Baby Loot

Ok, Baby Loot just did an auto fill in too. Apparently that title is used too much along with yippee :)

Old Navy has 50% off baby stuff on clearance. I got this for $27.01:

6 tops, 1 pr of pants, 2 prs of jammies. I am pretty pleased :) But now I have to go confess my spending on the other blog lol And this purchase officially put me over budget for Jan. I am buying Chinese New Year tickets tomorrow and I am buying scooters birthday food. I just bought a LOT of little stuff this month, junkie food here and there, small clothing purchase (times like 30) for the kiddo. I'll try harder next month!

Yipppee

I wasn't going to post this then decided that most of my blog is just rambling so I might as well go ahead lol

AND, how sad is it that I've used "Yippeeee" so many times as a title, that spell check auto fills in the word for me? ha!

I went to see a house today. It might be THE house. I want one of two types of house, a pretty brick two story thing (and I really can't afford that unless the market goes up like 1500 points) or a 1950/60 something ranch. There is one 50/60 style I really like, half of it is red brick, the other half is stone. It normally has a carport. It has old house hardwood, way better than new house hardwood. Plus it has a certain type of roof. I call it a hat, dumb, but ya, I call it a hat. It does afterall have a brim! Anyhoo, the difference between the two styles of house? Almost 100K.

Sooooo I have my search set, certain zip code, 2 baths. I get all sorts of nice two story brick houses popping up. Well yesterday I did a search and forgot to put in the bath restriction.

And low and behold, one of those ranch houses pops up. EXACTLY what I want.

I mean exactly what I wanted on the outside, down to the yard type.

But the kicker is, it is 1.5 baths. A typical house in this area in the 40's is my current house, 3 bed, 1 bath. Then in the 50's they graduated to the 1.5 bath idea. They put a half bath on the master bedroom and put the full bath in the hall. Because the of the age of the house, the one I like so much is a 1.5 bath.

Now if it were just Natalie and Me, 1.5 would be fine. But I have Dad to consider. So I decide to try not to like it too much until I go see it.

I loooove it. Love love love. Normally when I look at a house, there are 15-20 things that I don't like and I know I can fix. This house has 2. To get the negatives out of the way, the cabinets are in perfect condition, but are the 19whatever original cabinets. They are an orangish brown wood. The same cabinets that I have in my house (except mine were beat up). I am not a big fan of varnished stuff like that. But I have watched enough HGTV to know that you pick out a speckled granite that goes with the almost new black appliances and you stain your cabinets to match part of the speckle. Easy smeezy.

The other thing I do not like it there are no overhead lights in the living room. But the fantastic thing is, I have these wonderful attached things called hands. They can open a magical book called the yellow pages and call someone to come and wire an overhead light. TADA!

So let's move to the pros
Hardwood
Hardwood (ok it IS worthy of two lines. Hardwood everywhere. Finished beautifully in the foyer, hall and bedrooms. Unknown condition under the carpet but the bedrooms give you a good idea how it is all is.
The hall bath is HGTV remodeled. Granite countertops. The dark metal curved looking fixtures. Slate floor. Pretty dark stained cabinet. Nice!
The half bath. Totally gutted and replaced with all white stuff. It is a little bathroom for sure but they spent a little extra cash with a fancier toilet and sink.
the 900 SF den. NINE HUNDRED sf den. My current house is 1040 SF. The den is almost the size of my house?!?!
A 10 X 10 laundry room in the basement. It is rough but it reeks potential. With a special pump I can have another bath down there.
Another basement area, about 10 X 15 or so that could be converted to another room.
A one car stall in the basement. To go with the 2 car carport at the top.
A brand new charcoal gray 3 dimensional shingle roof. Shaped like a hat.
New vinyl soffits. New gutters.
A wooden playset in the backyard
Like new black appliances in the kitchen
Linoleum in the kitchen. I know for some this is a no no but I can't stand tile. I hate it. It is cold and it cracks. You have to tip toe around on it.
Two fireplaces. Now one is pretty, one isn't. But I don't mind the not as pretty one. Shoot I didn't even put it on the negative list!
A flat yard that slightly slopes on the sides. In TN, we have hills everywhere. This yard is easy mowed.
They have seashells in the flower bed. I have seashells in my flower bed. See? It is so meant to be!

I am calling the bank in the morning to get any pre-approval type stuff I need. Dad needs to go see it. I don't want to go with him because he is so negative about house hunting. If he thinks he can "stand it" I'll be making an offer contingent on financing. My little house is being rented too. Then we'll get the condo on the market and we'll be settled for a long long time :)

Meal Plan Monday

I am going to try this again so I can clear out the freezer and pantry.

Monday - Turkey Tacos & carrots
Tuesday -Sally's Chicken With Olives , rice, peas
Wednesday - Breakfast, french toast and sausage
Thursday - Chili baked potatoes, broccoli
Friday - Anne's Chicken , rice and peas
Saturday home made pizza and salad
Sunday - party food

Shopping list: carrots, syrup, broccoli, lettuce, cream cheese, peas X 2. We are totally out of veggies and this list will use up 2 large packs of chicken, 1 bag of chili and a roll sausage from the freezer. I'll also need a loaf of bread, apple juice, raisins and bananas.

More baby Loot

And I wonder why I have $60 to last until the end of the month? lol

There is a new law going into effect in Feb, requiring all sellers of kid's stuff to have their things lead tested. Well, that costs about $1000 so people online are clearance-ing out their stuff.

