Have you heard or read about my washer/dryer rants on Facebook? Maybe so. But just for fun, let's recap what this past week has thrown at me. Don't worry, it has a positive spin (no pun intended!) at the end of my ranting :)
Let's recap: Ross & I rented a W/D in the apartment b/c we didn't want to end up buying a unit we couldn't use in a future house (aka electric vs. gas dryer). When we moved into the house, we moved the W/D with us but ultimately couldn't hook up the dryer b/c 1) we are redoing the laundry room including moving the water lines and dryer vent and 2) the dryer plug wasn't compatible with the new plug we installed. So I stalled. I held off on doing laundry for as long as possible. At about week 3 or 4, I did one load in the washer, and had to line dry undies, socks and some pj's. They took 6 days to dry. And they dried 'crunchy.' O well... at least we had clean underwear!
So I kept telling myself that I could hold off until the brand new units were delivered, which was scheduled for Saturday, 12/14, which was only a week or two away by that point.
In the meantime, we had to return the rented W/D which were sitting in the middle of my kitchen for 3 weeks. It took Appliance Warehouse FOUR attempts to come pick them up. Frustrating. The first time, Ross was home all day but they didn't show. Second attempt, they went to the apartment address. Third attempt they didn't call first, and being that they only work during my work hours, I was at work (duh?). Attempt #4 on Friday, I took a few hours off of work so I could wait at home for them. I would no longer rely on them calling first. And they finally came and hauled the w/d away. Hallelujah! (and they also didn't call first again, good thing I stopped relying on them :)
My W/D was set to be delivered the very next day. I was dreaming of dancing socks. Had my entire weekend planned out to see how many loads I coud get done. I was so excited for my pretty new front loaders to arrive! And then? The delivery company called. They damaged both my washer and dryer while loading them onto the truck. Wahhh wahhhh.
So then I had to talk to Samsung, the manufacturer of my new w/d. Unfortunately, my washer was on backorder until February. Noooo!!! They advised that I go to Home Depot (where I bought them from) and see if they had any other models in stock that could be delivered sooner. Home Depot price matched me on a slightly better set. Yay! But? It was also on backorder until January :( So here I lie. Unable to make the world turn, ha! I was defeated. I must wait another 5 weeks, so now I need a Plan B.
That's when I had my 'aha' moment. Why not go back to our apartment complex to use their W/D's in their laundry center? Yes, we no longer live there, but I was desperate. And I had to pay for them anyway, so what did it hurt? THEN... I went to the apartment complex next to ours, which is much larger, and used their laundry center!! So the good news? I was able to finish 8 loads of laundry in 3 hours. Woohoo! But I did spend $30 in quarters :/ A sacrifice I was willing to make!
And if you ask why I didn't just go to a Laundromat, it's because the only one I knew about is in a sketchy part of town overtaken by foreigners. Aren't they always? No thx.
I am now one happy camper (with clean undies). Just picture me driving all over town using any washing machine in sight, lol. And I'm happy to report that this Plan B shall carry me over until my new set is delivered in a few weeks.
Desperate times call for desperate measures....
*Kristin*
Monday, December 16, 2013
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Patience
God grant me the will to be patient.
I have not been a very nice person for the past few weeks. I'm stressed beyond my limit. I've snapped at Ross countless times. I'm stressed about the house, the projects we're trying to accomplish, about family visiting, about dakota and everything in between.
Yesterday was another breaking point. I went grocery shopping after work, came home to immediately start on some projects that had me covered head to toe in drywall dust. Got another headache (which seem to be on and off for the past few weeks now), showered, only to discover the water wouldn't get past luke warm, then finally sat down at 8:30 only to discover that dinner was nowhere in sight. Just once it would be nice if Ross would offer to cook dinner.
On top of it all, Dakota has been acting up every morning. I spend more time cleaning up after her than I care to admit. She's 5 & 1/2 years old and I still feel like she's not housebroken. Frustrating beyond words.
We have no hot water this morning, so I asked Ross to call the plumber. He thinks the burner under the water heater just blew out since we've had some pretty rainy/windy weather the past few days. And being that the water heater is in the crawl space, it doesn't have a lot of protection. I hope that's all it is b/c I can't take one more problem in this house.
It's been almost 5 weeks since I've had a washer/dryer. The new washer/dryer are being delivered saturday, and I can't wait another minute. Not only is 5 weeks a long time to wait for ordinary laundry, but when you're renovating a house, we have stacks upon stacks of dirty work clothes, rags, towels, etc. building up on top of the normal laundry.
And last but not least, we may need to look into purchasing a new furnace. I thought we could wait, but Ross wants to pounce on a deal he found. Our savings is below the thresold that I'm comfortable with. I knew that buying a house brings initial costs but I just want to STOP spending money.
I'm just praying that all of this will pass and over the next few months things will start to turn around. Projects will finish, family will visit, holidays will pass, and we can start saving again.
God grant me the will to be patient.
*Kristin*
I have not been a very nice person for the past few weeks. I'm stressed beyond my limit. I've snapped at Ross countless times. I'm stressed about the house, the projects we're trying to accomplish, about family visiting, about dakota and everything in between.
Yesterday was another breaking point. I went grocery shopping after work, came home to immediately start on some projects that had me covered head to toe in drywall dust. Got another headache (which seem to be on and off for the past few weeks now), showered, only to discover the water wouldn't get past luke warm, then finally sat down at 8:30 only to discover that dinner was nowhere in sight. Just once it would be nice if Ross would offer to cook dinner.
On top of it all, Dakota has been acting up every morning. I spend more time cleaning up after her than I care to admit. She's 5 & 1/2 years old and I still feel like she's not housebroken. Frustrating beyond words.
We have no hot water this morning, so I asked Ross to call the plumber. He thinks the burner under the water heater just blew out since we've had some pretty rainy/windy weather the past few days. And being that the water heater is in the crawl space, it doesn't have a lot of protection. I hope that's all it is b/c I can't take one more problem in this house.
It's been almost 5 weeks since I've had a washer/dryer. The new washer/dryer are being delivered saturday, and I can't wait another minute. Not only is 5 weeks a long time to wait for ordinary laundry, but when you're renovating a house, we have stacks upon stacks of dirty work clothes, rags, towels, etc. building up on top of the normal laundry.
And last but not least, we may need to look into purchasing a new furnace. I thought we could wait, but Ross wants to pounce on a deal he found. Our savings is below the thresold that I'm comfortable with. I knew that buying a house brings initial costs but I just want to STOP spending money.
I'm just praying that all of this will pass and over the next few months things will start to turn around. Projects will finish, family will visit, holidays will pass, and we can start saving again.
God grant me the will to be patient.
*Kristin*
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Thanksgiving and Life in the New House
Well I really was going to update on how the new house has been going, but then remembered that a holiday just passed and could update on that too!
Ross & I had no plans for Thanksgiving. We were actually relieved and happy that we weren't traveling during the busy season. So we stayed in Bham and ate out for our Turkey Dinner. I didn't really have the energy or resources for cooking in our house yet, so eating out was the plan. The buffet I was excited about was already booked, so we made reservations at a different sit-down restaurant and $100 later, were thoroughly dissapointed ....Shoulda/coulda/woulda went to Cracker Barrel! Ho Hum. It gives us something to laugh about at least now, as soon as our wallet stops hurting. Afterwards, Ross took me to see Catching Fire. He hates these movies as much as the Twilight series so I was happy that he was willing to bear it! :) But I loved the movie and it lived up to my expectations! And my popcorn was soaked in butter. It made up for our crappy turkey dinner. I think this holiday was the first time we truly realized how much we miss our families on the holiday. I always knew when we lived in Pgh how lucky & fortunate we were to be able to celebrate with both families at every holiday. Maybe again one day! Until then, we need to make some of our own traditions.
