10.27.2008 Heat

I had to break down and do it. Turn on the heater. I have resisted by wearing a sweatshirt or putting on an extra blanket. Tonight that isn't cutting it. Yahoo reports my current temperature is 48. I believe that my house is probably almost that cold. I had to turn on the heater for the first time this fall season. It is still warming up to high 70s and low 80s in the day which is extremely comfortable. However, my fingers are freezing right now. I have put off turning the heater on because my house is heated by propane. Not only am I not comfortable with using propane but it is expensive. Ridiculously expensive. Anyways, I will be snug as a bug in a rug tonight!

10.26.2008 Weekly Goals

Since I just posted about the purging and packing for the move, I thought I would set some goals for myself this week and report in next Sunday to see how I did.

1. Finish packing bathroom (almost done after this weekend). COMPLETED 11.02.2008
2. Clean second bathroom.
3. Clean out laundry room (almost done after this weekend).
4. Clean kitchen and start purging/packing.
5. Clean dining room and sort stuff already there into purge pile and pack pile. COMPLETED 10.29.2008
6. Empty living room of the stuff already there (not the purge/pack stuff and furniture).
7. Empty and clean foyer. COMPLETED 11.02.2008
8. Work on computer room.

I hope I have set some reasonable goals for myself. I think I have and should have time to do much more. I will keep you posted!

10.26.2008 Moving

So here are some decisions I have made regarding my move:

* I am not taking any dishes, glasses, toaster, or cookware (except for my La Creuset - sp?). Too much to pack so I will just buy new in El Paso. All my pots and pans are a hodge podge collection of crap and I want new dishes anyways. Toasters and glassware are cheap.
* I am going to purge, purge, and purge again regarding the scrap crap. I seriously don't have enough room to pack it uncensored. Plus I really have too much scrap crap to begin with. I will never and I mean NEVER use it all in my lifetime... even if I weren't to make another purchase.
* I am not taking my living room furniture or kitchen table. Not enough room and I want new. Now don't think I have all this extra cash sitting around to purchase new kitchenware and furniture. I don't. However, I do know how to peruse Craigslist and shop for bargains. I will do without until I can afford to purchase what I need.
* I am getting nowhere fast on packing. I have given myself a two week deadline for purging and packing. I want to be finished by Sunday, November 9, 2008. This will give me a week and a half before I actually move. A week and a half to rest and not stress over packing.
* I have decided to sell some of my crap at the local flea market in my last two weekends. I live too far out in the country to have a yard sell so the alternative is to setup on Sunday at the local flea market. What I don't sell, I will donate to a local charity. Plus the proceeds can go to replace a bunch of the junk I will be selling.
* I seriously don't know how I am going to fit all my crap in the back of my car and a U-haul. Granted I do drive a Ford Freestyle which is a station wagon type vehicle so I do have plenty of room in the car. But for a household... not so much. I have decided that all my scrap crap has to fit in my car to go.

I did start purging and packing this weekend. I did not get far and fast. I have crap spread all over the living room. I did get several loads of laundry done. Now my next big decision is what to purge from all my bedding. This is one of several things that I tend to collect. I love comforters and have far too many sets of sheets. It is going to hard deciding what gets packed and what gets purged... I cannot take all of it.

I will keep you posted on the progress. Hopefully there will be progress and not a breakdown with tears. Oh a breakdown with tears is inevitable but I am hoping not... so that means I have to be successful with the purging and packing and NOT STRESS. Right!?!?!?!?!

10.23.2008 Happy Day!

I am happy to report that I got offered a job today. Not just any job but THE job. THE job that I coveted. The job that was worth the wait. I officially report to my new job with the Federal government in El Paso, Texas, on 11.23.2008. Well I don't actually report on Sunday but Monday... Sunday is just the start of the new pay period. I am truly excited. While it is sad to leave my family but it is a nice new beginning!

Thanks to everyone that took this job journey with me offering me great support!

Now off to find a place to live...

10.20.2008 Today's Recap

1. Major argument with my mom at work.
2. Nap after work.
3. Nothing accomplished on the household purge project.
4. No word on the job.
5. Gathered three bags of trash (two from previous purge work), three empty boxes, and two storage cubes used as my coffee table to dump in the dumpster tomorrow.
6. Fight on the phone with E.
7. Feeling pretty crummy as I prepare to go to bed.

All totals up to a pretty crappy day with an even crappier ending.

10.18.2008 Moving. Am I stupid?

As a child raised by a single mother, we moved alot. It was ridiculous how many times we moved. I always told myself that I wouldn't move like that as an adult. Guess what? As an adult, I have moved. And moved several times. And not only have I moved a lot, in fact too many times, I get wunderlust after being in the same place for too long. So now I (maybe) prepare for another move. I am in the mindset that I am getting this job. No offer yet but I did get a call on Friday with a few more questions to finalize the selection... questions that are more in line like I got the job versus actual interview questions. My girlfriend and I feel really good about this... but until the offer is on the table, no new job. Yet.

So back to moving. Since I feel good about getting offered this job, my mindset is that I am moving. I figure once I get the offer, they will want me to report in two weeks. I am figuring two weeks because that is the standard notice for my current job. I would like more than two weeks but beggars can't be choosers. With the mindset of moving, I have started cleaning/purging/packing my house. Not really packing because I am not going to start packing until I know for sure that I am moving. But purging has started. And basically I have gotten nowhere. How is it that I have to go through all these boxes that have been stored for a good three years (and some more than that through a couple of moves at least). I feel that I have to sort through each box with mouse droppings and dead bugs. Sorry I live in the country and that is the nature of the beast... not that I am dirty. Well I am kind of dirty but that isn't the cause of the mouse poop and bugs.

