Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Exciting Update!
Saturday, June 25, 2011
This Blog Has Moved
Friday, June 24, 2011
Viva Mexico!
Nuff said......
Tonight we got the call that next August we are set for two weeks in the Mexican sun. I may or may not be able to go the entire two weeks but ten days could be possible. All I have to do now is get my passport and buy our plane tickets. All the more reason to get a job fast since I have the money in savings right now for that.
I googled the time share and the photos are amazing! There are five different sites. I don't know which one we are actually staying at but for your viewing pleasure....
I'm so ready for sunsets on the beach, fruity drinks with umbrellas, sun and sand and surf and relaxation.
Viva Mexico!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Graduation Season
Our son's friend is headed for the Navy August 3. He's pretty smart and his job is apparently classified. We are lucky and proud to know him and looking forward to hearing about his life in the "real world" as it unfolds.
My SD will graduate next year - I can't believe it.
Congratulations class of 2011!
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
F is for Freedom?
Life has been pretty crazy around here.
For a while now, things have not been going well at my job. This is the job I was not looking for. This is the job that was supposed to be such a great opportunity for me. This is the job that was going to allow me to pay off my credit cards - FAST!
I have not been enjoying this job and I definitely feel this is not the place for me. I have felt trapped because I am not in the position to quit due to our finances.
Today I have a paid day off as yesterday I was "let go".
It's a weird situation though. Essentially my company is allowing me to choose my end date. They asked if I would like to work for a few more weeks while I look for a new job and would accommodate any interviews I get lined up.
I'll take it.
So today I spent lounging around at home doing whatever I pleased. I made bruchetta for brunch and got caught up on blog reading while lounging in my new jersey dress from Old Navy that arrived yesterday in the mail. I may even have a glass of white wine that arrived in the mail today from my wine club.
I did look for a new job too.....
So now what? I can't say I didn't think this possibility wouldn't happen. I was preparing for it and socking away money in savings - when I could have been paying off my credit cards. The end date I am choosing will allow me to get paid two more times not counting the paycheck this Friday. That will allow me to put an additional $2000 in savings. I will be able to collect unemployment if I can't find something new by then.
I'm actually pretty optimistic. I have other things to keep me busy right now. I'm taking this great class on reorienting my career (don't laugh) and I couldn't be taking it at a better time.
Oh yeah, and did I mention that I started a production company with two friends I met on the set of the award winning indie film I worked on? We held our first auditions last Monday and the second auditions will be Saturday July 2. We have a Kickstarter video planned to raise the money we need to shoot our project which is scheduled for a weekend in August.
So not entirely freaking out here and am wondering what the universe has in store for me. I'm thinking positive and have great references lined up. It's summer and I plan to enjoy it as much as possible.
We got our car back last night too - it had issues for the second time and the dealership covered it all - huge sigh of relief there.
So universe - throw me a bone will ya?
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Obsessions
Yesterday we went to a friends son's highschool graduation. There is a house down the street from them that I am totally obsessing over. It's 101 years old, has four bedrooms and two bathrooms. The front and back porches are nice and deep with a shed out back.
The price has come down $60K since September. It's totally doable for us provided we could sell or rent our condo and we could even do a 15 year mortgage probably. I am REALLY considering this but it makes no sense right now. We are not prepared to buy a house right now. We have no down payment unless we make money on our place. Our commute would be longer. I have enough going on already and yet.....
I can so see my self living in this house. The kitchen and bathrooms would need some upgrading eventually. The upstairs bathroom is tiny, the tub, sink and toilet are crammed in there. It's a four bedroom house with all the bedrooms upstairs so it would be easy to borrow room from one of the bedrooms to make the bathroom more workable. Its double the square footage of our current home and right about what we want size wise anyway.
There are three options to a house that I would want. A converted industrial space loft, a one floor ranch with an open plan and an old house like the one above. Yesterday while at our friends house we walked down and took a peak in the windows. While I am not thrilled about the wood stove in the dining room - that can be taken out. It's double the square footage of our current place too.
This house makes me even more determined to get in to a house by next year if we intend to stay in the area. If we know we are going to move out of state in three years then buying a house makes no sense.
I guess a girl can dream.....
