally had one today at the Starbucks down the street from me so I decided to go to it. Last night I had been playing around with some pages trying to figure out the program on my own and did a pretty good job with the cover and five pages about our last vacation to Cabo San Lucas. When I showed up to the meetup, I met with two consultants and another meetup member who was getting a tutorial about the program. I sat down with one of the consultants and she began to show me how to use the program, I discovered that I knew more than I thought and she didn't have much new to teach me. I even showed her a few things I picked up on my own when I was playing with the program the night before. I guess the photoshop training I got in school paid off. The program they use is very similar to many of the features used in photoshop, although a lot of the short-key methods don't work - which is kind of annoying when I am used to using it that way...."ctrl+shift+v" works for some things but hitting "enter" when you're cropping doesn't work so you have to actually click "done" for it to work. Just a bit of getting used to.
The other consultants were at a loss as far as what they could teach me, 'cause I already knew more than they thought I did. The consultant that my mother in law purchased the gift from did teach me a few things and I can't wait to get started using the new techniques. They suggested I'd make a good consultant, too - I am considering it, but would prefer to have a steady M-F full time job before doing it. It would for sure be more of a hobby thing for me and I have plenty of friends who may find this way of keeping their memories useful. They also have many gift ideas and greeting card templates available!! I know I wouldn't be making enough as a consultant for it to be better than what I am getting through unemployment, plus there arent any benefits so that would be the deal breaker. Once I get a full time job though, I will consider this on the side. I know it'd be worth it because I could get all of my own personal projects done at a cheaper price, if not free. That in itself would be awesome!!
I will most likely attend more meetups with this group, they are fun people to be around and if they aren't actually teaching me anything about the program or products, I can actually get a lot of my projects done without distractions!!
I have been interested in converting to digital scrap-booking for a while now and my mother in law bought me a 3 month membership and 8x8 storybook through Heritage Makers for my birthday in August. I am just now getting into it and will be activating my membership so that I have access to all of the fancy "papers" and embellishments. I had joined a meetup group for digital scrap-booking a while ago, not thinking it was part of the same Heritage Makers group and have had other things going on when they'd have meetups in my area, so I haven't been able to attend. They finally had one today at the Starbucks down the street from me so I decided to go to it. Last night I had been playing around with some pages trying to figure out the program on my own and did a pretty good job with the cover and five pages about our last vacation to Cabo San Lucas. When I showed up to the meetup, I met with two consultants and another meetup member who was getting a tutorial about the program. I sat down with one of the consultants and she began to show me how to use the program, I discovered that I knew more than I thought and she didn't have much new to teach me. I even showed her a few things I picked up on my own when I was playing with the program the night before. I guess the photoshop training I got in school paid off. The program they use is very similar to many of the features used in photoshop, although a lot of the short-key methods don't work - which is kind of annoying when I am used to using it that way...."ctrl+shift+v" works for some things but hitting "enter" when you're cropping doesn't work so you have to actually click "done" for it to work. Just a bit of getting used to.
The other consultants were at a loss as far as what they could teach me, 'cause I already knew more than they thought I did. The consultant that my mother in law purchased the gift from did teach me a few things and I can't wait to get started using the new techniques. They suggested I'd make a good consultant, too - I am considering it, but would prefer to have a steady M-F full time job before doing it. It would for sure be more of a hobby thing for me and I have plenty of friends who may find this way of keeping their memories useful. They also have many gift ideas and greeting card templates available!! I know I wouldn't be making enough as a consultant for it to be better than what I am getting through unemployment, plus there arent any benefits so that would be the deal breaker. Once I get a full time job though, I will consider this on the side. I know it'd be worth it because I could get all of my own personal projects done at a cheaper price, if not free. That in itself would be awesome!!
I will most likely attend more meetups with this group, they are fun people to be around and if they aren't actually teaching me anything about the program or products, I can actually get a lot of my projects done without distractions!!
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Day 32 of 1001
A month into my list, what's going on?
1.Get a job, any job...and then what I really want when it becomes available!
Well, technically I am still unemployed. My friend Laurel let me know about the job she does packing GoVino wine glasses and I've been going two days a week for the last two weeks or so and will be working four days this next week. They are paying me cash so it won't affect my unemployment and it's work! It's nothing permanent, just extra cash.
14.See a Broadway show live at least once:
Saw Disney's The Lion King at the Civic Theater in San Diego.
32.Learn to use my 4 cup coffee maker properly:
I did this on 10/14/09 and learned that it was a quantity of ground coffee beans issue (ex: follow instructions in book, not on bag of coffee beans) and not the coffee makers fault. I also figured out how to set the delay brew so it'll brew before I even get up. It's such a simple machine, I can't believe it took me 3 years to actually take the time to figure it out. Now I just need to find coffee I like - Starbucks Breakfast Blend is too weak.
41.Learn how to sew:
Well I did another sewing project for my Halloween costume this year and learned a bit more than I already knew. I also learned that I knew more than I thought I did when I helped my friend Krystle with her costume. We shopped for a pattern and materials we'd need and did a pretty good job of finding things (with minor help of a friendly shopper in the store). Later in the evening I realized I knew how to lay and cut out a pattern and found myself showing her how to do bits here and there (we had help from my Moms friend Carol for the majority of it though). Marked as 1/2 complete, it'll be full once I am confident enough to have a sewing project I can do without questions or hesitation.
50.Go camping:
We went camping over the first weekend in October for TVHA's first Oktoberfest.
79.Pay off credit cards:
All but ONE left (it helps when you don't pay/have your mortgage) ;-)
89.Sell all of the items we currently have on craigslist
Well, I actually weeded through everything we had posted and decided to good-will a lot of it, but I posted a bunch of other items which I have sold 3 of 5 higher priced items so far. The miscellaneous little stuff remains.
93.Improve posture (get back brace thing):
I've purchased and used the back brace a few times. It's difficult to wear for long periods of time but I am working on it! I need to figure out a way to get the bottom straps to not fall when I move around in the thing (it causes the brace to not work as it should). Marked this as 1/2 complete.
ON-GOING:
10.Read a book (borrowed from friends) once a month [0/32]:
Well, I actually borrowed the Sookie Stackhouse (True Blood) novels by Charlaine Harris from Krystle a while ago - WOW now that I think about it I borrowed them four months ago! She was also going to lend me her copy of Twilight so I could catch up before New Moon comes out, but she forgot. Either way I still haven't read anything for this month, I've been way too busy with moving, packing, birthaversary, and the side gig to even have a moment for myself. I'll try to read two books next month to make up for it.
28.Bake a different cake, cookies, muffins or brownies once a month [1/32]:
I baked Honey Bars on 09/29 and I am counting this as my October baking, as it was for an October event and was the second try in two days at the same thing and I was baked out by the time I was done with it.Now that we've moved and shared all of our food we have double of everything - powdered sugar, sugar, flour, baking this and that...so I'll be baking up a storm.
