Friday, July 29, 2011

God is in control...

^^ why is it so hard for me to deal with that sometimes?

The past oh, month or so, has been kind of a downer.  I've refrained from TOO much complaining on here (you're welcome for sparing you LOL)  But lately it just seems nothing has gone my way.

As you know we're trying to make a baby- you guys know how that's going.  But this month I've really just tried to not think about it as much as possible.  I'm not counting up days or anything like that.  The last 2 months or so I've been taking my temperature in the morning just to make sure I was indeed ovulating like I'm supposed to (and I am) so I forgot all that stuff.  I honestly have no idea without going back and counting what day I'm on or anything like that.  And I hope to keep it that way.  I keep praying that God will 1-bless us with a child and 2-give me patience.

We're also still moving forward on the house-hunting thing-  It's already had it's share of disappointments.  Houses that need too much work or won't pass inspection for our USDA loan.  And we had one house we really liked that literally got bid on the next morning at full price before we even had a chance to get to the bank!

And then there's the lovely job-market.  The county I live in is supposedly having 80-some teachers retire.  Well apparently that's not enough to get me a job.  I have had three different interviews this summer.  One for a gifted position (same as I did my long-term last semester)- I didn't get that job, someone with "contract teaching experience" beat me to it-- even though I did the job for 5 months last school year.  I had a second interview for a 5th grade position at a school I sub at a lot (and really like).  Didn't get that one, an "experienced 5th grade teacher" was hired.  And then I had an interview for a Technology Integration Specialist, which was a grant-funded job that was only a 1-year contract (BUT, it's a lot easier to get a job with a contract as opposed to a sub for the next year), and I didn't get that one either.  I know who got that job and he's not any more qualified than I am, and I might even have more subbing experience.  But he's a HE and that works in your favor when you go to work for a school system.  Ugh.  So yeah, it's been disappointing to say the least.  I'm honestly not sure what is worse-- not getting interviews at all, or getting them, have them go really well, and then have to read rejection email after rejection email.

So yeah that's where I've been lately.  Prayers for encouragement are much appreciated.


I do have to say though, God's been merciful enough to give me a couple "breaks".  I got a phone call from a principal at a school I sub at and I am going to be able to start off the year in a long-term job teaching first grade for a teacher on maternity leave.  AND we are going to look at a house tonight and two tomorrow, all of which are supposedly move-in ready.  I can't really speak on the baby situation just yet.

Things are starting to look up again, but I still struggle with just giving it to God and dealing with the fact that all these things are going to be on His time, not mine.  I'm a planner.  And I like to be in control (or at least think I am) of situations in my life.  But I know I'm ultimately not in control.  I know God is going to work things out for what is best for me.  He has plenty of times before!  It's just hard to not stress or worry over it, and be impatient.


And I can't forget to be grateful for what I do have.  An awesome husband, wonderful family, great friends.  I have A job, even if it's not a steady one... and we have a place to live, and I'm so thankful for all of that!

I just need to trust Him....

"And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose" ~ Romans 8:28

Monday, July 25, 2011

E-Readers?

So our only bookstore in town, Borders, is closing :(

Boo.  We have a couple small ones, but Borders is the only one with any kind of real selection.  And I think I've exhausted our library's fiction section (at least the authors I like to read and such- new releases are always seemingly checked out).

So I've decided to look into an e-reader.  I've resisted before now because I didn't think I would like reading on a screen.  But since now I'll have to order any books I want online, it seems to me that I might as well save on the shipping.  And people have told me it's not as bad as I think.  Soooo, I think I'm going to ask for an e-reader for Christmas!

The question is though-- which one do I want?


First option would be the Kindle...
 They are running about $139 from amazon, and I can get a refurbished one for around $100.


The next option, is Barnes & Noble's Nook or Nook Color
The original Nook runs for $139 and the Nook Color runs for $249.  I may be able to find a refurb or used one a little cheaper, I haven't really looked yet.