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Green Means Go!
Over the past couple months I have had a project in development. It's getting traction and gaining momentum.
I started a production company with two gals I met on the set of the independent film I worked on a few summers ago.
We recevied almost 20 screenplay submissions and found two we really love which we have optioned. Our first project will start filming in late August. It's a short film but we thought it had potential to be made in to a trilogy which the screenwriter loved. So, she is going to work on developing two more scripts.
Now down to the nitty gritty of casting actors (only two), location scouting (we think we have a place already), getting crew (this is low budget so free is a good thing), finding the equipment we need (currently we don't have any) and getting funding ($$$).
We have a twitter and FB page and will probably use Kickstarter for help in fund raising. Stay tuned, more updates to come!
Saturday, May 28, 2011
It works a little like Facebook where you can follow people and share ideas. Here's a peak of what I like. Pinterest describes themselves as..
a virtual pinboard — a place where you can create collections of things you love and "follow" collections created by people with great taste.
People use Pinterest to collect and share all sorts of things -- wedding inspiration, favorite T-shirts, DJ equipment. You name it, people are pinning it.
You need to request an invite from Pinterest or someone you know who is on it. Send me an email and I would be happy to send you an invite. This is my new favorite place on the web, a great way to post inspiration.
Happy pinning!
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
May Ramblings
I really feel bad for not posting a lot lately. I just havn't had much going on. My couch slipcover is in stall mode until I can have a weekend free of plans to tackle sewing the slipcover which I spent three hours pinning as well as the back and seat cushions.
I'm excited about a few things though. I was a little premature but updated my sidebar for some of our debt. It's not official or anything but this month we will have not one but two cars paid off. The ironic thing about this is neither of them are driveable. How crazy is that? We are using our tax return to pay off our old daily driver my 1999 Subaru Forester which just went through engine number two and is sitting waiting for the title so we can sell it to someone who wants it for parts (car universe, please grant my wish). That will be paid this Friday. Our last payment to my dad for our 1987 Porsche will be a week later. Problem is it needs a little bit of work to make it driveable.
We got our new to us Saab back last Friday after it needing a new engine (what is it with us and engines?). The dealership paid to have a used one with less miles put in. We had only owned it less than 48 hours when that debacle happened. I'm really liking the Saab. It's super comfortable with leather seats, dual climate control (front and back), heated seats all around (the SK's are loving that!), a sun roof (oh how I missed that), a killer stereo system, hand controls on the steering wheel for the stereo and more. This is more C's car than mine so I will bide my time and save my pennies until I can get this...
I'm not gonna lie. I kinda dig the racing stripes. Never thought I would say that. I DON'T dig the four fog lights on the front of this one and I would certianly love a sunroof too. This car is so me. Grey is my go to color in so many ways lately. We painted the living, dining and hallway of our condo in grey. Our Saab is silver with grey interior and I want me a grey mini cooper!
By the end of the month I will have put $950 on CC # 4 which is scheduled to be paid off in July. In fact, all of our credit cards should be paid off by year end. Yee Haw! Once that happens I can relax and plan a real vacation. A vacation to somewhere like Hawaii or Mexico. Pretty much anyplace full of sun where I can stick my toes in the sand, drink fruity drinks with little umbrellas and relax.
I am starting a career development class in 13 days (yes I am counting) that I am super excited about. I have a big birthday coming up at the end of July. I am contemplating going here for the Saturday before my birthday. Wine and Yurts, what more could a girl ask for? They have a spa too!
The Yurts featuer King sized beds, sky dome in the center of the roof, private bath, refrigerator, iPod docking station, sitting area, patio deck, wifi and vineyard or river gorge view.
Meanwhile, I am totally addicted to this design blog House Tweaking. Dana and her husband just bought a new (to them) house. They have decided to downsize so she can stop working and take care of their two boys full time. The new house is lovingly named The Underdog. It's a mess they are remodleing while still living in their old house that is for sale. I am really intrigued by this because my husband and I are looking at three years until his youngest graduates from high school. One of our ideas is to buy or build a small open floor plan house.
Another is to sell our condo and live in an Airstream trailer like this guy (Apartment Therapy is so cool!).