30.Paint my toe nails a new color each month [1/32]:
I thought I'd get festive for Halloween:
(P.S. those are bats on the left and a haunted mansion with a ghost on the right)
31.Wear my hair down at least once a week:
So far so good - Although I wouldn't be able to tell you which days. The point is that I need to NOT wear my hair in a pony tail so often and I am slowly working on it.
37.Take 24 pictures per month of random/interesting people/objects/places etc [0/32]:
Oops. But I did take lots of pictures of Birthaversary, the dogs, and for sale items...just nothing too interesting.
55.Have an outing/event with a minimum of two friends once a month [1/32]:
Craig and I went to see Couples Retreat with my bestest and her boyfriend on 10/09
92.Take 30 minutes everyday to do a chore/clean:
Yea I didn't think this one would happen either. Again, the point isn't the daily activity, it's just a matter of teaching myself new habits. I've been packing instead of cleaning - if that counts (it is a chore to pack)? And since moving I have been keeping our stuff tidy, which is a new thing for me.
100.Update my blog when I complete items on this list [4/101]
I've been updating the main list as I complete things, but this is my detailed progress update.
1.Get a job, any job...and then what I really want when it becomes available!
Well, technically I am still unemployed. My friend Laurel let me know about the job she does packing GoVino wine glasses and I've been going two days a week for the last two weeks or so and will be working four days this next week. They are paying me cash so it won't affect my unemployment and it's work! It's nothing permanent, just extra cash.
14.See a Broadway show live at least once:
Saw Disney's The Lion King at the Civic Theater in San Diego.
32.Learn to use my 4 cup coffee maker properly:
I did this on 10/14/09 and learned that it was a quantity of ground coffee beans issue (ex: follow instructions in book, not on bag of coffee beans) and not the coffee makers fault. I also figured out how to set the delay brew so it'll brew before I even get up. It's such a simple machine, I can't believe it took me 3 years to actually take the time to figure it out. Now I just need to find coffee I like - Starbucks Breakfast Blend is too weak.
41.Learn how to sew:
Well I did another sewing project for my Halloween costume this year and learned a bit more than I already knew. I also learned that I knew more than I thought I did when I helped my friend Krystle with her costume. We shopped for a pattern and materials we'd need and did a pretty good job of finding things (with minor help of a friendly shopper in the store). Later in the evening I realized I knew how to lay and cut out a pattern and found myself showing her how to do bits here and there (we had help from my Moms friend Carol for the majority of it though). Marked as 1/2 complete, it'll be full once I am confident enough to have a sewing project I can do without questions or hesitation.
50.Go camping:
We went camping over the first weekend in October for TVHA's first Oktoberfest.
79.Pay off credit cards:
All but ONE left (it helps when you don't pay/have your mortgage) ;-)
89.Sell all of the items we currently have on craigslist
Well, I actually weeded through everything we had posted and decided to good-will a lot of it, but I posted a bunch of other items which I have sold 3 of 5 higher priced items so far. The miscellaneous little stuff remains.
93.Improve posture (get back brace thing):
I've purchased and used the back brace a few times. It's difficult to wear for long periods of time but I am working on it! I need to figure out a way to get the bottom straps to not fall when I move around in the thing (it causes the brace to not work as it should). Marked this as 1/2 complete.
ON-GOING:
10.Read a book (borrowed from friends) once a month [0/32]:
Well, I actually borrowed the Sookie Stackhouse (True Blood) novels by Charlaine Harris from Krystle a while ago - WOW now that I think about it I borrowed them four months ago! She was also going to lend me her copy of Twilight so I could catch up before New Moon comes out, but she forgot. Either way I still haven't read anything for this month, I've been way too busy with moving, packing, birthaversary, and the side gig to even have a moment for myself. I'll try to read two books next month to make up for it.
28.Bake a different cake, cookies, muffins or brownies once a month [1/32]:
I baked Honey Bars on 09/29 and I am counting this as my October baking, as it was for an October event and was the second try in two days at the same thing and I was baked out by the time I was done with it.Now that we've moved and shared all of our food we have double of everything - powdered sugar, sugar, flour, baking this and that...so I'll be baking up a storm.
30.Paint my toe nails a new color each month [1/32]:
I thought I'd get festive for Halloween:
(P.S. those are bats on the left and a haunted mansion with a ghost on the right)
31.Wear my hair down at least once a week:
So far so good - Although I wouldn't be able to tell you which days. The point is that I need to NOT wear my hair in a pony tail so often and I am slowly working on it.
37.Take 24 pictures per month of random/interesting people/objects/places etc [0/32]:
Oops. But I did take lots of pictures of Birthaversary, the dogs, and for sale items...just nothing too interesting.
55.Have an outing/event with a minimum of two friends once a month [1/32]:
Craig and I went to see Couples Retreat with my bestest and her boyfriend on 10/09
92.Take 30 minutes everyday to do a chore/clean:
Yea I didn't think this one would happen either. Again, the point isn't the daily activity, it's just a matter of teaching myself new habits. I've been packing instead of cleaning - if that counts (it is a chore to pack)? And since moving I have been keeping our stuff tidy, which is a new thing for me.
100.Update my blog when I complete items on this list [4/101]
I've been updating the main list as I complete things, but this is my detailed progress update.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Birthaversary Phase 2
We finished texturing and painting the walls for the room at my parents house. We were all moving a bit slower this time, but we did get it done pretty quickly once we got started. We ran into a snafoo though - when we peeled off the tape from the wall we had finished last time, the paint and some of the texture came with it. My Dad said he'll fix it before Thanksgiving.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
The Lion King
My husband bought me tickets to see Disney's The Lion King at the Civic Theater in San Diego for my birthday. My favorite all time Disney movie is The Lion King, so needless to say I was thrilled to get the tickets (I did remind him that was what I wanted though). The show was last night and was absolutely amazing. They modified a few parts of the movie but it definately enhanced the overall feeling. I couldn't get over the props, costumes and the set. Actually the set itself was fairly simple, it was just interesting how they used the same backdrops and props and just changed the lighting to create a whole new mood. I could have watched the show over and over and still been amazed at everything all over again.
I love the theater and I love The Lion King.