Anyway, living in the house has been ok. I know, I sound so pessimistic, but I'm stressed, and it's overwhelming.... again. Just like the last house. There will always be a million projects to do. And I still wonder if we should've just bought new. Yes, new houses also have their projects (I've been told), BUT, at least they have new appliances, new plumbing, clean carpet, etc. Ross & I have one out of 3 bathrooms up and running, though we're already realizing it's almost a complete demo job. The kitchen still makes no sense to me. It is HUGE but laid out so completely wrong. I have to walk from one end of the kitchen to the other to get dinner made. And never seem to have enough counter space. Another complete demo job. But again, we just don't have the means to make any of those renovations, not for awhile. I guess I'll resort to camping out at the nearest home improvement store, waiting for a home improvement show host to ask me if I need any work done at my house!! "Yes," I beg, "Yes!!!" Ah, wait. Those shows only take place in Canada. Ever notice that?
We are however making progress in the laundry room/mudroom. It will hopefully be as nice as all of my pinterest inspiration when it's done! A project that was supposed to take 2-3 weeks though is now on Week 4 and we still have at least 2-3 weeks left. Bad planning! And I haven't had a washer/dryer for 3 weeks now. Ross doesn't seem to think this is a problem. Ugh. I'm trying my best to be patient.
Hopefully in a few weeks I can breathe a sigh of relief. Fingers crossed.
*Kristin*
Ross & I had no plans for Thanksgiving. We were actually relieved and happy that we weren't traveling during the busy season. So we stayed in Bham and ate out for our Turkey Dinner. I didn't really have the energy or resources for cooking in our house yet, so eating out was the plan. The buffet I was excited about was already booked, so we made reservations at a different sit-down restaurant and $100 later, were thoroughly dissapointed ....Shoulda/coulda/woulda went to Cracker Barrel! Ho Hum. It gives us something to laugh about at least now, as soon as our wallet stops hurting. Afterwards, Ross took me to see Catching Fire. He hates these movies as much as the Twilight series so I was happy that he was willing to bear it! :) But I loved the movie and it lived up to my expectations! And my popcorn was soaked in butter. It made up for our crappy turkey dinner. I think this holiday was the first time we truly realized how much we miss our families on the holiday. I always knew when we lived in Pgh how lucky & fortunate we were to be able to celebrate with both families at every holiday. Maybe again one day! Until then, we need to make some of our own traditions.
Anyway, living in the house has been ok. I know, I sound so pessimistic, but I'm stressed, and it's overwhelming.... again. Just like the last house. There will always be a million projects to do. And I still wonder if we should've just bought new. Yes, new houses also have their projects (I've been told), BUT, at least they have new appliances, new plumbing, clean carpet, etc. Ross & I have one out of 3 bathrooms up and running, though we're already realizing it's almost a complete demo job. The kitchen still makes no sense to me. It is HUGE but laid out so completely wrong. I have to walk from one end of the kitchen to the other to get dinner made. And never seem to have enough counter space. Another complete demo job. But again, we just don't have the means to make any of those renovations, not for awhile. I guess I'll resort to camping out at the nearest home improvement store, waiting for a home improvement show host to ask me if I need any work done at my house!! "Yes," I beg, "Yes!!!" Ah, wait. Those shows only take place in Canada. Ever notice that?
We are however making progress in the laundry room/mudroom. It will hopefully be as nice as all of my pinterest inspiration when it's done! A project that was supposed to take 2-3 weeks though is now on Week 4 and we still have at least 2-3 weeks left. Bad planning! And I haven't had a washer/dryer for 3 weeks now. Ross doesn't seem to think this is a problem. Ugh. I'm trying my best to be patient.
Hopefully in a few weeks I can breathe a sigh of relief. Fingers crossed.
*Kristin*
Monday, November 25, 2013
Settling In
We are finally moved in!! Well, 99% moved in....
The movers came on Saturday and moved a majority of the furniture to the new house. They left behind the piano b/c they needed three guys (even though I specified that when scheduling the move) and didn't have enough room on the truck for the washer, dryer and big screen tv.
Ross & I had to make 4 more runs on Sunday to get the remaining small stuff, clothes, laundry items, and most importantly, the 40" tv, which was a hilariously played out event in case you caught that pic on facebook :) It was our last run and here's how it all went down between Ross & I:
Kristin: I was thinking, we could bring over the smaller tv today. That way we have a TV in the house.
Ross: *looks at me like I'm crazy* Seriously, Kristin? You can't go ONE day without a tv??!
K: Yes, I can! BUT... I CANNOT go one day missing the Walking Dead tonight....
R: Oh, crap. *pause* You're right. We need to get our tv.
So at the apartment, Ross is carrying the 40" tv ready to load it into the backseat of my crossover, only to realize that it won't fit. He looks at me with dissapointment, pauses..... smiles, then briskly walks around to the front passenger seat and sits down.... all while holding the tv. It still cracks me up ust thinking about us driving down the highway with Ross gripping the tv in the front seat. My initial reaction was "seriously, this is how we're transporting the tv?!!" as he commanded, "just drive, this will work!" And it did. And we didn't even have to miss a Walking Dead episode. If that's not true dedication, I don't know what is :)
Overall, the weekend was just overwhelming and I couldn't wait to get it over with, as I'm sure all moves are, but Ross & I were still in good spirits and it helps to have some laughs along the way.
Today, I have movers coming again to grab the last 4 big items, so fingers crossed they are bringing 3 guys like I asked and the truck with a ramp so they can avoid steps. And then it will be official! Officially done with apartment living, forever?? Only one can hope :)
*Kristin*
The movers came on Saturday and moved a majority of the furniture to the new house. They left behind the piano b/c they needed three guys (even though I specified that when scheduling the move) and didn't have enough room on the truck for the washer, dryer and big screen tv.
Ross & I had to make 4 more runs on Sunday to get the remaining small stuff, clothes, laundry items, and most importantly, the 40" tv, which was a hilariously played out event in case you caught that pic on facebook :) It was our last run and here's how it all went down between Ross & I:
Kristin: I was thinking, we could bring over the smaller tv today. That way we have a TV in the house.
Ross: *looks at me like I'm crazy* Seriously, Kristin? You can't go ONE day without a tv??!
K: Yes, I can! BUT... I CANNOT go one day missing the Walking Dead tonight....
R: Oh, crap. *pause* You're right. We need to get our tv.
So at the apartment, Ross is carrying the 40" tv ready to load it into the backseat of my crossover, only to realize that it won't fit. He looks at me with dissapointment, pauses..... smiles, then briskly walks around to the front passenger seat and sits down.... all while holding the tv. It still cracks me up ust thinking about us driving down the highway with Ross gripping the tv in the front seat. My initial reaction was "seriously, this is how we're transporting the tv?!!" as he commanded, "just drive, this will work!" And it did. And we didn't even have to miss a Walking Dead episode. If that's not true dedication, I don't know what is :)
Overall, the weekend was just overwhelming and I couldn't wait to get it over with, as I'm sure all moves are, but Ross & I were still in good spirits and it helps to have some laughs along the way.