Buying a rambler we could make our own is certainly something we consider. We are thinking of moving to a warmer climate so the house buying may possibly be put on hold for a few years. When I look at photos online of houses for sale in my area I really try to look past the old cruddy kitchen cabinets and hideous flooring to see the potential for the four walls I am considering. Watching Dana and her husband as they turn their Underdog in to the home of their dreams will be certain inspiration and a great guide.
Speaking of addictions, I am currently adddicted to the TV show Supernatural. We borrowed season one from our neighbor. Right now we are on season two which we have to get from Netflix via DVD (how old school) since it's not streaming.
Today was a nice sunny day here in the greater Seattle area. It got to 60 at least. I am so ready for the grey gloomy days of winter (and even spring) to be gone. One thing about our area is even when it's warm during the day it cools off at night unless you are in eastern Washington or it's August.
Well, I have rambled enough. Hope you all are well and more more consistent posting coming soon. Like the reveal of my slipcovered couch!
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Career Exploration
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Good Juju
So it looks like I will be able to take that $3200 burning a hole in my bank account and pay off our old dead car as well as put a healthy chunck of change on one of our credit cards. It's tempting to put that entire amount on our credit cards and just continue to pay the car payments for the dead car (there are seven left) but I just don't think I want to do that. I am waiting until we get the car back which will be next week.
Also, I am looking for a new job. I left my old job of 4.5 years for my current one of which I have been at for six months. I am sorry to say this job is just not working out like I thought it would. The pay is better and C and I can carpool but it's just not the environment for me.
I am putting this out there in the universe for me to be able to find a new job and for the transition to be pretty stress free. I am not certain how this will be accomplished but I am trusting that it can be. My deadline is my birthday at the end of July but if it happens faster I will not complain.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Seven Things About Me
Seven Random Things About Me
- I have exactly 2.5 hours flight time in a single engine plane.
- I had a pet frog for 13 years. It was a joke birthday gift called "Grow A Frog" and a tadpole was literally mailed to me in a bag of water in a styrofoam container. When it arrived my mom tossed it up the stairs at me. It lived in my mom's house after I moved away and finally passed away.
- While most people go gaga over meeting famous people, when I have the opportunity I get all nervous and quiet.
- When I was just about to turn two my parents and I were visiting relatives in Texas. My cousins were bouncing on a trampoline with me sitting on the opposite end. Then bounced me right off. I go tup and wandered in to the house. Later that night I woke up screaming. Apparently I had broken my leg. I spent the rest of our trip in a cast and walked around so much I wore down the heel twice. I remember when I got the cast off the doctor put the saw on my hand so I would know it wouldn't vut me. I tried to stand but fell over because I was used to the weight of the cast.
- The furthest away from home I have been is Hawaii to the west, The Bahamas to the East, Cabo San Lucas to the south and the Arctic Circle to the north. Time to get off this continent!
- I costumed an indie horror film summer which got me a credit on IMDB.
- I love vegetables but absolutely detest peas. I will eat them in fried rice or a pot pie but I will not eat them alone.
Passing the award to...
Kilted Travel Agent (refered to here as C)
The Girls Guide to Homelessness
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Holding Pattern....
This past week has been interesting. After our car essentially dying and being replaced, our new car has a small issue which is being diagnosed. I am sitting on about $3200 that I would really like to use to pay off the old car (that died) and put the rest on a credit card.
Untill the new car get's the "all clear" I want to hold on to that money "just in case".
I am putting it out there that everything is fine and I will be able to pay off that old car and the rest will pay one card in half which will then be paid off next month.
How is that for specific.
Send me your good juju!
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Right now it's an invitation only site. It didn't take me long to get mine. Or, leave me a comment with your email address and I will send you and invite!
Thursday, April 21, 2011
When Life Gives You Lemons........Make Saabs!
Say hello to our new baby.
A 2000 Saab 9-5 with only 85000 miles on it. It has a sun/moon roof, dark grey leather interior, heated seats (even in the back), dual climate control for the front and seperate climate control for the back as well as controls on the steering wheel for the stereo. They only had one key and a second one cost us $238.11 plus a $55 fee to sink it to the car. Wow, I didn't know about that niftly little feature.