I love the theater and I love The Lion King.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Moved / ing
Well, we finally moved into my in-laws place today. Officially a house full of Gardners haaah!! (does anyone else find that funny?) We decided to move this weekend a few days ago, after looking at what our weekends would be like before the holidays rolled around and this weekend worked the best. We've still got a bunch of things left at our "old house" that we need to pack up and put into storage but everything we need to live on is now moved over and we're going to be sleeping here for the first night, tonight. Tomorrow we plan on getting all of our food and miscellaneous items we couldn't fit into our cars, as well as our desk, file cabinet, and other office items. We ended up getting rid of more stuff today too, basically anything that we couldn't fit into our two closets. Craig has the one in our office/guest room and I have the one in our bedroom (and of course mine is organized yet still packed to the brim!!). I also got the dresser and Craig ended up having to hang everything he owns except socks. I'm not allowed to buy any more clothes, purses or shoes - sad times.
It'll be interesting living here. Between the four of us adults we have five small dogs (Roxy, Princess, Ginger, Yenna and Hef), one big dog (Bender) and two outdoor cats (Fred and Reeses). Currently there are four dogs curled up on our room right now, three on the bed and one on the floor - the other two are with Craig's parents at the trailer at Lake Hemet. Which reminds me, we also won't have our California King bed anymore, as it was too big to fit into our bedroom along with night stands and dressers and ourselves. My poor 6'-4" husband will have to suffice with the queen mattress his parents had as their guest bed. Its much more comfortable anyways.
I don't know how long we'll be living here, hopefully not TOO long. We're here because his parents are both unemployed, I'm unemployed and we're all going to help one another stay afloat/get afloat. It'll work out and the future looks promising so we're happy with the decision to move here.
It'll be interesting living here. Between the four of us adults we have five small dogs (Roxy, Princess, Ginger, Yenna and Hef), one big dog (Bender) and two outdoor cats (Fred and Reeses). Currently there are four dogs curled up on our room right now, three on the bed and one on the floor - the other two are with Craig's parents at the trailer at Lake Hemet. Which reminds me, we also won't have our California King bed anymore, as it was too big to fit into our bedroom along with night stands and dressers and ourselves. My poor 6'-4" husband will have to suffice with the queen mattress his parents had as their guest bed. Its much more comfortable anyways.
I don't know how long we'll be living here, hopefully not TOO long. We're here because his parents are both unemployed, I'm unemployed and we're all going to help one another stay afloat/get afloat. It'll work out and the future looks promising so we're happy with the decision to move here.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Costume Construction
I was trying to think of what I could be for Halloween this year and like the majority of women I wanted to go with the sexy-wouldn't-wear-this-on-a-normal-day costume (aka excuse to dress slutty). I first thought I'd be a pimptress again because no one really saw the costume, I have zero pictures of the costume and I wouldn't have to spend any money on it because I still had everything I would need. After dabbling over this idea I decided I wanted to be a hooker, cause I have these really awesome boots I wanted to wear. Not your traditional hooker though - Pretty Woman was the thought. They don't sell her hookin' outfit in stores though so I had to make it!
I started in my closet. I had this hanes undershirt that was a bit aged and I didn't care about chopping up for my costume. It retails for about $5 at walmart if you wanted to go buy one.
I then went to a thrift store to find something to use as the skirt portion of the costume. I found this women's size medium stretchy tank top that was the perfect color and would fit around my hips nicely ($3). I of course intended on chopping this up too. I turned both the white tank and blue tanks inside out and very carefully marked with a sharpie where I was going to cut out the sides of the dress. Careful not to push too hard with the sharpie cause I didn't want the ink to seep through. I also left an extra 1/4 inch for seam allowance.
I found an old t-shirt clip from the 80's in my Moms sewing supplies. It normally has a bar through the middle but you can see where I cut it out so it'd work with the costume. I only found one so I decided to use it on the front and just sew the back.
With my Moms assistance I hemmed each piece and sewed it all together. I had to put everything on every so often to make sure things were lining up properly and I wasn't showing my undergarments to everyone while wearing it.
The finished product turned out pretty well. My only issue is that I have a sway back and it's really obvious in a tight outfit. There wasn't any way to fix or disguise this in the outfit. I might wear a mens white dress shirt over this though, cause it'll get cold.
Total cost of the outfit was $3 (about $10 if you don't have a tank and t-clip). I just need to get a wig now. I'll add pictures of me in the costume to this post after Halloween.
Update 01/01/09: I went to buy the perfect wig only to find out it was $40. No way. So I went without and it worked out fine (I am so glad Vivian's wig comes off in the movie!!) Here is the result:
I started in my closet. I had this hanes undershirt that was a bit aged and I didn't care about chopping up for my costume. It retails for about $5 at walmart if you wanted to go buy one.
I then went to a thrift store to find something to use as the skirt portion of the costume. I found this women's size medium stretchy tank top that was the perfect color and would fit around my hips nicely ($3). I of course intended on chopping this up too. I turned both the white tank and blue tanks inside out and very carefully marked with a sharpie where I was going to cut out the sides of the dress. Careful not to push too hard with the sharpie cause I didn't want the ink to seep through. I also left an extra 1/4 inch for seam allowance.
I found an old t-shirt clip from the 80's in my Moms sewing supplies. It normally has a bar through the middle but you can see where I cut it out so it'd work with the costume. I only found one so I decided to use it on the front and just sew the back.
With my Moms assistance I hemmed each piece and sewed it all together. I had to put everything on every so often to make sure things were lining up properly and I wasn't showing my undergarments to everyone while wearing it.
The finished product turned out pretty well. My only issue is that I have a sway back and it's really obvious in a tight outfit. There wasn't any way to fix or disguise this in the outfit. I might wear a mens white dress shirt over this though, cause it'll get cold.
Total cost of the outfit was $3 (about $10 if you don't have a tank and t-clip). I just need to get a wig now. I'll add pictures of me in the costume to this post after Halloween.
Update 01/01/09: I went to buy the perfect wig only to find out it was $40. No way. So I went without and it worked out fine (I am so glad Vivian's wig comes off in the movie!!) Here is the result:
Monday, October 12, 2009
Birthaversary Phase 1 (and stuff)
My Mom's Birthday is August 23rd, Dads is October 16th and their Anniversary is November 18th.
Craig and I thought it'd be awesome to do a "little" project to celebrate my parents "Birthaversary" this year. My Mom had surgery on her spine on Tuesday so we also wanted to spend time visiting with her and I really wanted to do something that would help her get her house ready for Thanksgiving company. We decided to texture, paint, and install base boards in two of the rooms in their house. We both arrived at different times on Friday night. I arrived sometime around 3:30pm and my bestest Krystle came over because she wanted to make her Halloween costume and we needed to get the materials! We went out to JoAnns, Starbucks, Jack in the Box and then finally back to my parents. My Mom was expecting two of her sewing friends to come over to visit her so this worked out perfectly, since my Mom wasn't able to do much, her friend Carol helped Krystle cut out the pattern for her costume. Once that was done my Moms friends left and Krystle, Craig and I all left to see Couples Retreat and to finally meet Krystles boyfriend, Angel (whom I totally approve of). We got home about 1am and went to bed.