Today, I have movers coming again to grab the last 4 big items, so fingers crossed they are bringing 3 guys like I asked and the truck with a ramp so they can avoid steps. And then it will be official! Officially done with apartment living, forever?? Only one can hope :)
*Kristin*
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Little by Little
Last weekend was supposed to be our move-in day to the new house, but unfortunately it got delayed to this Saturday. Which actually is working out better even though I'm still eager to get this all over with!
But with the extra time:
*Kristin*
But with the extra time:
- The electrician finished and we have an updated breaker box in the house. And the power is turned back on!
- The plumber should be finishing up today or tomorrow. He had to update our water heater and move the W/D hookups
- The carpets should be cleaned tomorrow. Fingers crossed that the 3rd time's the charm.... I've already been stood up twice so hopefully this new company is better at showing up!
- I finished the living room!! :) ...as far as painting goes
- I'm almost done with the master bedroom. It'll feel good to have freshly painted walls, ceiling and trim done in 2 rooms when we move in!
*Kristin*
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
What's a girl to do?...
...when the electrician is 2 days behind schedule?
Causing the power at the house to be turned off for an extra 2 days (b/c he's updating the breaker box)?
Interfering with the carpet cleaning appointment I scheduled for Thursday?
Interfering with the movers coming Saturday to move furniture into the house because I absolutely refuse to move any furniture into the house before carpets are cleaned?
What do I do?!
I take a deep breath and realize that I should be thankful that I gave myself one 'buffer' weekend JUST in case things got pushed back.
So I rescheduled the movers for next Saturday, 11/23. Just 3 days before we need to officially be out of the apartment. I told myself we wouldn't plan on moving that Saturday in case we needed some 'extra time.' So I'm glad it was just Plan B and that we even had a Plan B! Of course, I'm just stressed and anxious and really wanted to be done with the move this weekend, but I guess life gives you these lessons to make you learn a thing or two. In particular, that things can't always go my way. And that sometimes, if I just give in, maybe things will go more smoothly than I could've planned! So instead I'm looking on the bright side...
... that I have another week to procrastinate on packing :) ha!
*Kristin*
Causing the power at the house to be turned off for an extra 2 days (b/c he's updating the breaker box)?
Interfering with the carpet cleaning appointment I scheduled for Thursday?
Interfering with the movers coming Saturday to move furniture into the house because I absolutely refuse to move any furniture into the house before carpets are cleaned?
What do I do?!
I take a deep breath and realize that I should be thankful that I gave myself one 'buffer' weekend JUST in case things got pushed back.
So I rescheduled the movers for next Saturday, 11/23. Just 3 days before we need to officially be out of the apartment. I told myself we wouldn't plan on moving that Saturday in case we needed some 'extra time.' So I'm glad it was just Plan B and that we even had a Plan B! Of course, I'm just stressed and anxious and really wanted to be done with the move this weekend, but I guess life gives you these lessons to make you learn a thing or two. In particular, that things can't always go my way. And that sometimes, if I just give in, maybe things will go more smoothly than I could've planned! So instead I'm looking on the bright side...
... that I have another week to procrastinate on packing :) ha!
*Kristin*
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Asheville, NC and other good things
I kept avoiding posting an update becuase I wanted so badly to share some work we've recently done at the house with 'After' pictures. Unfortunately I STILL haven't gotten 'After' pictures over a week since we've finished since the house is dark by the time I drive over there at night. But maybe this weekend :)
And in case you can't keep up, we closed on our house on 10/21 and are hoping to move in next weekend, the 16th.
Besides that, it's been a good week and I'm in a great mood!
Ross and I headed to Asheville this past weekend becuase we had tickets from his parents to see the Biltmore House. I posted pics on Facebook last night in case you missed 'em. We got there Friday afternoon just in time for the Brews Cruise I signed us up for! On it, we met some hilarious people, were pretty happy after a few drinks, and learned about beer? Ok, ok, I was just drinking it. Afterwards, Ross & I headed out to dinner with a couple we met on the tour and checked out a delicious seafood restuarant. Then Ross & I retreated back to the most beautiful bed & breakfast. Our B&B was a lovely older home and our room was very quaint but full of character, just what I had hoped for! And we had our own newly remodeled bathroom. I felt like we were living in luxury! haha Which was a nice break from the chaos of what we're living in at home currently, between boxes and dirt & dust, getting ready to move soon.
Saturday morning we were served a 3-course gourmet breakfast at the B&B where we met the other couples staying there that weekend. It was the perfect start to the day! Then we headed out to the Biltmore for the day. We started off with the self-guided audio tour which took us 90-minutes. I was pleasantly surprised that the crowds weren't as bad as I had braced myself for! The house was stunning and did not dissapoint! Afterwards, we ate lunch at one of the restaurants they had on the property. And since I couldn't stop thinking about the Biltmore Estate, I signed us up for the guided 'Butler's Tour' that afternoon. It was also very insightful and I'm glad we had the chance to see the house just one more time. I figured we might never have the chance to go back so we might as well take just one more tour! And I'm glad we did :)
Saturday night, we ventured to downtown Asheville and checked out all of the 'eclectic' shops in town. We also ate dinner at the highly praised Tupelo Honey Cafe. It was delicious and worth the 90 minute wait! We ventured around Asheville anyway during our wait so it didn't matter to us. All in all, it really was a perfect weekend. The 6-hour drive seemed too long for such a short stay, but we definitely saw everythingwe I wanted to :)
Work has also been great this week. My office is quiet with many people in my department traveling this week (which is a rarity these days, they used to travel all the time!) + we had our annual chili cook-off yesterday that I organized = some definite fun and play while the managers are away! ha! The cook-off was a great success, we had a great turnout (about 40 ppl) as everyone on our floor was invited and I had the chance to really appreciate the amazing coworkers that I get to work with!
*Kristin*
And in case you can't keep up, we closed on our house on 10/21 and are hoping to move in next weekend, the 16th.
Besides that, it's been a good week and I'm in a great mood!
Ross and I headed to Asheville this past weekend becuase we had tickets from his parents to see the Biltmore House. I posted pics on Facebook last night in case you missed 'em. We got there Friday afternoon just in time for the Brews Cruise I signed us up for! On it, we met some hilarious people, were pretty happy after a few drinks, and learned about beer? Ok, ok, I was just drinking it. Afterwards, Ross & I headed out to dinner with a couple we met on the tour and checked out a delicious seafood restuarant. Then Ross & I retreated back to the most beautiful bed & breakfast. Our B&B was a lovely older home and our room was very quaint but full of character, just what I had hoped for! And we had our own newly remodeled bathroom. I felt like we were living in luxury! haha Which was a nice break from the chaos of what we're living in at home currently, between boxes and dirt & dust, getting ready to move soon.
