Intelligent Unpacking and the first of our Debt Snowball payoff

Still unpacking. While I am unpacking I am making sure that EVERYTHING goes to a place and stays there. I hereby rebuke the junk drawer and will not start one. And while I am at it, all this furniture that I don't really like, but keep around so I can have a place to cram my crap into... gone! So this new revelation is causing the unpacking brigade to be a little slow, but thats okay I have 30+ years to unpack.

Today I am also paying off 2 credit cards in our debt snowball... if you don't know what that is go to the Dave Ramsey website at www.daveramsey.com good stuff, life changing.

Pie on a stick

Okay so I love food... but more importantly I love fun food. Octo-dogs, cakes that look like giant hamburgers, and... pie on a stick. Well I say toss out those pesky forks, and bring on the stick. Now the best part, I think, is because how small they are, why you ask... well if I go back for 3rds on a pie slice it causes all sorts of guilt. However, if I eat pie on a stick well, I have to get up alot to get another one.

Now these cute little guys, would be great for a party and if easy if you buy pre-made pie crust and cut them out with glasses to make little round ones, fill and bake. I have seen them with lollipop sticks instead of popsicle sticks, I think they both look cute. Punch some holes in a decorated box and serve.

here is a link to this fun little discovery http://justjennrecipes.com/little-pies-on-a-stick/2009/08/02/

good luck and happy eating.

Decorating ideas

I love fishing! So much so that I am trying to figure out how to implement that into my dining room area. I am not a fan of "country decor" or "sea/ocean decor" I love contemporary style or even dutch modern! Now I am not so good at creating this kind of stuff but I am good at looking at a picture and using it as a guide for my own. So my problem remains, since I can't find anything like this already I now have to flex my creative muscle and decide what to do.

Oh yeah did I mention this couch is awesome!

wish me luck!

Finished!

Tired, but couldn't resist a quick announcement WE ARE FINISHED... now the unpacking begins.

I am the Management Company

When I called the management company to tell them about the problem I was having, I was surprised to hear my own voice. Oh yeah that's right. We are home owners... we are the management company. And Lowe's is our best friend. they must be cause they have had us over every night last week.

Its funny what you don't look for when picking your house. Like for example, we knew that we would need to buy a shower curtain rod, but we somehow didn't notice that there was no toilet paper roll holders hmmm... or the fact that my husband was zapped when he reached up to change the light bulb (turns out the guy used a 3 inch wood screw to hold it in place, and while the elec was off he screwed it right through a live wire)

Or how do you work a pool sweep thingy anyhow. You know all those little things. It is quite the adventure, we also discovered that there is a whole house water filter installed.

I can't wait to see what's lurking overhead!

Moving Moving Moving

Well I thought by now we would be done by now... the keys are due to the management company on the first which is Sunday... gonna drop them in the box.

Have a feeling I will be doing this for a while, it was a nice fantasy to think I could move the house, the art stuff, and the garage of doom that is packed with tools and Nova parts...

I am amazed at the amount of stuff, cause when we moved last time, I threw away so much I was sure I was clear of the junk. Can it be that I really need this stuff, maybe I can take pictures of these things and hang them instead, of carting them around. Even as I move them out I keep tossing things! Well here is hoping that things fit at the new place, or at least that the trash can is big.

New home, new habits, new begginnings

WE HAVE KEYS! she yells with her keyboard

Wow! we actually have keys... they are in my hands. This journey has been a loooong disheartening, stressful, exciting, exhilarating, roller coaster ride. I am so glad we did it.

This is all thanks to Kim at Buy it Real Estate, she is the most re-assuring, kind, professional, who is all about getting the job done and getting the house you want. She is truly a real estate Genius! I think she needs a cape.

Jeremy & Kayla at Kings mortgage handled our loan and they are equally super-fab, putting up with our crazy docs, and my countless phone calls and questions.

All in all we are finished and I am walking around this home and thinking wow... not only is it beautiful, it is ours. I think I know now why some people paint their walls hot pink or poop orange... cause they can! I think it is ironic that it happened on the heels of the van breaking down. But the hubby fixed it cause he is awesome!