It had literally been put on an internet special this morning knocked down an additional $5000.
This was not necessarily in the plans right now but you gotta do what you gotta do.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
I Heart The Internet - Another Recipe
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Enchiladas Por Favor
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Grand Plans
In a perfect world, C & I would have some sort of alternative income stream. Something that could bring in enough money per month to meet our living expenses so our savings would be there if we need it but not necessary to dip in to for silly things like groceries or to pay the phone bill.
It's not that I need massive amounts of money to buy all sorts of lovely things. I just want the security of the available funds to know that I don't need to go back to a mind numbing horrible day job ever again. I don't mind living modestly. After all, you can't take it with you.
Our "home base" woube be a small structure about 1500 square feet such as a Katrina Cottage. KC 1185 would do nicely square footage wise. Some small adjustments like bedroom # 2 would not exist and the kitchen would use that space plus there would be room for a pantry and eating nook. Bedroom # 1 would be the TV room. It would be great if it was on a lake and some what private.
I plan on investing in a good camera to take photos of all the places we visit. I plan on packing my laptop to chronicle my travels and possibly write a novel that has been rattling around in my brain. I plan on connecting with my husband and hope that friends and family members will meet up with us along the way.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Sabbatical
Friday, March 25, 2011
Transitions
I wanted to direct you to a brand new blogger. I have been friends with her for about four or five years. She is an awesome person and amazing knitter.
Like many of us now a days, she was laid off from her job last Thursday - St. Patrick's Day. She is taking it all in stride and determined to make a dream out of her part time business.
Click on over to Unemployed Winner and give her a wonderful welcome to the world of blogging!
Have a great weekend!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Oysters Rockefeller
Saturday C and I went in search of Oysters on the half shell. The lovely lady behind the counter showed us how to shuck an Oyster and we brought home two dozen beauties. It took longer then we planned to get all the Oysters shucked and dinner was a little late that night. I used a recipe I found online by Tyler Florence but added Hollandaise to the top before placing them in the oven. Divine!
Aside from the cost of the Oysters (one of our dozen was $8.99 and one was $7.99) and Pernod the other ingredients are inexpensive. I would love to make this as an appetizer for our Easter meal but it's a little time consuming.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Oh yeah, and while I was working on my living room....
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Hello World
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Photos below may not be "pretty" as they are "in progress". You have been warned!
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Our living room is REALLY hard to decorate. I have lived here for going on ten years and we FINALLY think we have a solution. I will NEVER live with angeled walls EVER AGAIN!
Walls, crown and baseboard trim all completely painted, we mounted our TV on our angled fireplace wall (the bane of our existence - see note above) last weekend. We mounted two floating shelves to the left of that wall to hold our components (top shelf Wii and modem, bottom shelf XBOX, wireless router & Blue Ray player). We will probably get a guitar mount for the Wii Guitar leaning against the lower shelf.
Now we are dealing with wires. Lots of them. (Notice how the power cord for the TV does not reach to the outlet and we have that very attractive surge strip nesteled in our fireplace tools? I think it really adds something). The mantle in the photo below is part of our old one and will be replaced. The tan tile surround will be replaced with grey and white Carrara marble tile.
C and I both tought the floating shelving would make the room feel less cluttered but I am sad to say I don't feel that way right now. I thought about a small lingerie chest that could sit there and cover the outlet. We could change the drawers to flip down when we needed to access the components. I dare not suggest to C since he worked so hard getting it this far. I just really need camoflage for that wall under the shelf. It's complicated by the angled (and unfinished) hearth.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
What Have You Been Up To?
C and I are working on our living room. We finished painting the walls and moldings last month and now we are working on the fireplace wall. Demolition of the old tile on the hearth is taking longer than we planned even with our brand new Dremmel Multi Max. Once the old tile is off we will put down Carrara marble tile, install a new mantle and mount our 50" TV above it.
We are holding off buying new furniture and I will be recycling my current couch, post to come soon. We will be building two ottomans and purchasing two chairs. All of this furniture will privide plenty of seating for our family.
In other news, C has taken on a second career learning how to tattoo. He has always wanted to learn and bought some tools and supplies and is working on getting an apprenticeship which will be an unpaid second job for him.