Saturday morning we were served a 3-course gourmet breakfast at the B&B where we met the other couples staying there that weekend. It was the perfect start to the day! Then we headed out to the Biltmore for the day. We started off with the self-guided audio tour which took us 90-minutes. I was pleasantly surprised that the crowds weren't as bad as I had braced myself for! The house was stunning and did not dissapoint! Afterwards, we ate lunch at one of the restaurants they had on the property. And since I couldn't stop thinking about the Biltmore Estate, I signed us up for the guided 'Butler's Tour' that afternoon. It was also very insightful and I'm glad we had the chance to see the house just one more time. I figured we might never have the chance to go back so we might as well take just one more tour! And I'm glad we did :)
Saturday night, we ventured to downtown Asheville and checked out all of the 'eclectic' shops in town. We also ate dinner at the highly praised Tupelo Honey Cafe. It was delicious and worth the 90 minute wait! We ventured around Asheville anyway during our wait so it didn't matter to us. All in all, it really was a perfect weekend. The 6-hour drive seemed too long for such a short stay, but we definitely saw everything
Work has also been great this week. My office is quiet with many people in my department traveling this week (which is a rarity these days, they used to travel all the time!) + we had our annual chili cook-off yesterday that I organized = some definite fun and play while the managers are away! ha! The cook-off was a great success, we had a great turnout (about 40 ppl) as everyone on our floor was invited and I had the chance to really appreciate the amazing coworkers that I get to work with!
*Kristin*
Monday, October 7, 2013
Closing Progress & Seibert Visit
So we're 2 weeks down in the closing, 2 weeks to go :)
Right now, we're just waiting on getting the appraisal back. We should hopefully hear from them in the next day or two and I'm curious to hear what they have to say. On one hand, the house is move-in ready and doesn't need much work. But on the other hand, Ross & I see huge potential of what it could be!! I'll try my best to not get carried away :) We certainly wouldn't want to put more work into the house than it's even worth.
We gave our 60-day notification to our apartment office so we have the apartment until before Thanksgiving. That'll give us time to hire pros to replace the furnace before we move in and get an electrician to look at a few things.
Other than that, we're sitting pretty. I'm surprised at how much easier this closing has been than the first one, so far. *...as I'm knocking on wood* :)
In other news, Ross' parents were here visiting last week. It was so nice to have visitors and something to look forward to throughout the week! For their week visit, I think we got out quite a bit to explore -- we took them to the annual Greek Food Festival held last weekend, rented a pontoon boat one day and fished (sadly, no catches, even with my breadball fish bait, boo!), showed them our house, visited the Barber Motorsports Museum, visited the Saturday farmer's market that's held downtown, ate at the Whistle Stop Cafe, checked out the local County Fair and more! *whoo* I'm tired just thinking about everything we did :) I think we explored more of B'ham with them in a week than we've done since we've lived here! It was a whirlwind week and they left just in time for the fall weather to set in. It's officially chilly today (aka, high's in the mid-70's :) haha. Yes, it's chilly. There, I said it. I had to use the heat in my car this morning... ha.
Now Ross & I are back to our normal routines. This week, we are revving up for the Walking Dead Season 4 premiere next Sunday! We are in marathon-mode catching up on all of season 3 in the next 7 days! I tell ya... it's a hard life we live....
-Kristin
Right now, we're just waiting on getting the appraisal back. We should hopefully hear from them in the next day or two and I'm curious to hear what they have to say. On one hand, the house is move-in ready and doesn't need much work. But on the other hand, Ross & I see huge potential of what it could be!! I'll try my best to not get carried away :) We certainly wouldn't want to put more work into the house than it's even worth.
We gave our 60-day notification to our apartment office so we have the apartment until before Thanksgiving. That'll give us time to hire pros to replace the furnace before we move in and get an electrician to look at a few things.
Other than that, we're sitting pretty. I'm surprised at how much easier this closing has been than the first one, so far. *...as I'm knocking on wood* :)
In other news, Ross' parents were here visiting last week. It was so nice to have visitors and something to look forward to throughout the week! For their week visit, I think we got out quite a bit to explore -- we took them to the annual Greek Food Festival held last weekend, rented a pontoon boat one day and fished (sadly, no catches, even with my breadball fish bait, boo!), showed them our house, visited the Barber Motorsports Museum, visited the Saturday farmer's market that's held downtown, ate at the Whistle Stop Cafe, checked out the local County Fair and more! *whoo* I'm tired just thinking about everything we did :) I think we explored more of B'ham with them in a week than we've done since we've lived here! It was a whirlwind week and they left just in time for the fall weather to set in. It's officially chilly today (aka, high's in the mid-70's :) haha. Yes, it's chilly. There, I said it. I had to use the heat in my car this morning... ha.
Now Ross & I are back to our normal routines. This week, we are revving up for the Walking Dead Season 4 premiere next Sunday! We are in marathon-mode catching up on all of season 3 in the next 7 days! I tell ya... it's a hard life we live....
-Kristin
Monday, September 30, 2013
Settling Down
Well I think I can finally share the news!
Crap, no...no, I'm not pregnant :)
I guess I really need to start off with a different lead-in!
Soooo, Ross & I are buying a house :) Finally, 10+ months of browsing the listings and we finally found something with almost everything on our wish list.
I stole a few pics from the listing page so I could share. Here is the front exterior:
I'm not a huge fan of the green paint on the trim, but being that it was recently redone, I think I'll live with it for a while. But a few things it does have that caught our eye? To name a few, the 2-car garage that is a main-level garage (as opposed to a basement garage), the walk-out patio to the back yard, the ranch style, one-level living, the gorgeous flat lot (a rarity in B'ham) with mature trees, and the projects it has in store for us :)
Yup, we bought another fixer upper. It mostly needs just cosmetic updating. A few fresh coats of paint, taking down some outdated wallpaper, changing light fixtures and we'll be good to go for awhile! Oh, and to replace the original 42-year old furnace! Eek. That is priority #1.
What they did update were the kitchen cabinets:
Not my personal taste but it's nice that they are in good condition. What baffles me is the size of the kitchen! I think I need to add a kitchen island :)
Here's a glimpse of one of the 3 full baths that is in need of updating:
We have a lot of projects on hand but that makes me so excited and the ideas are spinning around in my head... Pinterest here I come!!
A few more facts about the house, it originally had 3 bedrooms/ 2 baths. Somewhere along the way they converted attic space into an additional bedroom & bath bringing it up to 4 beds/ 3 baths. It's great to have the extra room upstairs, but for now, it'll be storage. I like having our master on the main floor anyway.
We close on October 21st but our apartment lease runs until November 26th since we had to give a 60-day notice to vacate. That should give me time to paint a few rooms before moving in, and clean!
So there you have it. I'm happy for this next phase in our life. I know that as much as I hope/dream/wish to be back in Pittsburgh one day, this is the right move for us right now. I can finally settle down here and see where life takes us!
*Kristin*
Crap, no...no, I'm not pregnant :)
I guess I really need to start off with a different lead-in!
Soooo, Ross & I are buying a house :) Finally, 10+ months of browsing the listings and we finally found something with almost everything on our wish list.
I stole a few pics from the listing page so I could share. Here is the front exterior:
I'm not a huge fan of the green paint on the trim, but being that it was recently redone, I think I'll live with it for a while. But a few things it does have that caught our eye? To name a few, the 2-car garage that is a main-level garage (as opposed to a basement garage), the walk-out patio to the back yard, the ranch style, one-level living, the gorgeous flat lot (a rarity in B'ham) with mature trees, and the projects it has in store for us :)
Yup, we bought another fixer upper. It mostly needs just cosmetic updating. A few fresh coats of paint, taking down some outdated wallpaper, changing light fixtures and we'll be good to go for awhile! Oh, and to replace the original 42-year old furnace! Eek. That is priority #1.