Then there is Borders' e-reader, the Kobo (which it actually looks like they are becoming their own online bookstore with Borders' closing??  Not really sure)  It's the cheapest of all, with the Kobo eReader Touch going for about $130.



And so you all know, the iPad is unfortunately not in the running.  I just can't justify spending $500+ on something like that.  When all I'd use it for is reading and possibly a bit of web browsing, which all the above e-readers can do that.

Sooo, I'm looking for opinions!  I'm going to check out some reviews and such, but I'd like to know your all's experiences with any or all of these.  Comment & let me know which one to ask Santa for ;)

Saving Money

Hey!  So I was inspired by Ashley at Love Hope Faith to share some little things we do to save money.  By save money I don't mean we are able to put lots of money into savings all the time, but we are able to live on our really modest income with a little more to spare.  I'm also by no means a financial guru or expert or anything.  Far from it, lol.  But I wanted to share with you how we save in different areas :)

Utilities
Yes, those lovely monthly bills... since my husband or I neither one had lived on our own before we were married we were unable to be put on a budget for any of them, so they will vary, a LOT.  We also live in a very poorly insulated house with single pane windows.  Yeah.  Nightmare.  But here are some things we are able to do that have saved us a lot of money...

* The simple stuff-  turn off lights when you aren't in the room, use natural light when possible, don't leave the door standing open, etc.  The kind of things your mom yelled at you for not doing when you were a kid.  They do actually work ;)
* Switch to compact florescent light bulbs- we actually changed every bulb in our house when we moved in, because I witnessed my parents' electric bill being literally HALVED after they switched.  They are a little more money to buy than incandescent, but in the long run the money you save makes it worth it-- besides, you don't have to change/buy them as often!
* Adjust your thermostat- it's easiest to buy a programmable one, though we don't have one now.  In the summer, I put off turning on the a/c as long as possible, and when I do, I keep it set at 75.  If you are gone a lot during the day you can turn it up a little higher and have it set to turn it down an hour or so before you come home.  Don't forget too, when you go on vacation, to turn the temp up a little too.  (Same applies in reverse if you are vacationing in the winter).  In the winter months, we do the opposite.  The thermostat never creeps above 68, and we will turn it down a little lower at night (and when we're gone during the day) and throw an extra blanket on the bed.  Now I will tell you that 68 is NOT my ideal temp.  But honestly, a hoodie and slippers makes a world of difference!  And it makes a big difference in our bills too.
* Kick one of your phones- we don't have a land phone line.  My husband and I both have cell phones and we just use those for any other calling we make.  Unless your job requires it for some reason or if you live in an area with no cell service, just ditch the land line.  Also, look into any discounts you may qualify for on your mobile plan.  My husband gets a 22% discount because of where he works.  And don't forget to try and reduce your monthly plan/minutes/etc.  When I joined my husband's cell plan, we were able to drop our minutes back quite a bit because now that we had the same provider, we weren't using all our minutes talking to each other.
* Cut back on (or get rid of) your cable plan.  We really didn't want to get rid of our internet, so we pay for high speed cable internet.  It's actually cheaper to bundle and get cable TV with it, so that's what we did.  BUT, we only have basic cable.  (No digital channels, HD, DVR, any of that fun stuff... just 18 channels)  Instead  we have a Netflix subscription and when we do watch TV we stream it through our Wii or computer.  My cable bill plus the Netflix subscription cost about 30 dollars less than just expanded basic cable and internet together.

Fun stuff
* Cut back on eating out.  Pack your lunch rather than eating out.  Not only is it way cheaper but it's often better for you too!  My husband and I will go on two "date nights" a month usually.  And usually we go out to dinner.  Other than that though, we don't eat out, unless it's a special occasion. (Like a friend's birthday or something) If that pops up then instead of eating out on our next date night we'll do something that's cheaper, like rent a movie and make homemade pizza.

* Cut back on take-out as well.  I allow two nights a month for ordering in as well.  And sometimes it doesn't work out that way, but we try to stick to it as much as possible.