The next day we started what is now called phase one of Birthaversary. Over the course of the weekend we textured a total of two walls and then painted them, painted the base boards and installed them on those two walls. My Mom loves it so far and that is motivation enough to finish the rest of this project before Thanksgiving. I will post pictures of the final product once all phases are done, as I don't want to spoil the before and afters.
In other news, my friend Laurel works at Warner Springs and said that she could get me a few days of work with her (paying cash) so I took her up on the offer and spent today packing boxes and boxes and boxes of GoVino wine glasses with her. Going from minimal activity to this sudden burst of constant movement, lifting, getting up early, staying up late etc... is taking it's toll. I am SO exhausted physically but mentally I am keeping myself moving. It's nice to have something to do during the day. I will be joining her again tomorrow for the same thing and possibly more times in the future. Apparently there are 5 more pallets of unfolded boxes that need folding and packing into the shipping boxes for orders that come through. It's a lot of standing and repetative motions with my wrists and arms but it's money. I am still unemployed though.
Craig and I thought it'd be awesome to do a "little" project to celebrate my parents "Birthaversary" this year. My Mom had surgery on her spine on Tuesday so we also wanted to spend time visiting with her and I really wanted to do something that would help her get her house ready for Thanksgiving company. We decided to texture, paint, and install base boards in two of the rooms in their house. We both arrived at different times on Friday night. I arrived sometime around 3:30pm and my bestest Krystle came over because she wanted to make her Halloween costume and we needed to get the materials! We went out to JoAnns, Starbucks, Jack in the Box and then finally back to my parents. My Mom was expecting two of her sewing friends to come over to visit her so this worked out perfectly, since my Mom wasn't able to do much, her friend Carol helped Krystle cut out the pattern for her costume. Once that was done my Moms friends left and Krystle, Craig and I all left to see Couples Retreat and to finally meet Krystles boyfriend, Angel (whom I totally approve of). We got home about 1am and went to bed.
The next day we started what is now called phase one of Birthaversary. Over the course of the weekend we textured a total of two walls and then painted them, painted the base boards and installed them on those two walls. My Mom loves it so far and that is motivation enough to finish the rest of this project before Thanksgiving. I will post pictures of the final product once all phases are done, as I don't want to spoil the before and afters.
In other news, my friend Laurel works at Warner Springs and said that she could get me a few days of work with her (paying cash) so I took her up on the offer and spent today packing boxes and boxes and boxes of GoVino wine glasses with her. Going from minimal activity to this sudden burst of constant movement, lifting, getting up early, staying up late etc... is taking it's toll. I am SO exhausted physically but mentally I am keeping myself moving. It's nice to have something to do during the day. I will be joining her again tomorrow for the same thing and possibly more times in the future. Apparently there are 5 more pallets of unfolded boxes that need folding and packing into the shipping boxes for orders that come through. It's a lot of standing and repetative motions with my wrists and arms but it's money. I am still unemployed though.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Short Sale Frustration
I now understand why people begin to beat the crap out of their houses when they go into foreclosure. Not that I would be one of those people that would do that but I "get" how those people were feeling. We've struggled to make house payments for over a year now, roughly around when my hours got cut working for Stouse. At that time, we called the bank to see about getting our loan modified and were denied (a few times) due to the "inability to pay back the loan" (gee, really?!). About 6+ months ago I was laid off at Stouse, so making payments got even more difficult and we decided to short sale our home. At first we were just going to walk away but decided to go ahead and short sale it so that my credit wouldn't be as f*ed up (2 years vs 7 years). We got three offers on the house within the first two weeks and sent one in to the bank for approval. Now, there are a few departments that need to approve the sale before it is completely accepted. First is the bank and second is the mortgage insurance company. I just got a call today from our Realtor and she informed us that our bank approved it but the only way the mortgage insurance company will accept the short sale is if we sign a promissory note in the amount of $15,000 paid over the next 10 years with no interest unless we're late or miss a payment. I know that only equals $125 a month but it's for 10 years and that's still ridiculous to us. If we decide not to sign the promissory note then our house goes into foreclosure status. I understand that they would like to recoup as much money as they can, but at the same time it makes no sense to me that they would rather deny a short sale; in which they would be losing approximately $160k, and gain a foreclosure; in which they would stand to lose even more money, the house would sit unoccupied, unmaintained and stands the potential for break in's and squatters. Their method just seems too risky in this type of market and just irritates the hell out of us because we tried to avoid foreclosing only to have it happen anyways. This is about the time I started to feel like punching holes in the walls and ripping out sinks, plumbing, cabinets and the like. I won't, but I am tempted.
We talked this over and decided that we're not going to sign the promissory note and instead increase our monthly savings by $125 and in 10 years we'll actually have something to show for it. By then the foreclosure will be off my record and we'll be fine. If the bank doesn't want to work with me in this type of market, they can have the place, maintain it, and not profit a damn penny from it. I will say though, that it's kind of depressing to see all of our friends getting houses now that the market is better for them. We thought we were buying in a low market and it turned out to be just the beginning of the change in the market. Now we'll be screwed while prices are good, fantastic.
Live and learn.
We talked this over and decided that we're not going to sign the promissory note and instead increase our monthly savings by $125 and in 10 years we'll actually have something to show for it. By then the foreclosure will be off my record and we'll be fine. If the bank doesn't want to work with me in this type of market, they can have the place, maintain it, and not profit a damn penny from it. I will say though, that it's kind of depressing to see all of our friends getting houses now that the market is better for them. We thought we were buying in a low market and it turned out to be just the beginning of the change in the market. Now we'll be screwed while prices are good, fantastic.
Live and learn.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Oktoberfest
We went camping this weekend in Aguanga, California for TVHA's first Oktoberfest. We got there on Friday night to help set up and get things ready for Saturday's events. We also go to test out our new tent for the first time. The last time we went camping was in May and we had an old tent that my husband used when he was little. We set it up (in the wind) and discovered that it didn't really hold up in any kind of weather because the wind was blowing it flat to the ground and the zipper was broken. Thankfully one of the couples that was at that camping trip had room in their trailer for us to stay. I am so glad that we finally went out and bought ourselves a tent. With that said, we still suck at camping. The Oktoberfest was planned to have two potlucks, one was on Saturday night and was a German themed potluck dinner while the other was on Sunday morning as a potluck breakfast. We brought food for both potlucks, plates and utensils to share with everyone, food for our Friday night dinner, as well as beer to drink for Friday night and Saturday morning (everyone brought beer, of course). Stupidly, we forgot to think about breakfast and lunch on Saturday and didn't bring anything for ourselves to eat (and if we had, we had nothing of our own to cook it on). So by about 10am on Saturday I asked Craig if we could run to the store (50 minutes away, also right near our house) to get some monster energy drinks cause I wanted one then and knew I would want one on Sunday morning. As we headed home, we ran through Carls Jr and ran through the gas station for monsters as well as a snack for later. We got home to shower and brush our teeth, got shorts and different shoes, and then headed back to the camping, all the while laughing at what great campers we were! The next camping trip, we'll be more prepared (I hope)!!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Day 1 of 1001
1.Get a job, any job...and then what I really want when it becomes available!