I feel so frustrated that I have piles of crap strewn through my living room with a feeling that I am going two steps backward instead of one step forward. I guess it will feel that way until I fight through some of the clutter and actually remove it from my house.

On a good note, I have found some jewelry of mine that I have been missing for awhile. Not really missing just packed away and I didn't really know where it was. Found several pieces of my favorite jewelry that I have missed wearing. I will be like a new woman with all my "old" finds.

Now I have to decide what dishes I want to take considering I have four different patterns. Ridiculous. I don't even entertain at my house so why do I need four different patterns of dishes (and it really is five sets since I have a double set of one pattern).

10.17.2008 No news is good news....

Well no news on the job front. I do feel good regarding my interview. Now it is just a matter of playing the waiting game. Keep your fingers crossed!

10.14.2008 Changes ahead?

Want to know what I did this evening? Yes took a nap. Yes ate PB&J for dinner. Yes watched TV. But I also started cleaning out some boxes in my storage room... well not so much a storage room as it is a sun room used for storage. I also worked on my craft room a smidge too! I am so proud of myself and I probably only spent about 30-45 minutes total on these two rooms and I could actually see some accomplishment. Some. I got really inspired after a phone call at work. No news yet but I am hoping to get a call tomorrow to schedule an interview. This is the job. This is the job that I have been waiting for... the one that I have stressed over and cried because I didn't get all those other jobs. I can feel it. This is it!

10.14.2008 My New Motto

Powerful Women's Motto:

Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, Satan shudders & says...

"Oh shit... she's awake!!''

10.13.2008 Investment

I made a rather large investment today. Not large in cash but large as in inventory for my new business venture. You know that business venture I have been talking about for awhile... sewing dolls, etc. Yes I am still working on that. No I haven't finished anything yet to post. However, I did purchase a bolt of muslim from JoAnn's today with my 50% coupon since today is the last day of the Columbus Day weekend sale. This bolt is 25 yards of 44" wide muslim. That is a rather large investment in my business. Twenty-five yards of fabric. Seriously I can't do anything but sew dolls with this. If I don't follow through with my new business venture what the hell am I going to do with 25 yards of muslim. I decided to purchase a bolt of muslim versus just a yard here and there after I went through a yard of fabric PDQ! (As in pretty damn quick!)

10.12.2008 Sugar is hurting....

because I think I ran her over yesterday. Well not really but something happened. I was on my way to town and I usually speed up down the drive to slow the dogs hoping they won't follow me too far. I don't know if Peanut knocked into Sugar or what but I think I heard a little thud against the car and the next thing I know I see Sugar rolling through my side mirror. Poor girl... she took a tumble. I stopped immediately and Sugar was startled. She came right to me and wanted in the car. Of course I race to the warehouse to let my mom look Sugar over and give her diagnosis. In the end, all Sugar got was some scrapes, grass stains, and a sore leg that she is limping on. This lasted a day mind you. Today she is fine. Either she was working it big time yesterday or I read more into it than what it was. That doesn't mean that I wasn't heart broken that I hurt Sugar. Needless to say I babied her yesterday!

10.08.2008 Nights in Rodanthe

The worst movie ever! (Okay it almost got me crying a little with James Franco. A little!) I will say the best part of this movie is Mae Whitman. If you don't know who this little actress is... think back to Hope Floats. You remember Bernice? Well Bernice is grown up now. Grown up enough to play a snotty teenager with attitude. And that is exactly who she plays in Nights in Rodanthe. It is hard to even think that is who is playing the teen in the movie but when you look close, really look close then you realize that is exactly who it is!

Grade: D (And no I did not read the book so I don't know if that would've helped me to like the movie more.)

10.07.2008 Fabric

Does anyone really need sugar skull fabric? Well I will let you know since I just purchased a yard from Etsy. Seriously is this not the best fabric you have seen lately? I have no idea what I am going to do with it, I just knew I needed it. Not a want, a pure need.

10.04.2008 House of Paper

I want to tell you all again about a wonderful online scrappy store that I frequent. Okay I haven't purchased anything from this store for awhile but then again I haven't purchased anything scrappy for a llloooooooooooonnnnnngggggggg time. As you will remember I have put the scrapping aside for a little bit to focus on sewing. Anyways...

This wonderful online scrappy store that I frequent is great. It is called House of Paper. I found House of Paper through its owner, Chiara. My sister and I met Chiara while attending the first Creative Escape. Anyways, a few hundred dollars later and I must say that I really like this online store. For one thing, Chiara is always having a sale on something. Right now she has 25% off your order through tomorrow at noon plus some extra special sale on a few other items. You have to be quick on her sales though because when it is good (and they frequently are) the items will sell out and quick. This store isn't ginormous but it has just the right amount of product to make you feel yummy inside. Okay enough gushing about the store... let me give you some other selling points on why you should shop there. Free shipping on sales of $20. C'mon who can't spend $20 in an online store?!?!?!? Chiara usually throws in a freebie with an order of $25. Shipping is fast.

Needless to say I made a little purchase to stock up on the new Thickers and Sassafrass Lass. And BTW, the message board has a nice homey feeling too. I haven't visited in quite awhile but I haven't visited any message boards in awhile! I hope you take a look at HOP!

10.01.2008 True Blood

The translation of Eric and Pam's discussion in Swedish from episode four of True Blood is per the HBO message board for True Blood fans:

Eric says: "Our little zoo is starting to expand"
Pam says : "I know"