Groceries/Household stuff
* Meal plan- it's not that hard, doesn't take that much time, and it not only makes cooking dinner and making your grocery list easier, but it'll save you money in the long run.  I plan for two weeks at a time- no you don't have to plan what you'll have each day.  I just make a list of 14 different meals to fix for dinner.  For example my meals for this week and next (7/24-8/6) are:
  • Baurentopf (already frozen), crescent rolls
  • Tacos, mexican rice
  • Spaghetti & meatballs, salad
  • Grilled chicken salad
  • Chicken, baked sweet potatoes, broccoli
  • Hamburgers (already cooked & frozen), chips, baked beans
  • Pizza Di Spaghetti (with leftover spag. and meatballs)
  • Chicken Quesadillas
  • Pad Thai
  • BBQ Chicken, Macaroni & cheese, green beans
  • Eat out
  • Order-In
  • Frozen skillet meal or other leftovers
So I'll just choose what I feel like cooking every evening.  I always include things already frozen and easy meals to prepare for days when I don't feel like cooking or am in a hurry.  Then I take the meal list, add things I need to make it to my grocery list, then add staples and things for breakfasts/lunches, and I have my list!

*Coupon when you can.  I'm not an extreme couponer by any means.  But I do go through the paper and clip what I will use.  After I make my list I go through my coupons and grab any I can use.

*Buy generic.  Great Value/Equate and Kroger brand are just as good as the name brand.  And a lot cheaper!
* Hit up the Dollar Tree for things like cleaning supplies and such.
* Watch for sales.  Shop at the end of the season when it's all marked down and you'll have what you're wanting for next year!

Saving
This is my area I'm trying to improve...  we have a savings account and I just try to put SOMETHING in there every month.  Sometimes I can put a couple hundred dollars, sometimes it's just twenty.  But it's better than nothing, and every penny adds up!



Alllrighty, that's basically any "tricks" I have up my sleeve.  LOL feel free to share any tips YOU may have, I'm always searching for more ways to save money!!! :)

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Wee Bits


{one} what is your dream job?
To be a full-time teacher is what I've always said in the past.
But now that we're trying for a baby, my dream job would be to be a stay at home mom.
Don't know if I'll ever be able to do that, but I can still dream! lol
 


{two} how many best friends do you have?
That's hard, because I have several friends I'm close to.
If I have to pick I'd say three...
My husband is my "most" best friend.
:)


Then there's my best friend Nicole

And finally my cousin Stefani


{three} what’s the longest road trip you’ve ever taken?
That would be from home (WV) to Disney World in Florida.  We went when I was 11, and my brothers were 8 and 4.  We split it into two days, and I'm sure my parents were half crazy by the time we got there.


{four} if you had to do one single thing every day for the next year, what would it be?
Either clogging or reading!


{five} what’s one story your family always tells about you?
Oh gosh my mom likes to tell so many.
Probably the one when I was just a tiny kid, like 18mo. old, I talked really early.
I was in the grocery store with my mom, and some big guy knocked over a whole shelf of soup cans.
I of course chimed in clear as a bell "Way to go, Klutz!"
My mom was mortified.


{six} how did your parents pick your name?
My mom had two kids in her speech class, one Melissa and one Danielle.  She & Dad both liked it, so hence it became my name.


{seven} what’s the one thing that scares you more than anything?
I always have fears of people close to me passing away too soon.  (Car accidents, etc.)


{eight} are you a good cook?
I'd say I'm mediocre.  I don't make fancy stuff, and I'm not really "in" to cooking.
My husband doesn't complain too much though so I guess that's good ;)


{nine} where do you see yourself in 20 years?
I'll be 45, wow.  Hopefully actually having a teaching job by then.
Still married to my amazing husband
And three grown kids or teenagers. (that's a scary thought lol)


{ten} what’s your best childhood memory?
I have so many.  Vacations to Myrtle Beach, playing and inventing new games with the girls in my neighborhood and my brother...