I've managed to land an interview at the Macy's in Temecula. The interview is set for October 6th. I am so excited about this interview so wish me luck! I have been out of work since April, collecting my unemployment, applying for job after job, and sitting on my ass the rest of the time. I need to get up and moving and hopefully making more than what my unemployment is. I'll keep you posted.
14.See a Broadway show live at least once.
Well I think this should have read "an Off-Broadway show" My husband bought us tickets (for my birthday) to see The Lion King at the Civic Theater in San Diego on October 20th. I love him!
61.Update my address book with as many friends and family members as possible
62.Add friends and families birthdays and anniversaries to calendar (with years)
62.Add friends and families birthdays and anniversaries to calendar (with years)
I've started this process, it's just taking a while for my family and friends to respond to my inquiry.
93.Improve posture (get back brace thing)
I've ordered the back brace and should be getting it this week. It basically pulls my shoulders back thus improving my posture and eliminating the potential for lower back pains. I have wanted to correct my posture for a long time and after seeing a few recent candid pictures of myself it made me WAY more motivated to do so. I look like the stick version of The Hunchback.
98.Get 4 tickets to Ellen show
I managed to put in a request for tickets to this. They offer them three months in advance of show dates and tends to fill up fast. Once the request is put in, the producers call on a first come basis. So now I am just waiting for a call. The show I was able to request for was October 26th, but if they don't call then I get nothing and have to try again.
100.Update my blog when I complete items on this list [0/101]
So far so good, although nothing is 100% complete yet.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Kenidee's Project
I was so excited about how this project turned out and wanted to post it right away, but it was a gift for a friend of mine and I didn't want her to see any of it until she opened it up! I finished making these a few weeks ago and mailed out the package to her on Monday and she just got it today and opened it up. She really loved the gift and said she was in tears! This made me very happy because that was the reaction I was going for! A lot of my friends who knew I was up to something were interested to see what it was. So here is the project I made for baby Kenidee Oubre and her Mommy Nicole!
I got this idea from my friend Sheena, she added ribbons to a cute wall hanging she purchased to clip on all of the little bows girls end up with to keep them in one place, while doubling as cute art work for a little girls room. I just decided to make the whole thing from scratch!
..and of course not every hair accessory can be clipped so I just HAD to make a treasure box for all of those other little things girls need and love! This is the front and top of Kenidee's treasure box.
The back of the box.
And the inside with a mirror on the lid and a quote at the bottom that reads: "Follow your heart wherever it takes you, and be happy. Life is brief and very fragile and only loaned to us for a while. Wake up every morning with the thought that something wonderful is about to happen."
Of course Mom needs something to keep all of those little things in to remember how little her baby once was (cause unfortunately they don't stay little forever). So this is what I made for Nicole to put the hospital tags in, her first pair of shoes, bows, pictures and all of those little baby things!!
One side of the box reads "A Child is a Gift. A child to hold and cuddle, 'tis a gift from God above. And the world is so much brighter, when you have a child to love."
The other side reads "Nothing in life can hold more joys or more tears, can make you more proud or more tired, or give back more rewards than being a mother."
And inside the box reads "A mothers joy begins when a new life is stirring inside...when a tiny heartbeat is heard for the first time and a playful kick reminds her that she is never alone."
I love being crafty, especially when it's for someone else.
I got this idea from my friend Sheena, she added ribbons to a cute wall hanging she purchased to clip on all of the little bows girls end up with to keep them in one place, while doubling as cute art work for a little girls room. I just decided to make the whole thing from scratch!
..and of course not every hair accessory can be clipped so I just HAD to make a treasure box for all of those other little things girls need and love! This is the front and top of Kenidee's treasure box.
The back of the box.
And the inside with a mirror on the lid and a quote at the bottom that reads: "Follow your heart wherever it takes you, and be happy. Life is brief and very fragile and only loaned to us for a while. Wake up every morning with the thought that something wonderful is about to happen."
Of course Mom needs something to keep all of those little things in to remember how little her baby once was (cause unfortunately they don't stay little forever). So this is what I made for Nicole to put the hospital tags in, her first pair of shoes, bows, pictures and all of those little baby things!!
One side of the box reads "A Child is a Gift. A child to hold and cuddle, 'tis a gift from God above. And the world is so much brighter, when you have a child to love."
The other side reads "Nothing in life can hold more joys or more tears, can make you more proud or more tired, or give back more rewards than being a mother."
And inside the box reads "A mothers joy begins when a new life is stirring inside...when a tiny heartbeat is heard for the first time and a playful kick reminds her that she is never alone."
I love being crafty, especially when it's for someone else.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Honey Bars (Take 2)
So I wasn't satisfied with the Honey "Bars" I made previously and looked up another recipe. I like this one much better. German Honey Bars Lebkuchen
Again, I modified this recipe but only by one ingredient. Anyone know how expensive cardamom is? I do.
I ended up using ground cloves instead, I believe it's a completely different flavor but that is what I had in the cupboard and I wasn't about to spend $16 on something I've never used and the likelihood of using it again was slim! That and I know that cloves and cinnamon go well together. Anyways, I mixed everything up according to the recipe and spread it into a 15x17 cookie sheet (the kind with the sides) instead of a "jelly roll" pan, which I didn't have. The recipe says to spread the dough evenly into the prepared pan...well that wasn't easily done because the dough is incredibly sticky. It was like super thick peanut butter that only stuck to the spoon and not the prepared pan.
After spending about 10 minutes trying to spread the dough unsuccessfully I had an idea: use the back of a metal spoon and cooking spray (good ol' cooking spray). My idea paid off and after a few extra sprays on to the back of the spoon (when the dough started to stick) I finally had it evenly spread in the pan.
So because I was using a larger pan than the recipe called for I decreased my cooking time. I set it to 10 minutes to be safe and added minutes until I felt it was fully and evenly cooked. It ended up being about 15 minutes. When I read the glaze recipe I thought that the dry to wet ratio of ingredients was a tad off, but it worked out perfectly. If you're not into the lemony flavor you can use milk instead. Once they cooled down, I cut them into the recommended size pieces. Cutting was a little difficult as was getting them out of the pan. I suggest using a bendable spatula to get 6-8 out at a time, some might stick though.