What they did update were the kitchen cabinets:
Not my personal taste but it's nice that they are in good condition. What baffles me is the size of the kitchen! I think I need to add a kitchen island :)
Here's a glimpse of one of the 3 full baths that is in need of updating:
We have a lot of projects on hand but that makes me so excited and the ideas are spinning around in my head... Pinterest here I come!!
A few more facts about the house, it originally had 3 bedrooms/ 2 baths. Somewhere along the way they converted attic space into an additional bedroom & bath bringing it up to 4 beds/ 3 baths. It's great to have the extra room upstairs, but for now, it'll be storage. I like having our master on the main floor anyway.
We close on October 21st but our apartment lease runs until November 26th since we had to give a 60-day notice to vacate. That should give me time to paint a few rooms before moving in, and clean!
So there you have it. I'm happy for this next phase in our life. I know that as much as I hope/dream/wish to be back in Pittsburgh one day, this is the right move for us right now. I can finally settle down here and see where life takes us!
*Kristin*
Monday, August 5, 2013
A Plan
You've heard it over and over on this blog, if we're gonna buy a house, if we're not. We've been back and forth on this more than I can count. After waiting and waiting for the perfect sign, waiting to see if it felt right, I finally decided that Ross & I needed to step in and create our own fate. To set our own path in life. That's when we I decided we needed to make a 3-year plan for ourselves. And if fate intervenes, then so be it! But this is what we've I've decided so far. After all, Ross is such a good listener, it's certainly not my fault that I do most of the talking :)
- We need to be here for at least 3 more years. Ross & I both have great jobs here and in order to make this step in his career worth it, he needs to get at least 5 yrs. experience under his belt. Though I think this was always the plan...
- Our goal at the end of our three year plan is to figure out how to move back to PA. Unfortunately, I don't know how that will work with Ross' job at USS, but we'll see. We may not have all the answers, but at least we have a goal. The reason we didn't make a 5-year plan is b/c I really can't fathom staying here any longer than a few years. Three years is optimistic I guess and the most I'm willing to miss out on in our families and friends lives.
- So now that we've decided to make it here another three years, I think it's time to buy a house. The apartment is really driving me crazy lately anyway between late-night partying neighbors, construction work going on and not having an outdoor space. So back to square one. We want to find a new Realtor and start house hunting again.
So we'll see. I feel a lot better after making a decision about the next few years ahead. And I realize that a few years may only be a blip in time, but it's a start. And as much as I try not to plan out our lives, it's nice to have an idea of what we want. Because once I can see a road ahead, I'll stop trying to focus on how much we miss Pgh and focus on how we can make the most out of our time here :)
*Kristin*
- We need to be here for at least 3 more years. Ross & I both have great jobs here and in order to make this step in his career worth it, he needs to get at least 5 yrs. experience under his belt. Though I think this was always the plan...
- Our goal at the end of our three year plan is to figure out how to move back to PA. Unfortunately, I don't know how that will work with Ross' job at USS, but we'll see. We may not have all the answers, but at least we have a goal. The reason we didn't make a 5-year plan is b/c I really can't fathom staying here any longer than a few years. Three years is optimistic I guess and the most I'm willing to miss out on in our families and friends lives.
- So now that we've decided to make it here another three years, I think it's time to buy a house. The apartment is really driving me crazy lately anyway between late-night partying neighbors, construction work going on and not having an outdoor space. So back to square one. We want to find a new Realtor and start house hunting again.
So we'll see. I feel a lot better after making a decision about the next few years ahead. And I realize that a few years may only be a blip in time, but it's a start. And as much as I try not to plan out our lives, it's nice to have an idea of what we want. Because once I can see a road ahead, I'll stop trying to focus on how much we miss Pgh and focus on how we can make the most out of our time here :)
*Kristin*
Friday, July 19, 2013
Dakota Romp
A little afternoon fun with Dakota.
It was really just an excuse to take some photos. We don't play with her often, and I even bought her a new toy. That doesn't happen often either. We're cheap parents. So might as well document this.
I took some photos just for the heck of it. Sadly, our apartment is so underlit, it's really impossible to get good photos without grain. We have one tiny little room that is flooded with light, sadly, that room is the spare bathroom. But if we keep the door open, it's fills our tiny hallway with light. So that's where we played :) Use whatcha got.
This photo was already underexposed... I can say I meant to do that, but I didn't. Once I started looking at it though, I really loved the pose and wanted the focus on that, nothing else was important. Just a dog and her toy. So I went with the flow and made it even darker to get that silhouette effect, but not making it completely b&w. I just like how clearly it shows her "ready to spring into action" sit command. She knows the correct sit command means butt.on.ground :) Smart dog. Ready to play.
Next up, the classic Dakota sprint with her new toy. Did you know that dogs smile?! I read that somewhere in an article once. I can't say I don't believe it. She's ecstatic in this photo with the tail up and the ears flopping. Again, very poor quality, lots of grain, a bit of blur, but I loved the overexposed light behind her and heck, I can even say I meant to blur it a bit since it is an action shot after all :) My photographic flair?! Sure. Let's call it that.
Last, but not least, Dakota always has to roll on something if it's new to her. A new food, like the piece of squash we gave her last night. Yup, she rolled all over that bit of squash before she finally ate it.
Again, poor quality, but I loved the simplicity of the photo. I even dared to convert these to b&w since the colors didn't contribute anything to the photo. It's all about her poses here :) Roll baby roll....
I think the most I learned from this afternoon was how important it is to take photos of just our simple everyday lives, even if the photos aren't perfect. It's those photos I think that will mean the most to me one day since these small fragmants of time will easily be forgotten.
So go out there and take photos of everything you love.
*Kristin*
It was really just an excuse to take some photos. We don't play with her often, and I even bought her a new toy. That doesn't happen often either. We're cheap parents. So might as well document this.
I took some photos just for the heck of it. Sadly, our apartment is so underlit, it's really impossible to get good photos without grain. We have one tiny little room that is flooded with light, sadly, that room is the spare bathroom. But if we keep the door open, it's fills our tiny hallway with light. So that's where we played :) Use whatcha got.
This photo was already underexposed... I can say I meant to do that, but I didn't. Once I started looking at it though, I really loved the pose and wanted the focus on that, nothing else was important. Just a dog and her toy. So I went with the flow and made it even darker to get that silhouette effect, but not making it completely b&w. I just like how clearly it shows her "ready to spring into action" sit command. She knows the correct sit command means butt.on.ground :) Smart dog. Ready to play.
Next up, the classic Dakota sprint with her new toy. Did you know that dogs smile?! I read that somewhere in an article once. I can't say I don't believe it. She's ecstatic in this photo with the tail up and the ears flopping. Again, very poor quality, lots of grain, a bit of blur, but I loved the overexposed light behind her and heck, I can even say I meant to blur it a bit since it is an action shot after all :) My photographic flair?! Sure. Let's call it that.
Last, but not least, Dakota always has to roll on something if it's new to her. A new food, like the piece of squash we gave her last night. Yup, she rolled all over that bit of squash before she finally ate it.
Again, poor quality, but I loved the simplicity of the photo. I even dared to convert these to b&w since the colors didn't contribute anything to the photo. It's all about her poses here :) Roll baby roll....
I think the most I learned from this afternoon was how important it is to take photos of just our simple everyday lives, even if the photos aren't perfect. It's those photos I think that will mean the most to me one day since these small fragmants of time will easily be forgotten.
So go out there and take photos of everything you love.