Monday, July 18, 2011

Intensive house hunting has begun!

Yep, we're officially "really looking" for a house.  Well at least I am.  I don't know if it's because we're hoping to have a baby soon or if it's because there's so much I wish I could do/change with the house we're living in now but can't because since I don't own it- I'm not putting money into it, but I've majorly gotten the itch lately, ever since we looked at that last house I had been hoping for  (Check a few posts back...we didn't end up getting it because it had mold issues!)

We've decided that my ideal of finding the perfect house and just building on if needed but staying put is just a fantasy.  With our budget that is highly unlikely.  So we have a new strategy.  We're looking for a house we like in an area we want (out of town, so we can get the USDA loan which pays your down payment for you).  We want to make sure it's enough of what we want that if our finances and the economy don't improve, we'd be ok staying there (maybe building on if needed) OR hopefully, in 5-10 years, sell that house and move to a bigger house farther in the country like we want (or BUILD a house in the country that we want).  If we stay in the areas we're looking at, we'll have plenty of country to move out to and still be in the same school district so our kiddos won't have to change schools.

The good thing about that last house we didn't end up buying is we met a great realtor who's been helping us a lot.  She's a real sweet lady, down to earth, and a bit "motherly" to us, which actually we like. :) 

We experienced our first disappointment.  We found a house we REALLY liked, like were probably going to put an offer on it later this week or next-- but someone beat us to it.  They offered the asking price literally the morning after we looked at it.  Boo.  But I guess that's just not the house for us.  So we're still looking.

We're still not in a hurry- we have a decent place to live right now and even though we are trying for a baby, it'll be a long time before they start school.  We aren't going to SETTLE for something we just kind of like, we're going to have to love it.  But I'm checking listings every day, and we're going to be looking at a lot of them still I'm sure!

We're going to the credit union tomorrow to meet with a loan officer and get pre-approved.  We put off doing that earlier because it only is good for 90 days and each time they do it, they do a credit check, which many of you know, when they check your credit repeatedly it actually HURTS your credit score.  So we didn't want to get pre-approved over and over again.  But we decided we needed to go ahead and do it, since there were so many houses we'd been looking at, so that 1- we don't miss out on something and 2- so we know how much to even offer.  Right now I'm not sure how much of my income they are going to be able to count because I'm a sub teacher and it's not a steady income.  So we're going to go tomorrow and do that, then we'll have a better idea where we stand.


Right now we're going to go drive by a house tonight and possibly look at it later this week, and then there's a foreclosure that the realtor is checking on for us too.

So yeah this is going to be quite the adventure-- I'll keep you all updated! 

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Going to be an aunt (again!)

Ok, I'll admit, it's also a little bittersweet.  Let me precursor by saying that our family doesn't know yet so SHHH (aka no facebook comments/posting)

Buuuutttt, I'm going to be an aunt (again!)  :-D  Brew's sister called me today and told me that she just found out yesterday she's pregnant with baby #3!  I'm so happy for her, they've been trying pretty much since October.  We were joking about having a "baby race".

I'll admit though, it's a really complicated emotion I'm feeling.  I feel excited to be having another niece or nephew.  I feel super happy for my sis in law.  I also feel a weird mixture of disappointment and jealousy.  (Like, why couldn't I get pregnant too?, etc.  It doesn't help I'm sure that she found out literally the day I started my next cycle [yesterday]) And then throw a little guilt in there too, because I kind of feel bad for feeling jealous.

Of course my sis in law was super supportive as always, saying not to get discouraged, etc.  It did take her 8 months to get pregnant with her first, #2 was only a couple months, but #3 has taken 9 months.  So she was quick to remind me of all that, which she did make me feel better, but still I had all those feelings going on at once.

Yeah.  I just had to write it out on here to get it out of my system.  I'm going to go clean/do something productive now I guess.

Friday, July 15, 2011

Bummed...

So this is going to be one of those posts where all I do is whine.  Feel free to skip over this if you want!