These have a GREAT flavor and they reminded me of Christmas, I later discovered that "Lebkuchen is a traditional German product baked for Christmas, somewhat resembling soft gingerbread." - Wikipedia
Go figure.
Again, I modified this recipe but only by one ingredient. Anyone know how expensive cardamom is? I do.
I ended up using ground cloves instead, I believe it's a completely different flavor but that is what I had in the cupboard and I wasn't about to spend $16 on something I've never used and the likelihood of using it again was slim! That and I know that cloves and cinnamon go well together. Anyways, I mixed everything up according to the recipe and spread it into a 15x17 cookie sheet (the kind with the sides) instead of a "jelly roll" pan, which I didn't have. The recipe says to spread the dough evenly into the prepared pan...well that wasn't easily done because the dough is incredibly sticky. It was like super thick peanut butter that only stuck to the spoon and not the prepared pan.
After spending about 10 minutes trying to spread the dough unsuccessfully I had an idea: use the back of a metal spoon and cooking spray (good ol' cooking spray). My idea paid off and after a few extra sprays on to the back of the spoon (when the dough started to stick) I finally had it evenly spread in the pan.
So because I was using a larger pan than the recipe called for I decreased my cooking time. I set it to 10 minutes to be safe and added minutes until I felt it was fully and evenly cooked. It ended up being about 15 minutes. When I read the glaze recipe I thought that the dry to wet ratio of ingredients was a tad off, but it worked out perfectly. If you're not into the lemony flavor you can use milk instead. Once they cooled down, I cut them into the recommended size pieces. Cutting was a little difficult as was getting them out of the pan. I suggest using a bendable spatula to get 6-8 out at a time, some might stick though.
These have a GREAT flavor and they reminded me of Christmas, I later discovered that "Lebkuchen is a traditional German product baked for Christmas, somewhat resembling soft gingerbread." - Wikipedia
Go figure.
Honey Bars (Take 1)
So Craig and I are going to an Oktoberfest put on by his home brew club (Temecula Valley Homebrewers Association) during the first weekend of October. The theme for the event is (of course) German and we'll be having a pot-luck dinner the 2nd night in. So I was on a mission to find a yummy dessert to make and share. I found this recipe for German Lebkuchen Bars (German Honey Cakes) and thought it'd be the perfect dessert after all of the other German foods everyone else was bringing. I hit up the local grocery store only to find out that they don't carry two of the ingredients I would need (both of the candied items). Now, normally I would figure out something to put in it's place, but it would have ended up being 1/2 a cup of modified ingredients and I wasn't about to be that courageous. So I stood in the middle of the baking aisle, called my Mom to ask her a few “what if” and “what is” questions and then began looking up a different recipe for the same thing that required less “special” ingredients. After finding five difference recipes I finally found one that only required I buy two ingredients (as I already had everything else at home).
Here is the recipe I ended up with: Honey Bars
Now, I ended up doubling the recipe and tossed in a few modifications based on other recipe's I've seen. I used sliced almonds instead of walnuts because I am not a big walnut fan and I don't know many who are. They sell sliced almonds in 5oz packages so I went with that, which was just under 2 cups worth. If you don't double the recipe then the smaller size package of sliced almonds will work fine (I think it's a 2.5 or 3 oz package). I also added 1 tablespoon of cinnamon and a dash or two of ground cloves. It just sounded good, but keep in mind I added those amounts to the doubled recipe. According to the bottom of the baking instructions it says if you use an 8x8 pan to only fill it 2/3 full. I only have one 8x8 pan so for the first round of baking I filled mine 1/2 full and it puffed up like a nice cake, ended up adding about 10 minutes to the baking time, and cooked unevenly. The second round of baking I didn't have enough batter to get to even the half way mark on the 8x8 pan it ended up being about 1/3 full, took only 30 minutes, and baked evenly throughout. The entire house smells wonderfully sweet but I am disappointed in how these turned out. I was expecting "bars" not "cake" but they turned out to be a very "heavy" cake so they won't crumble apart when cut into serve-able squares. My overall notes after tasting them: I am glad I added the cinnamon, otherwise these would not have much flavor to them, they are a bit dry (not bad) so even adding some chopped apples to it would be great! I felt like I was eating an apple cinnamon muffin, only without the apple and not a muffin. I would recommend cream cheese frosting on these, too (but alas, I have none).
Cooking tip: When cooking with honey, spray some cooking spray on your measuring utensils before measuring out the honey. It will prevent the honey (or other super sticky ingredients) from sticking! (Credit to Paula Deen for that lifesaver!)
Now, if I could just get someone else to clean the kitchen.
Here is the recipe I ended up with: Honey Bars
Now, I ended up doubling the recipe and tossed in a few modifications based on other recipe's I've seen. I used sliced almonds instead of walnuts because I am not a big walnut fan and I don't know many who are. They sell sliced almonds in 5oz packages so I went with that, which was just under 2 cups worth. If you don't double the recipe then the smaller size package of sliced almonds will work fine (I think it's a 2.5 or 3 oz package). I also added 1 tablespoon of cinnamon and a dash or two of ground cloves. It just sounded good, but keep in mind I added those amounts to the doubled recipe. According to the bottom of the baking instructions it says if you use an 8x8 pan to only fill it 2/3 full. I only have one 8x8 pan so for the first round of baking I filled mine 1/2 full and it puffed up like a nice cake, ended up adding about 10 minutes to the baking time, and cooked unevenly. The second round of baking I didn't have enough batter to get to even the half way mark on the 8x8 pan it ended up being about 1/3 full, took only 30 minutes, and baked evenly throughout. The entire house smells wonderfully sweet but I am disappointed in how these turned out. I was expecting "bars" not "cake" but they turned out to be a very "heavy" cake so they won't crumble apart when cut into serve-able squares. My overall notes after tasting them: I am glad I added the cinnamon, otherwise these would not have much flavor to them, they are a bit dry (not bad) so even adding some chopped apples to it would be great! I felt like I was eating an apple cinnamon muffin, only without the apple and not a muffin. I would recommend cream cheese frosting on these, too (but alas, I have none).
Cooking tip: When cooking with honey, spray some cooking spray on your measuring utensils before measuring out the honey. It will prevent the honey (or other super sticky ingredients) from sticking! (Credit to Paula Deen for that lifesaver!)