*Kristin*
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
My Own Revenge
Let's start off with a fun fact on which the basis of this story lies.... Fact: I hate Walmart. Like, truly & passionately hate Walmart. But sometimes, Targets prices just don't compare and I'm forced to shop at the nemesis! So even though I can't completely boycott the store, it's relentless that I have to go there from time to time. Call me a hypocrite!
So I'm at Walmart today and guess what I notice?! They no longer have baskets for your shopping needs, only carts!! (Oh yet again how I hate this store.) I thought I was just missing them, but surely enough, they are gone. And another fun fact? I hate shopping carts!! Especially when I only need to pick up a few items. I'd much rather just carry a basket which makes it much easier to manuever around the store. I have a theory that Walmart got rid of the baskets so their consumers are forced to use carts who are then tempted to fill them up with more than they need and therefore spend more money!! Mwahahaha. Stupid walmart. I'll show you up at your own game....
So as I'm shopping today, I realize I have more then I can carry with my own two hands. If I put it in my purse, then it will surely look like I'm shoplifting. Next solution? Pick up a beach tote as I'm passing the purse aisle to use as a shopping bag! Look at me..... happy go-lucky beach toting consumer at Walmart happy to have free hands :) :) :) Once I get to the check out line, I'll empty out all my contents and just tell the cashier that I don't want the tote. Easy peasy. So as I'm standing there, ready to check out, a nice older gentleman taps me on the shoulder while pointing to my bag and says "I like your shopping cart" *wink wink* HAHA!! I happily explained my dilemma and over-shared about what a hassle it is to push a cart around. We both got a good laugh about it. He said he noticed me earlier in the store when I got the bag and threw my stuff in and said it looked suspicious. But at the check out line, he came to understand what I was doing. LOL Oh dear.
It's a wonder why Ross is embarrased to shop with me at all times :) I can't wait to share this story with him when I get home and see his priceless reaction of "Yup, I married a nut!" Which I will then counteract with, "Well it was either that or I push people OUT OF MY WAY with my shopping cart!" which I've also been known to do and he, to this day, follows wayyyy behind me so as to not be associated with me at the grocery store. True story.
Our marriage is priceless.
*Kristin*
So I'm at Walmart today and guess what I notice?! They no longer have baskets for your shopping needs, only carts!! (Oh yet again how I hate this store.) I thought I was just missing them, but surely enough, they are gone. And another fun fact? I hate shopping carts!! Especially when I only need to pick up a few items. I'd much rather just carry a basket which makes it much easier to manuever around the store. I have a theory that Walmart got rid of the baskets so their consumers are forced to use carts who are then tempted to fill them up with more than they need and therefore spend more money!! Mwahahaha. Stupid walmart. I'll show you up at your own game....
So as I'm shopping today, I realize I have more then I can carry with my own two hands. If I put it in my purse, then it will surely look like I'm shoplifting. Next solution? Pick up a beach tote as I'm passing the purse aisle to use as a shopping bag! Look at me..... happy go-lucky beach toting consumer at Walmart happy to have free hands :) :) :) Once I get to the check out line, I'll empty out all my contents and just tell the cashier that I don't want the tote. Easy peasy. So as I'm standing there, ready to check out, a nice older gentleman taps me on the shoulder while pointing to my bag and says "I like your shopping cart" *wink wink* HAHA!! I happily explained my dilemma and over-shared about what a hassle it is to push a cart around. We both got a good laugh about it. He said he noticed me earlier in the store when I got the bag and threw my stuff in and said it looked suspicious. But at the check out line, he came to understand what I was doing. LOL Oh dear.
It's a wonder why Ross is embarrased to shop with me at all times :) I can't wait to share this story with him when I get home and see his priceless reaction of "Yup, I married a nut!" Which I will then counteract with, "Well it was either that or I push people OUT OF MY WAY with my shopping cart!" which I've also been known to do and he, to this day, follows wayyyy behind me so as to not be associated with me at the grocery store. True story.
Our marriage is priceless.
*Kristin*
Monday, April 22, 2013
Can't Bring Me Down
This weekend was a failure in so many ways that it's become comical. Despite my failures, I still stayed positive & cheery (which surprisingly carried over into my Monday...what has the world turned into?!!) I don't know how I do it, but I'm gonna go ahead and applaud myself on how persistent I am on being optimistic and not letting things bring me down ...
just a sec as I pat myself on the back.....
Ok, better now! :)
I guess the weekend started out ok. Ross & I partook in our usual Friday night and went out for dinner. Delish.
Saturday I was looking forward to checking out our outlet stores here and do some shopping. You see, I'm going to the beach in just 4 (5?) weeks and have been trying to refresh my summer wardrobe since it's basically non-existent. All this girl needs is 1 or 2 tank tops and a pair of new shorts. Oh, and a bathing suit would be nice since it is the beach after all. Easy peasy, right?! Wrong. The outlets were an uber failure (as was the mall last weekend). All I came out with was a pair of Aviator sunglasses that I still can't decide if I like but am wearing nonetheless. I probably look like a fool. Foolish me and my silly aviator sunglasses. Moving On...
Saturday night I was looking forward to staying in with the hubs and renting the movie 'Lincoln.' I've been wanting to see it for awhile. Well. Yeah..... Utterly dissapointed. Words cannot describe what I watched, since literally, I didn't comprehend a word they said. Don't worry though if you were planning on seeing it yourself, I'm sure you'll fully enjoy it! I've concluded that apparently the more Oscars that a movie wins means the less likely I am to interpret a single sentence they say! Call me dumb.... Literature was never my strong suit. I think there was an astonishing plot twist or two, but, again... who knows. Didn't understand a single thing they all said the. entire. movie. And Ross fell asleep at the end. Fail.
Sunday I was excited to check out yet another -- wait for it --- church! (story of our lives people, story. of. our. lives) Does this make church #10? 11? Geesh. This is getting old. Anywho, we must forge ahead! *says optimistic me* So we go to church in a town 20 minutes away that I heard good things about. It starts off with contemporary music, yay! And then...then?!!!! An HOUR and FORTY minutes later, service comes to an end. Oh what's that about the sermon?!! Who knows. After 30 minutes I completely tuned out. You thought I hated Literature? Well I hate Lectures even more. Anything over 30 minutes and you've lost me. Unless there is food involved. Which there was not. So after our almost TWO hour church service, Ross & I went out to lunch completely dazed and confused by what just happened. And how we can cross off 'Southern Baptist' from our religious scope. Sorry to judge a religion on one church. I think he preached about that at some point. Again, I'm not sure. Fail.
And here we are on Monday. I think I'm cheery because the weekend is finally over and nothing else could possibly go wrong.
Maybe I'll have a really great week at work?! Optimistic me says 'Yes, I will!'
*Kristin*
just a sec as I pat myself on the back.....
Ok, better now! :)
I guess the weekend started out ok. Ross & I partook in our usual Friday night and went out for dinner. Delish.
Saturday I was looking forward to checking out our outlet stores here and do some shopping. You see, I'm going to the beach in just 4 (5?) weeks and have been trying to refresh my summer wardrobe since it's basically non-existent. All this girl needs is 1 or 2 tank tops and a pair of new shorts. Oh, and a bathing suit would be nice since it is the beach after all. Easy peasy, right?! Wrong. The outlets were an uber failure (as was the mall last weekend). All I came out with was a pair of Aviator sunglasses that I still can't decide if I like but am wearing nonetheless. I probably look like a fool. Foolish me and my silly aviator sunglasses. Moving On...