So most of you that read this blog know that Brew & I have been trying for a baby.  I've been off ALL types of BC since my March cycle, and we've been really trying to get pregnant since April.  I just got my lovely monthly visitor this morning.  :(  I had really been hoping that the third time was a charm-- but it wasn't.

Of course it doesn't help anything that two friends on FB have recently found out that they are expecting--when they weren't even planning!!!  One of which wasn't even married.  It's so annoying when people that aren't trying or really even ready to have a baby are having babies and then we have been married a year and are trying and ready and nothing's happening.  And several other FB friends have announced they are expecting as well (though they are married and on baby #2, so I don't feel too badly about it).  I think when you're trying to conceive you notice EVERY pregnant woman or baby within a 50 mile radius.

59% of couples get pregnant within the first three months of ttc.  I'm already in the minority and of COURSE my brain is formulating worst case scenarios and constantly wondering if something is wrong.  I've always had pretty normal and regular cycles (except when I was on progestin-only birth control pills).  But I even started taking my temp first thing in the mornings the last couple cycles just to make sure that I was ovulating (I am).  And our timing has been good but still nothing.  Ugh.

I guess I'm looking for reassurance here...but at the same time I'm sick of hearing "It'll happen when it's meant to happen" or other annoying phrases.  Mostly I just don't have anyone to whine to about it so that's why I'm doing it here LOL.  My couple friends that know are in different places in their lives and don't quite understand, and as much as I want to talk to my mom about it, I still kind of don't want her to know because I want her to be surprised since this is her first grandkid.  Sigh.

I wish I had my husbands patience.  He's always saying how "it'll be our time soon" and "we'll keep trying" and though he's definitely ready for a little one, he doesn't get too set back when it's not happening.

Please keep us in your prayers!  I'll be doing a lot more of that this time!

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Return of Wee Bit Wednesday!







{one} what’s the #1 most played song on your iPod (or whatever you use)?
I'm loving these two songs as of late:


 
{two} what’s your favorite type of exercise?
clogging- definitely :)
I also like bike rides, hikes, and things that don't feel like actual exercise LOL



{three} what’s your least favorite mode of transportation?
I'm not a big fan of flying.  I'm not afraid of it, but it's just the whole experience that's stressful.



{four} if you could choose to stay a certain age forever, what would it be?
I'd stay in my 20s.



{five} when you have 30 minutes of free time, what do you use it to do?
Read, usually, play with my puppy, or try to catch up on cleaning.  I like to scrapbook when I get free time but those of you that do it know that it takes 30 min. just to get started.  I gotta have a few hours free to do that.



{six} what do you miss the most about being a kid?
Not having to pay bills, budget, and otherwise worry/deal with money.



{seven} when was the last time you were nervous?
Hmm I don't know actually.  I wasn't really nervous at my wedding, more like excitement/adrenaline rush.  I get a little nervous before clogging competitions but it's been forever since we've done one.



{eight} what was the first thing you bough with your own money when you were young?
I remember buying books with my own money.  I bought several Beverley Cleary books when I was in 2nd grade with some birthday money.



{nine} what is your favorite month of the year?
This is hard...
I like December cause I love Christmas time, but I like September/October because of the Fall weather & pretty leaves...



{ten} what are 3 songs from the soundtrack of your life?
Hummm I don't know!  I'd have to have a while to think about that... perhaps a future blog post?

Feeling much better

Since my last post was incredibly whiny, I thought I'd write again to let you know that I'm doing much better!  I went last Saturday morning to Quick Care and got an antibiotic and after one day I noticed the improvement.  Now I've still got 5 more days of it to take but I'd say the infection is about 80% gone.  Still a bit sniffly (NOTHING like before though), and I have a lingering cough but other than that I'm back to normal (well, as normal as I ever was!)  I even cooked dinner and was motivated enough to do some much-needed cleaning this evening after babysitting.  Which is the first time that's happened since I got sick.  For dinners either Brew cooked, we had a frozen/quick meal, or fast food (ick).  But I'm hoping now that I'm feeling better to get caught up on housework.  Seriously I'd be sooo embarassed if anyone saw my house right now.  It's bad.  lol.