I have some other exciting news but am not quite ready to post about it. I have a second job of my own in the works. One that I hope I will be able to transition in to a new full time career.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
February Update and March Goals
Paint living room walls and trim. This is done. We have two and in some cases three coats of paint on the walls and trim.
Make DVD shelving. This is done. They have been sanded and two still need to be painted but they are living in their new home in the hallway. We also took back the feet I had purchased for the shelving and recouped about $50.
Tile hearth did not happen. C and I have been having an ongoing debate on how exactly to do this. I wanted to get the old tile off and he wanted to tile over the old tile. We ended up using some of our condo money to buy a new tool called a Dremel Multi Max. This baby is so awesome and takes the tile off the hearth like buttah! We were trying with a hammer and chisel and not getting very far. It's time consuming though. We have some of the old tile off but need to pace ourselves as the tool get's hot quickly. We hope to tile the hearth this month.
Buy a couch is not going to happen right now. We decided the tax return (which we don't have back yet) would be in a better place if we put it in savings towards a new car (my car needs to be replaced). The couch we have will be "revamped" (post to come) and slipcovered. We have a goal to eventually buy a new couch but for now we are fine with this decision.
Put $200 in savings. This didn't happen because I forgot about getting my dogs teeth cleaned. February is national dog teeth health month and we saved about 50% getting his teeth cleaned. They have to knock him out to do it. Boy was he funny afterwards. Kinda stoned.
Put $300 divided between three credit cards. This was on top of minimum payments. We ended up putting an extra $185 on one of our cards. We decided rather than get all five of our cards to 50% we would pay off the smallest balance first and so on. We should be able to pay off CC #1 in March.
Use Wii fir three times per week. I got sick last month with the kind of cold that the cough lingers. I'm still coughing. Working out was kind of hard because it made me cough. I did do some but not as much as planned.
Lose five pounds. I lost a couple but without working out and being sick it was harder.
Next months goals...
Finish fireplace wall; hearth, mantle, mount TV
Slipcover couch
Make and slipcover a custom ottoman for couch and chairs
Put $200 in savings
Pay of CC # 1
Put an extra $400 on CC # 2
Use Wii Fit at least three times a week
Lost five more pounds
Stay tuned for some update posts of our living room! So loving the grey color!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Love Lavender?
Be sure to check out her post on cleaning with lemon and lavender too. I know one of my current goals is to replace all the harsh chemicals in my house with natural cleaners. I'm sure this post will help get me started!
Monday, February 14, 2011
Dream House: Part IV - Master Suite
A private patio just off that with a hammock stuffed with a feather bed, monogrammed pillows and a throw for afternoon reading.
A bed alcove created by curtain panels with a king size bed. The linens are all grey egyptian cotton with touches touches of a peacock blue velvet throw. A chandelier over the bed with chocolate brown crystals.
An open closet area with metal racks for shoes and hanging items. A dresser for folded items and chez for easily slipping shoes and tockings on and off. A luggage rack with vintage luggage to hold my collection of scarfs. A dress form used as a valet and a dressing table near the window to apply makeup and hold jewelry.
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An archway leads you to the spa. French doors open to the private patio and lead back to the library area. A copper tub sits on the room near the dual fireplace with a surround of linen curtains.
An open shower area with a drain on the floor and plenty of natural light to bathe by with a small half wall for the toilet.
What does your dream house look like?
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Dream House: Part III - Media Room & Patio
Off the great room are large metal barn doors that lead to the media room. They can be closed for movie viewing or fully opened to be included in the larger great room space. Panels of burlap are a backdrop for a rotating group of favorite movie posters.
The media room has shelving around the top for our collections. This and the larger pieces in the great room are the only collections we have.
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More eye candy tomorrow!
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Dream House: Part II - Great Room
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The great room propper is seperated in to intimate spaces of chairs, sofas and tables by house plants, screens, curtain panels and large objects of art.
Yes that really is a peacock perched in this room. I think that would be awfully fun as long as the species were not endangered and it was not killed solely for this purpose.
The above photo are nesting tables made from thrift store frames, table legs and personalized artwork inside. I'm going to try this idea in my current home.
Next post will be a couple rooms off the great room.