Now, if I could just get someone else to clean the kitchen.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Hard Cider is Easy
We went up to Oak Glen this weekend to pick up some apple cider from Riley's Farms. Its a very Julian-esq place, orchards and fields of fruits and vegetables all surrounded by mountan's, trees, cabin-esq and victorian-esq homes. One of the things on my list is to go there and pick fruit with my husband. They have raspberry, pumpkin, apple, pear, strawberry, watermelon, cherry, flower, peach and ollalieberrie(what?) fruit picking days. I think we may try to make another trip there before Thanksgiving to pick pumpkins (cooking pumpkins, not jack-o-lantern pumpkins). If anyone is interested in checking out the place, their website is here. We ended up bringing home a total of seven gallons of cider, five were just apple, one was cherry-apple and the last was raspberry-apple. I even got a small jar of pumpkin butter to share with the family on Thanksgiving, it tastes like pumpkin pie but with a more spreadable consistency - very yummy and I can't wait to try it on some toasted whole wheat or sweet bread!
The second half of our day consisted of "brewing" the cider into hard cider. I didn't know how simple it was. Basically in a nutshell you put the cider in a carboy (6-7 gal glass or plastic jug) and add a vial of yeast to it. Of course you have to be sure the temperatures are right and to leave out any contaminants.
These 5 gallons of apple cider went into a 6 gal carboy:
Pouring the cider into the carboy (we repeated the process with the other two flavors into two, one gallon glass jugs):
Then we pitched the yeast ("pitched" is a fancy way of saying "poured"). For the 1 gallon batches we split a vial of yeast for each, for the 5gal batch we used one whole vial:
Added the stoppers - which prevents foreign objects and bacteria etc. from entering the carboy as the cider ferments (the stoppers we had didn't fit in the 1 gal jugs so using foil works, it's just a bit risky). Then we placed the now fermenting cider into a freezer with a temperature controller set at 68 degrees:
All in all it took us about an hour to do everything, including pre-cleaning and post-cleaning. These should all ferment for about two weeks and then it's on to the next step of carbonating, kegging and bottling. The cost per gallon of cider was $9 for the apple (in the glass jugs) and $10 for the cherry and raspberry (in plastic milk jugs).
Today was a great day!
The second half of our day consisted of "brewing" the cider into hard cider. I didn't know how simple it was. Basically in a nutshell you put the cider in a carboy (6-7 gal glass or plastic jug) and add a vial of yeast to it. Of course you have to be sure the temperatures are right and to leave out any contaminants.
These 5 gallons of apple cider went into a 6 gal carboy:
Pouring the cider into the carboy (we repeated the process with the other two flavors into two, one gallon glass jugs):
Then we pitched the yeast ("pitched" is a fancy way of saying "poured"). For the 1 gallon batches we split a vial of yeast for each, for the 5gal batch we used one whole vial:
Added the stoppers - which prevents foreign objects and bacteria etc. from entering the carboy as the cider ferments (the stoppers we had didn't fit in the 1 gal jugs so using foil works, it's just a bit risky). Then we placed the now fermenting cider into a freezer with a temperature controller set at 68 degrees:
All in all it took us about an hour to do everything, including pre-cleaning and post-cleaning. These should all ferment for about two weeks and then it's on to the next step of carbonating, kegging and bottling. The cost per gallon of cider was $9 for the apple (in the glass jugs) and $10 for the cherry and raspberry (in plastic milk jugs).
Today was a great day!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
101 Things / 1001 Days
101 Things in 1001 Days, inspired by Day Zero Project
Start: Thursday, October 1st 2009
End: Thursday, June 28, 2012
Revised: March 22, 2010
Last updated: April 10, 2010
1.Get a job, any job...and then what I really want when it becomes available! [12/12/2009]
2.Get certified in AutoCAD
3.Get certified in Revit
4.Get LEED accreditation
5.Learn and understand financing and investing [in progress]
6.Take a class on Project Management with my husband (if at MSJC, walk to/from class)
7.Read and study Furniture/Interior design books from college days (refresh!)
8.Spend an hour+ a day working on my portfolio for three weeks [0/3]
9.Attend a meet up for digital scrap booking [11/6/09]
10.Read a book once a month [.5/32]
11.Don't drink any soda, alcohol, or coffee for 2 weeks [0/14D]
12.Ignore the Internet for a week (including email, exclusive of work related)
13.See a Cirque Du Soleil show live at least once
14.See a Broadway show live at least once [Lion King on 10/21/09]
15.Skinny-dip
16.See a dermatologist to make sure my freckled skin is healthy
17.Only check my email/networking sites twice a day for a week
18.Watch all episodes of Family Guy, consecutively (get seasons from Krystle)
19.Watch all episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, consecutively
20.Watch all episodes of Angel, consecutively
21.Watch all episodes of Firefly, then movie Serenity
22.Get and watch seasons of Dexter [done for now 6/2010]
23.Go to ten garage sales and buy at least one item at each [0/10]
24.Get my social security card/name fixed (they spelled “Gardner” as “Garnder”)
25.Change the name on my passport from Smith to Gardner
26.Use my recipe books to make at least fifteen dishes [0/15]
27.Get a Kitchen Aid mixer!
30.Get DVD storage unit and transfer discs to sleeves [7/2010]
32.Learn to use my 4 cup coffee maker properly [10/14/09]
33. Spend at least a week in Ireland
34.Get my art work/pieces framed [1 done, countless remaining]
35.Go to a Clean House yard sale
36.Re-finish/upholster a piece of furniture
37.Take 24 pictures per month of random/interesting people/objects/places etc. [in progress]
38.Make everyone's gifts for one Christmas
39.Make a Christmas ornament from old jewelry and beads (like Grandma Smiths)
40.Fix broken ornaments from my Grandmas collection
41.Learn how to sew [1/2 complete]
42.Make an entire bedding set (exclusive of flat and fitted sheets) from scratch
43.Go SCUBA Diving
44.Go hiking
45.Buy bikes for me and my husband [6/2010]
46.Ride a bike on a regular basis (3x week?) with the dog
47.Go white water rafting
48.Get Wii Fit (and actually use it at least once a week)
49.Go on a fruit picking date
50.Go camping [on 10/02-10/04 2009 for Oktoberfest]
51.Take a hot air balloon ride
52.Road trip to Napa with friends for a wine tasting weekend
53.Go skydiving at least once
54.Plan an Owens family reunion/picnic [08/2010]
57.Host a cookie exchange party during the holiday season
58.See the Grand Canyon with my hubby and stay at a bed and breakfast
59.Road-trip to the mid-west, stopping at the weird photo-op spots along the way
60.Follow through with the awesome gift idea I have for my husband
63.Go to Disneyland at least once during the holiday season
64.Visit the walk of fame in Hollywood (must have pics: MJ, PS & EP's Stars)
65.See a movie at the Chinese Theater in Hollywood
66.Go to La Brea Tar pits (LA)
67.“Kidnap” Mackenzie for a day of girly fun!