I'm off on Friday so that's going to be my major cleaning day.





So I don't know if it's because we're trying for a baby now or what but I've really got the itch to get our own house.  Right now, we live in my grandparents old house (my dad, aunt, and uncle own it now), basically rent-free (we pay insurance, property taxes, and utilities).  And it's a decent house (granted some things I don't like-- like the ONE dinky bathroom, hellaciously steep stairs, laundry room down the hellaciously steep stairs, next to no closet/storage space, leaky basement.... etc....)  But, there's so many things I'd like to do to the house-- put in a dishwasher for one, fix the gutters outside, regravel the driveway, and even more.  It's not like I'm not allowed to do those things, but I have a hard time forking over our money to make improvements to the house when it's not ours and we won't be able to benefit from the added value to the house.   So we're kind of stuck here.

I've been checking real estate listings DAILY.  We are ok with a "starter" house, but it has to be something we are ok with staying in if times get tough and we can't afford to move later.  I also want to be in a good school district in case we don't get moved by the time our oldest kid starts school.  If we do move after that (which it'd be farther in the country with more land probably) I want to keep it in that same area.  My biggest fear as a kid was changing schools and having to make all new friends.  I don't want to do that to my kids.  So my hard-core house hunting has begun.  Pray for us though, it's not going to be easy to find what we need/want within our teeny budget.



Ok this post is kind of all over the place!  lol, sorry about that! :)  Until later!

Friday, July 8, 2011

4th of July synopsis... and other stuff

So I was going to do a post about my 4th of July weekend, but I'm a big loser and didn't take ANY pics.  We had a good one though, we went to my sister-in-law's for a cookout.  It was nice to spend time w/our family :)  We didn't end up going to any fireworks, but that was ok.  I didn't particularly want to fight the crowds to watch our relatively pathetic display we have here in town lol.

In other news... today has been kind of a discouraging day.  First I'll preface by saying I've been sick now for a week in a half.  I'm sure it's a sinus infection, and it sucks.  Wednesday (about a week after my first symptoms showed up) I went ahead and made a doctors appointment because at that time I knew if it was a cold it'd be getting better rather than worse.  Well the best time she could work me in was Friday at 3:15.  So I made arrangements with the people I babysit for to be done at 2:30 to get there in time.  Well a little after 10 the receptionist called me and said that she'd have to cancel my appointment because the nurse practitioner had to go to Charleston.  Great.  And she couldn't work me in any other time before Monday.  I do NOT want to wait until Monday.  So I'm going to have to pay twice my normal co-pay to go to Quick Care first thing tomorrow morning to get an antibiotic.  But as I said I don't want to wait anymore.  I had such a massive sinus headache on my way home I was near tears... I forget what it's like to breathe from my nose... and my abs are sore from coughing.  I'm so over it.  So after that disappointing crap this morning- we went to go look at that house.  The one I had gotten my hopes up about even though I said I wasn't going to.  And it's going to be a no-go.  Though I was expecting a bit of work (and there was some needed), there was a big problem that even the realtor hadn't seen until today.  Their is major mildew in the kitchen.  This is because the house was originally a garage apartment so the first floor is concrete block.  So with all the moisture from the nearby creek & rain and such-- the blocks sweat.  Now, if we lived in the house and ran the airconditioners or dehumidifiers we could keep it at bay probably, but it'll literally be a lifetime battle that we just aren't up for.  So yeah, not going to work out.  :(  The whole house thing frustrates me to no end.  We can barely find what we NEED let alone what we want for what we can afford.  Which then leads back to the fact my husband works his tail off for $12/hr and I'm still stuck subbing without a full time job.  I know I know we should be thankful we have jobs and have a place to live-- but it doesn't make this easy...