Saturday night I was looking forward to staying in with the hubs and renting the movie 'Lincoln.' I've been wanting to see it for awhile. Well. Yeah..... Utterly dissapointed. Words cannot describe what I watched, since literally, I didn't comprehend a word they said. Don't worry though if you were planning on seeing it yourself, I'm sure you'll fully enjoy it! I've concluded that apparently the more Oscars that a movie wins means the less likely I am to interpret a single sentence they say! Call me dumb.... Literature was never my strong suit. I think there was an astonishing plot twist or two, but, again... who knows. Didn't understand a single thing they all said the. entire. movie. And Ross fell asleep at the end. Fail.
Sunday I was excited to check out yet another -- wait for it --- church! (story of our lives people, story. of. our. lives) Does this make church #10? 11? Geesh. This is getting old. Anywho, we must forge ahead! *says optimistic me* So we go to church in a town 20 minutes away that I heard good things about. It starts off with contemporary music, yay! And then...then?!!!! An HOUR and FORTY minutes later, service comes to an end. Oh what's that about the sermon?!! Who knows. After 30 minutes I completely tuned out. You thought I hated Literature? Well I hate Lectures even more. Anything over 30 minutes and you've lost me. Unless there is food involved. Which there was not. So after our almost TWO hour church service, Ross & I went out to lunch completely dazed and confused by what just happened. And how we can cross off 'Southern Baptist' from our religious scope. Sorry to judge a religion on one church. I think he preached about that at some point. Again, I'm not sure. Fail.
And here we are on Monday. I think I'm cheery because the weekend is finally over and nothing else could possibly go wrong.
Maybe I'll have a really great week at work?! Optimistic me says 'Yes, I will!'
*Kristin*
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Meal Planning for Two
I like to take on a lot of things myself when it comes to household chores. I guess this trait comes from my mom :) I hate to delegate, and often find that I'd rather just 'do it myself' than ask for help or spend money on help since I'm also very cheap frugal. I do everything from cooking to cleaning, laundry, paying bills and budgeting. One thing I'm inconsistently NOT good at is meal planning. You'd think it be simple, right? But week after week, I end up planning the same meal over and over again (since I'm one for repetition!) or plan unhealthy meals time and time again. Ross grows bored eating the same thing too much, and I grow frustrated if we aren't eating as healthy as we should be. So I finally recognized this as one of my weaknesses :)
For awhile, I joined the Fresh 20. It's a really great website I would still recommend... if you're a family. They choose 20 ingredients for 5 meals/week. I love that idea behind it! But after using their service for more than a year, more often than not, I found myself not looking forward to the week's menu. Nothing was quite doing it for me. And on top of it, since they plan the menu for a family of 4, often times I was finding myself trying to cut all the recipes in half, which wasn't easy, or I'd only cook 2 or 3 of their meals for the entire week (which if I didn't like it the first time, meant I certainly wasn't looking forward to the leftovers). I still recommend the site, but it just didn't work for us after awhile. Though I may go back to it one day when we are a family of 4 :) Until then, it was time to move on...
So back I went to my own meal planning. And quickly it went back to junk food, not enough veggies since my idea of veggies is the frozen kind (yuck!), or new recipes I found online that would take *for-ev-er* to cook or had a 20-ingredient list for ONE meal! That's a joke, right?! 20-ingredients for one meal? What does that household's grocery budget look like?!! Yikes. I grew frustrated every sunday when I sat down to write out our grocery list. Then I'd take it out on Ross and tell him to do it! *throw hands in the air* I give up!! (I was always so dramatic :)
So I set out again and googled meal-planning websites. I came across "Couple Supper." Four meals/week for just 2 people and only $5/month. *Hallelujah!* It's just what we needed! Their recipes are easy but tasty, help us to eat the right portions (which I'm awful at gauging myself!) and are plenty well-rounded and healthy. I actually look forward to what they have on the menu each week which is hard to do for this picky-eater (though I've gotten much better :) It's only been a few weeks since we signed up but I like them so far! And Ross is happy to have some variation in our dinners as well as trying new things. Though it seems 1 or 2 dinners/week are vegetarian, which I didn't realize until Ross promptly exclaimed "where is the meat?!!" lol The meals were still just as tasty, and in my eyes, cut down on our grocery bill :) It's been a win-win so far! And as far as the other 3-nights/week, I like having the flexibility to eat out once or twice on the weekends and/or plan our own meals for those nights :) After all, one of my unhealthy meals is ok when we've eaten good the rest of the week, right?!
So even though I sound like a salesperson, I'm not (I wish! haha) I would really recommend the site. To me, it's worth the $5/month when I know we're eating healthier (and the side dishes don't consist of frozen veggies either!) and I don't have to do the meal planning myself. Just one thing off of my to-do list every sunday :) The rest of my Sunday is filled with chasing Dakota down in order to trim her nails anyway. Priorities, people!! I refuse to pay $11 at Petco for nail trimming. O well...just another one of my frugal ways, haha. Now time for lunch (is there a meal-planning service for that too?!!)....
For awhile, I joined the Fresh 20. It's a really great website I would still recommend... if you're a family. They choose 20 ingredients for 5 meals/week. I love that idea behind it! But after using their service for more than a year, more often than not, I found myself not looking forward to the week's menu. Nothing was quite doing it for me. And on top of it, since they plan the menu for a family of 4, often times I was finding myself trying to cut all the recipes in half, which wasn't easy, or I'd only cook 2 or 3 of their meals for the entire week (which if I didn't like it the first time, meant I certainly wasn't looking forward to the leftovers). I still recommend the site, but it just didn't work for us after awhile. Though I may go back to it one day when we are a family of 4 :) Until then, it was time to move on...
So back I went to my own meal planning. And quickly it went back to junk food, not enough veggies since my idea of veggies is the frozen kind (yuck!), or new recipes I found online that would take *for-ev-er* to cook or had a 20-ingredient list for ONE meal! That's a joke, right?! 20-ingredients for one meal? What does that household's grocery budget look like?!! Yikes. I grew frustrated every sunday when I sat down to write out our grocery list. Then I'd take it out on Ross and tell him to do it! *throw hands in the air* I give up!! (I was always so dramatic :)
So I set out again and googled meal-planning websites. I came across "Couple Supper." Four meals/week for just 2 people and only $5/month. *Hallelujah!* It's just what we needed! Their recipes are easy but tasty, help us to eat the right portions (which I'm awful at gauging myself!) and are plenty well-rounded and healthy. I actually look forward to what they have on the menu each week which is hard to do for this picky-eater (though I've gotten much better :) It's only been a few weeks since we signed up but I like them so far! And Ross is happy to have some variation in our dinners as well as trying new things. Though it seems 1 or 2 dinners/week are vegetarian, which I didn't realize until Ross promptly exclaimed "where is the meat?!!" lol The meals were still just as tasty, and in my eyes, cut down on our grocery bill :) It's been a win-win so far! And as far as the other 3-nights/week, I like having the flexibility to eat out once or twice on the weekends and/or plan our own meals for those nights :) After all, one of my unhealthy meals is ok when we've eaten good the rest of the week, right?!