68.Plan my best friend's bachelorette party
69.Take salsa dancing classes with Craig
70.Visit my brother +family in Arizona
71.Donate blood (if they'll let me)
72.Volunteer with Habitat for Humanity at least once
73.Donate a toy for tots, each Christmas
74.Donate what I can to various charities/walks that friends participate in
75.Donate 10 cans of food to a food bank
76.Plant a tree
77.Volunteer for a clean-up day
78.Pay off student loans (including ones in my Mom's name) [in progress, not even close]
79.Pay off credit cards [12/2009]
80.Start contributing to mutual fund [in progress]
81.Move out of the in-laws [07/2010]
82.Get pregnant/have a baby
83.See Michael Jackson's 'This is It' in theaters *fail*
84.See New Moon with at least 3 friends
85.Get a new mattress
86.Go to an observatory at night to look through the telescope
87.Get a one year wine membership at Ponte winery
88.Get my 5th year wedding anniversary ring (from the hubby)
89.Sell all of the items we currently have on craigslist [4/5 +Misc]
90.Save up to buy a really nice digital camera [04/03/10]
(get back brace thing) [1/2 complete]
93.Go to a concert (at least one *Madonna?*)
94.Learn to make sushi
95.Fix my lower back tattoo
96.Learn the alphabet and 25 common sign language signs
97.Get 4 tickets to Ellen show
98. Finish Cruise vacation scrapbook.
99.Brew 5 Gal's of beer with guidance from my hubby
100.Update my blog when I complete items on this list [14/101]
101.Put $5 in my savings account for each item completed [$0/$505]
Start: Thursday, October 1st 2009
End: Thursday, June 28, 2012
Revised: March 22, 2010
Last updated: April 10, 2010
2.Get certified in AutoCAD
3.Get certified in Revit
4.Get LEED accreditation
5.Learn and understand financing and investing [in progress]
6.Take a class on Project Management with my husband (if at MSJC, walk to/from class)
7.Read and study Furniture/Interior design books from college days (refresh!)
8.Spend an hour+ a day working on my portfolio for three weeks [0/3]
10.Read a book once a month [.5/32]
11.Don't drink any soda, alcohol, or coffee for 2 weeks [0/14D]
12.Ignore the Internet for a week (including email, exclusive of work related)
13.See a Cirque Du Soleil show live at least once
15.Skinny-dip
16.See a dermatologist to make sure my freckled skin is healthy
17.Only check my email/networking sites twice a day for a week
18.Watch all episodes of Family Guy, consecutively (get seasons from Krystle)
19.Watch all episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, consecutively
20.Watch all episodes of Angel, consecutively
21.Watch all episodes of Firefly, then movie Serenity
23.Go to ten garage sales and buy at least one item at each [0/10]
24.Get my social security card/name fixed (they spelled “Gardner” as “Garnder”)
25.Change the name on my passport from Smith to Gardner
26.Use my recipe books to make at least fifteen dishes [0/15]
27.Get a Kitchen Aid mixer!
28.Learn to use Google Sketchup
29.Learn how to patent and idea/invention
31.Start a freelance consulting business (interior design/decor)
33. Spend at least a week in Ireland
34.Get my art work/pieces framed [1 done, countless remaining]
35.Go to a Clean House yard sale
36.Re-finish/upholster a piece of furniture
37.Take 24 pictures per month of random/interesting people/objects/places etc. [in progress]
39.Make a Christmas ornament from old jewelry and beads (like Grandma Smiths)
40.Fix broken ornaments from my Grandmas collection
41.Learn how to sew [1/2 complete]
42.Make an entire bedding set (exclusive of flat and fitted sheets) from scratch
43.Go SCUBA Diving
44.Go hiking
46.Ride a bike on a regular basis (3x week?) with the dog
47.Go white water rafting
48.Get Wii Fit (and actually use it at least once a week)
49.Go on a fruit picking date
51.Take a hot air balloon ride
52.Road trip to Napa with friends for a wine tasting weekend
53.Go skydiving at least once
55.Keep track of all of our deductible expenses for the 2010 tax year.[in progress]
56.Go on an all girls trip to Vegas [in progress]57.Host a cookie exchange party during the holiday season
58.See the Grand Canyon with my hubby and stay at a bed and breakfast
59.Road-trip to the mid-west, stopping at the weird photo-op spots along the way
60.Follow through with the awesome gift idea I have for my husband
61.Finish Year Scrapbooks
62. Finish Puerto Vallarta Vacation Book63.Go to Disneyland at least once during the holiday season
64.Visit the walk of fame in Hollywood (must have pics: MJ, PS & EP's Stars)
65.See a movie at the Chinese Theater in Hollywood
66.Go to La Brea Tar pits (LA)
67.“Kidnap” Mackenzie for a day of girly fun!
68.Plan my best friend's bachelorette party
69.Take salsa dancing classes with Craig
70.Visit my brother +family in Arizona
71.Donate blood (if they'll let me)
72.Volunteer with Habitat for Humanity at least once
73.Donate a toy for tots, each Christmas
74.Donate what I can to various charities/walks that friends participate in
75.Donate 10 cans of food to a food bank
76.Plant a tree
77.Volunteer for a clean-up day
78.Pay off student loans (including ones in my Mom's name) [in progress, not even close]
80.Start contributing to mutual fund [in progress]
85.Get a new mattress
86.Go to an observatory at night to look through the telescope
87.Get a one year wine membership at Ponte winery
88.Get my 5th year wedding anniversary ring (from the hubby)
89.Sell all of the items we currently have on craigslist [4/5 +Misc]
91. Finish wedding/honeymoon scrapbooks
92.Improve posture 93.Go to a concert (at least one *Madonna?*)
94.Learn to make sushi
95.Fix my lower back tattoo
96.Learn the alphabet and 25 common sign language signs
97.Get 4 tickets to Ellen show
98. Finish Cruise vacation scrapbook.
99.Brew 5 Gal's of beer with guidance from my hubby
100.Update my blog when I complete items on this list [14/101]
101.Put $5 in my savings account for each item completed [$0/$505]
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Update on housing
Well it's been about a month since we listed our house for a short sale and we got 3+ offers within 2 weeks. Sent in the best offer to the bank and now we're just waiting for them to approve the offer and do all of the other paperwork. I got a call yesterday from them saying it would take into November to get everything approved and finalized. So here we sit, taking care of the house but managing to pay off our other debts before we move in with the hubby's parents. I am not really looking forward to that, I love them to death but the idea of living with other people after being on our own for 2+ years is making me hesitant on the decision, but it's what we can do for now. And it should benefit us best for our future.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
New Blog Site
So, I've been on livejournal, I've done the myspace blogs, and my husband even made me a personal blogging site which was a pain for me to remember how to update and I was constantly having to reset passwords and ask my husband w*t*h* was wrong. So I've come to blogspot where more of my friends have blogs and it seems easier to use and update. I am still trying to figure out how to export my past blogs and import them to this one. One day it will be figured out.
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