And I probably would be fine about the house thing if it wasn't for the fact that I feel like poo. 


My day wasn't totally terrible though-- I did get to Skype with my cousin Stefani & little miss Hannie Jeane.  Miss them like crazy & it was great to "see" them :)


Tomorrow is a jam-packed day for me.  Quick Care in the morning, clogging show in late morning/early afternoon (which I probably should go home and rest but actually my nose will clear up a bit with some exercise and I can barely sleep at night let alone nap!) then home to shower & get ready and head to my friend Whitney's wedding! :)  I'm registering guests so I'll be there an hour beforehand... Brew'll be there around the actual start time.  I'm excited for her! :)

Then hopefully by Sunday I'll have a dose or two of antibiotics in me and be feeling well enough to clean my DISASTEROUS house.  No exagerration it's contributing to my poor mood for sure.  But between Brew working so much this week and me feeling like poo, it's bad.  The dog got ahold of a roll of paper towels while I wasn't paying attention to him-- you can guess what happened to that, and it's all over my living room floor, along with his toys.  The end tables and kitchen tables and counters are piled with junk, my sink is heaping with dirty dishes, and we won't even talk about the laundry that's everywhere!!!  Yeah, so Sunday hopefully will be devoted to cleaning (after church & lunch of course).

Ok I guess you've probably had enough whining for today so I'm gonna go... Until later!

Thursday, July 7, 2011

A favor...

Hey there readers! I have a quick favor to ask...

I'm taking a professional development class in technology this summer, and I had to make a blog. I need at least 3 comments on my posts, so if you could head on over to http://mrsdean86.blogspot.com & leave a comment I'd so appreciate it!!!

Thanks so much! I'll have a 4th of July weekend post up soon hopefully!

Monday, July 4, 2011

4th of July Food Fave!

Decided to try doing a video-- I may do this from now on actually :)  Let me know which you prefer!


Saturday, July 2, 2011

4th of July plans, a cold, and house-hunting

Yeah this will be a random post-- in case you couldn't tell from the title lol.

So we did a drive-by of a house today.  Actually it was a foreclosure and obviously nobody was living there so we did the creeper-window-peek as well!
I love it already.  Slightly less than 1 acre of land, out of town, plenty of room, in one of the school districts we want to be in, 4 bedroom PLUS an office, and 2 bath!  It's not a HUGE house, but it's exactly what we want/need.  The outside needs a bit of work- could use power washing, and needs some gutter work and landscaping stuff.  But from our creeper-window-peeks it looks nice on the inside.  AND THE BEST PART IS THE PRICE!!!  They are asking wayyyy below our budget in a real comfortable price range, and way less than what I would think the house would be worth!  I'm trying not to get too excited just yet-- we haven't seen the inside or anything; it might be too good to be true.  But Brew called the realtor & left a message.  As soon as we hear back, we are going to go look at it!!!


In other news... I'm sick.  What I thought at first was just my allergies has become a full-blown head cold.  Ugh.  Stuffy/Runny nose, congestion, caugh, the works.  Blah.  Thankfully I haven't had a fever, but with all my other symptoms I've had a hard time sleeping well.  I did some quick research and found out the cold medicines to stay away from if you are pregnant.  I'm not pregnant now, but since we are trying I thought we couldn't be too safe.  So basically I'm relying on these:

Yeah.  Not fun.  And one of my good friends Whitney is having her bachelorette party tonight.  I'm trying to keep myself drugged enough that I can have a decent time and not be completely miserable!  What a way to spend a holiday weekend. :-P



Speaking of holiday weekend... our fourth of July should be fun!  We're going to my sister-in-laws; she's having a cookout.  I'm bringing my flag cake (which I will do a food fave post for that later)  We may go to the fireworks in Ripley later, too.  I'm looking forward to seeing my nieces I haven't seen in a while (they've been on vacation in FL)


Well that's all for now, in case I don't post before then, hope everyone has a safe & happy 4th of July!