So even though I sound like a salesperson, I'm not (I wish! haha) I would really recommend the site. To me, it's worth the $5/month when I know we're eating healthier (and the side dishes don't consist of frozen veggies either!) and I don't have to do the meal planning myself. Just one thing off of my to-do list every sunday :) The rest of my Sunday is filled with chasing Dakota down in order to trim her nails anyway. Priorities, people!! I refuse to pay $11 at Petco for nail trimming. O well...just another one of my frugal ways, haha. Now time for lunch (is there a meal-planning service for that too?!!)....
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Hello Hello!
Hello there! Sorry I've been M.I.A. for so long but I never felt like updating on nothing :) Anyway, it's been quite a few months since I've blogged so I thought I'd give an update on how things have been going here!
Life is pretty 'ho hum' lately, in a good, calm, relaxing, 'finding ourselves' kind-of-way, but also in a boring, uneventful, waiting-for-things-to-happen kind-of-way. I have my ups and downs. I really like our life here and wouldn't change it, it's been a great experience so far, but I still feel like we're 'waiting' for things to happen. We're still trying to meet people and force ourselvse to have a social life (it's nonexistent!). And recently for the past few months, we've been trying to find a house.
The house hunt has been down right frustrating. We've done everything from expanding our search to more parts of town, stretching our budget (with no luck) and doing everything to try to find something. Now we're just going to sit back and wait to see what new listings come on the market. I feel like we'll know when it's 'the one' and that it'll all work out on it's own. So I'm trying to tell myself to stop thinking about it! It's not that I hate our apartment, I just hate the rent payment going nowhere every month!
Once we find a house, I'm hoping that'll help us to meet some people/neighbors. Or if we'd continue our church hunt, that would help too. I feel like right now we're stuck in some 'waiting' limbo, waiting to find a church, waiting to find a house, waiting to meet friends, etc. Ross & I are not very proactive in any of those areas, and I think we need to force ourselves to come out of our shells... eek!
Our jobs are going well. Ross is extremely busy at work and holding down the fort for the labor relations team this summer, thanks to some reorganizational changes. His schedule at work makes me reconsider buying another fixer-upper :) My job is going really well too. My dept. got a new manager last month so there's been some adjustments there. Now if only I could get used to my 7am-4pm work schedule, life would be good. Is it possible to reinvent myself as a morning person?!! :)
As for the church hunt, so many people have given good suggestions about what churches to try, etc. but after about 10 churches we'd given up. I guess it's time to get back on that bandwagon with full force ahead! Of course, it would help if we knew what part of town we might settle down into one day :) Again...the waiting! I don't want to become attached to a church here then move 40 minutes away. Ack! Our house hunt has GOT to come to an end so we can figure out where to lay down some roots.
As for now, I'm looking forward to coming home in March for Michelle's baby shower and am very excited to be home for 4 days and being able to focus on visiting with just my friends and family. Xmas break was fun when Ross & I came home but was way too chaotic. Halfway through our stay we were burnt out, exhausted and didn't get to truly enjoy the time we had left in Pgh. So I'm happy to have some time to myself in March to spend in Pittsburgh. Ross is actually visiting Pgh next week (he has a seminar for work in Pgh) so he'll get to spend some time with his own family and friends. Unfortunately, it's so much easier when we visit Pgh by ourselves but at least we both agree it's easier :) haha And while he's gone next week, I'll be planning a few chick flick movie nights and junk food extravaganza. Call me excited!!
Talking about junk food though, Ross & I have finally started to do something about our unhealthy eating habits! Although we weren't ever truly horrible, we thought it was finally time to start working out and planning better dinners again. It feels great to finally be doing something about it and not just talking/whining about it. And we're not quitting this time. We've got an all-inclusive beach vaca to Punta Cana planned in May with our best friends staring us down! Bring it on Punta Cana....bring it on! When our friends asked us back in July if we'd be interested in going, we couldn't turn it down! We're justifying it as our 5-year anniversary gift to ourselves. 5 YEARS. Holy cow. When did that happen?!
So yes, our 'ho hum' life is going well. We have so much to be thankful for and lots of things to look forward to for this year. I have a feeling it will be a big year... new house? new friends? new church? Here's to hoping :)
Life is pretty 'ho hum' lately, in a good, calm, relaxing, 'finding ourselves' kind-of-way, but also in a boring, uneventful, waiting-for-things-to-happen kind-of-way. I have my ups and downs. I really like our life here and wouldn't change it, it's been a great experience so far, but I still feel like we're 'waiting' for things to happen. We're still trying to meet people and force ourselvse to have a social life (it's nonexistent!). And recently for the past few months, we've been trying to find a house.
The house hunt has been down right frustrating. We've done everything from expanding our search to more parts of town, stretching our budget (with no luck) and doing everything to try to find something. Now we're just going to sit back and wait to see what new listings come on the market. I feel like we'll know when it's 'the one' and that it'll all work out on it's own. So I'm trying to tell myself to stop thinking about it! It's not that I hate our apartment, I just hate the rent payment going nowhere every month!
Once we find a house, I'm hoping that'll help us to meet some people/neighbors. Or if we'd continue our church hunt, that would help too. I feel like right now we're stuck in some 'waiting' limbo, waiting to find a church, waiting to find a house, waiting to meet friends, etc. Ross & I are not very proactive in any of those areas, and I think we need to force ourselves to come out of our shells... eek!
Our jobs are going well. Ross is extremely busy at work and holding down the fort for the labor relations team this summer, thanks to some reorganizational changes. His schedule at work makes me reconsider buying another fixer-upper :) My job is going really well too. My dept. got a new manager last month so there's been some adjustments there. Now if only I could get used to my 7am-4pm work schedule, life would be good. Is it possible to reinvent myself as a morning person?!! :)
As for the church hunt, so many people have given good suggestions about what churches to try, etc. but after about 10 churches we'd given up. I guess it's time to get back on that bandwagon with full force ahead! Of course, it would help if we knew what part of town we might settle down into one day :) Again...the waiting! I don't want to become attached to a church here then move 40 minutes away. Ack! Our house hunt has GOT to come to an end so we can figure out where to lay down some roots.
As for now, I'm looking forward to coming home in March for Michelle's baby shower and am very excited to be home for 4 days and being able to focus on visiting with just my friends and family. Xmas break was fun when Ross & I came home but was way too chaotic. Halfway through our stay we were burnt out, exhausted and didn't get to truly enjoy the time we had left in Pgh. So I'm happy to have some time to myself in March to spend in Pittsburgh. Ross is actually visiting Pgh next week (he has a seminar for work in Pgh) so he'll get to spend some time with his own family and friends. Unfortunately, it's so much easier when we visit Pgh by ourselves but at least we both agree it's easier :) haha And while he's gone next week, I'll be planning a few chick flick movie nights and junk food extravaganza. Call me excited!!
Talking about junk food though, Ross & I have finally started to do something about our unhealthy eating habits! Although we weren't ever truly horrible, we thought it was finally time to start working out and planning better dinners again. It feels great to finally be doing something about it and not just talking/whining about it. And we're not quitting this time. We've got an all-inclusive beach vaca to Punta Cana planned in May with our best friends staring us down! Bring it on Punta Cana....bring it on! When our friends asked us back in July if we'd be interested in going, we couldn't turn it down! We're justifying it as our 5-year anniversary gift to ourselves. 5 YEARS. Holy cow. When did that happen?!
So yes, our 'ho hum' life is going well. We have so much to be thankful for and lots of things to look forward to for this year. I have a feeling it will be a big year... new house? new friends? new church? Here's to hoping :)
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