Bad Day for Vans

Its a bad day for vans! at the gas station I went to start it and it got stuck... not the accelerator but the starter, couldn't shift or turn it off, in fact even with the keys out of the ignition it was still in a constant state of starting....

After a call to my husband, I popped the hood and went to get my tool box... except when I made room for my art class supplies, I took it out so I was stuck. Amazingly no one offered to help or even look, some were even frustrated that I was blocking the pump. I asked around, no tools at all.

By this time I saw smoke, and even after I yelled out "hey there's smoke" no one budged or even paid attention. So I ran back over and looked under the hood (cause I do dumb things) to see where it was coming from. Basically everything was hot including the battery, and the cables, I grabbed the cable and pulled on it betting on the fact that things were melting, and to my surprise I was right. And she stopped. I actually got it pushed out of the way, thanks to a very nice man who helped out.

Finally after many phone calls, I got a tow company that was priced in my budget.... ie cheap. I had used Queen Bee Towing in the past whom I love, but I just couldn't find them listed even 411, of course I only had access to one kind of phone book (don't even get me started on that one). So I called Affordable Towing, cause I thought well they must be... and they were. The guy who came out was super nice and he even parked the van better than I do using cable off a flat bed ( which really isn't saying much if you look at my tires side-wall)

My poor dad whom I was giving a ride to, no thinks I am nuts, which is sad because I had him snowed of the fact for so long. The very best part of this whole thing is that the house finally closed and we get keys tomorrow!

So to sum it up, van broke down, moving tomorrow, yeah for me!

Biscuits & Gravy

Hey everyone, a friend got me thinking about biscuits and gravy, I will not tell you her name but her initials are Lori...

This is a quick recipe that has been used by my family for many many generations... straight from the hills of Kentucky. This is not the healthy, it is not good for your diet, and well too much too often will get your cardiologists a new kitchen, or ferrari; but mmm mmm good. Its fast so make it after the biscuits and have all ingredients next to the skillet.

fry up some bacon (you can also use ham or sausage, my fav is bacon)

milk

water

flour

salt

whisk

I use a cast iron skillet, I suggest you don't use a non-stick pan though, you can use a stainless or even a pot if you wish, I am not here to judge so carry on with the utensil of choice. Set up large glass of water, milk jug, and flour next to you.

I use a few tablespoons of the grease, while the pan is on and the grease is hot, add a few tablespoons of flour (a little less than the grease) to the grease and whisk a few times. Now let it sit for a little, you will smell it brown, then stir again for a few strokes. keep doing this till it is darker brown, don't be afraid of burning it, you will immediately know.

Once the color is dark, add some milk I am guessing maybe a cup or cup and a half, now this will steam up and make all kinds of noise and havoc, and will thicken up like crazy... stir this in it should be super thick. This is when I add in the water slowly whisking as I go, till you get to the consistency you like. Add salt to taste this will really bring out the flavor then add in your bacon.

mmmmmm!

Okay so now I will make some and post the video!

the trial

I originally wanted to write about stevia and all these different reports about it, but I was reading the newspaper about a local girl who has abandoned her babies, one had died all happening over the past couple of years, what a terrible situation.

As I was reading about her recount of abuse that occured by her father, and then by her boyfriend, all right in front of everyone, I couldn't help to think about how powerful abuse can be, so much so, that that they couldn't find courage to call the police. How when someone is overpowering you so much either physically, emotionally or both that you literally feel trapped like there is invisible bars all around you, tightening in until you feel you can no longer breath.

So powerful that she like many others in her place hid her pregnancy from all the people in her house and in an desperate last ditch effort made the worst possible decision. I am guessing because the other 2 were found, she had no reason to believe that this one would be too, still though. It is sad, that instead of advocating the benefits of adoption people are using this as an argument for abortion, something that still doesn't solve anything and would leave her in the same emotional place, but this time 2 other children that would never experience life, and 2 other families to never experience those children.

When I think about this situation, I think about the times in my past when I didn't do something or say something, when I witnessed it or even knew about it, what was else was going on that I didn't know about. What was lurking there under the cover.

What have I missed.