I got four more pillowcase dresses for the baby for a little over $16 shipped total. I like these because they are dresses now, then they'll be tops with capris later on. They are "grow" clothes and I think they are cute.




I was really disappointed with the owl dress I got. It was sewn inside out and the embroidery was crooked. I'm not sure what I'll end up doing about that, it isn't like I can take it apart and fix it, her name will be backwards.

We spent a lot of time at the house today. I cleared out a lot of clutter and added to my yardsale pile. What doesn't sell at my sale will go into the MOD one at work. I also brought most of my treasures to the condo. If something happened to the house I wanted to have the few things I'd truly miss here with me. There are a lot of little things from China (like my embroidery and the little wooden red dolls) and my seashells from all over the Caribbean. I also grabbed my summer clothes and a few winter pieces I just forgot I had.

Forgetfulness is standard with me, I totally forget I own things all the time. I am super bad about forgetting gift cards too. I found a $5 Walgreen's one and a $24 Belk one today. Last week I found another Walgreens for $20something and a $13 gas one. But I brought over 8 trash bags full of stuff that I am sorting and organizing in the closet and it is all working out. I love having a little drawer for each holiday. Need Christmas ribbon? Top drawer. Need generic ribbon? Middle drawer. Need Halloween paper plates? Third drawer. Tada!

That is it for now, I have several more pages of Etsy to scroll through. I am just adding stuff to my favorites. If its meant to be mine, it will be there on Feb 1st when I "pay" myself again.

A Neat Picture

I took a picture of a picture (the scanner wasn't hooked up) of our travel group in China. Neat huh? I am the chunky one in the back on the right with the reddish hair. This was one of my last days as a non-mom! I look 15 years older now. My hair (which has never been that great) is just a mess. Who has time to get a haircut? My clothes are cruddy, my shoes are old. I have not one but two layers of dark circles under my eyes. My teeth are cracking from stress. Being a Mama is fun but it is easy to go all to pieces. I'm pooped!

Sponsor Me!

I am a team captain for March of Dimes this year at work.

Now ask me which part I am the captain of?

Why the big stupendous yard sale we are going to have!

They chose the queen of junk to sell junk....fantastic idea right?

You might remember last year, we did the walk. This time I am helping with the major fundraising for our site.

And I need your money too. Please? Pretty please? I installed a widget and everything. I need to raise $100 for the walk. Please?

Birthday Plans

I have been thinking a lot about Natalie's birthday on the 1st. I think I've decided not to do a big theme, but to plan better and have a themed something or other next year, when she is old enough to realize what is going on. We'll still do lunch and cake (and presents!) but I think I'll leave Elmo out of it for now.

She seems to be a chocolate fan so I am going to make a Heath bar cake. Haven't had it? OOOHH are you missing something!

First, bake a chocolate cake, really any kind you like in a regular old cake pan. Let it cool down a bit then stab the top of it about every inch with a kitchen knife but be careful and don't stab all the way down to the bottom. Pour a can of sweetened condensed milk all over the cake. Then grab a bottle of Smuckers caramel sundae topping and squirt half of that all over the cake (if you do the whole bottle you'll make yourself sick!). Then cover the top with a whole container of Cool Whip. Stick it in the fridge before you eat it to let all the sugar meet and marry. Right before serving, sprinkle half a baking bag of health bar bits all over the top. It is so good and one cake serves a LOT of people because you can't eat much at a time. I am going to dye the cool whip pink for the occasion and stick a candle in it. I know, it won't be a pretty decorated type cake but boy will it it be good!

I don't know what to do for a present yet. I am leaning towards a lego table of some kind but I can't seem to find one? Does anyone know where you buy that sort of thing?

Snow!!! and Party Pictures!!!

Well it did snow and it has all day long. That is a rare thing here in TN now, that whole global warming thing knocks us out of getting much snow. We might get --- wait for it---- and inch to TWO inches! Of course, everything is shut down. They are plowing the non existent snow on the roads (you can see sparks). They'll probably close school for a month or two, just to make sure there isn't any moisture near any paved surface.

We had chili today, yum yum!

Tia's 2nd birthday party was on Saturday. Natalie's party is on the 1st :)

The fact we have both of them looking the same direction at the same time is amazing!

Waiting for cake

Party hard, sleep hard!
I am going to do a lunch at Mom's for Natalie's party. I am going to make meatballs, those little ham sandwiches with poppy seeds, deviled eggs, a pizza bread thing, fruit, chips, cake & ice cream. It is going to be an Elmo theme, the cake is going to be a two layer thing with white frosting and red polka dots. I am on the hunt for an Elmo candle now :)

New Dresses

Does she need new dresses? Nope. I just love Etsy and can't get enough. I am going to end up spending all my moola for the month and whine and complain that last week because I have nothing left!



Can't wait to get them :)

It is suppose to be snowing. Daycare is closed again tomorrow. I am very frustrated with how often they close. They follow the school system in closings but they aren't funded by the state. I am going to look around and see if I can't find someplace that will stay open when I need to work. After all, isn't that the whole point of daycare? Anyway, I'll have to take an "unplanned" day at work, I hate using them so early in the year but that is what they are for. If the baby wasn't sick, it would be a different story but I don't want to leave a snotty cranky baby with Dad all day.

I am thinking about going back to school to be an RN. Locally, tons of jobs. Pay is more than I make now. But it would be 2 years of school - ick! 3 days a week for 12 hours. Would be very different from the M-F thing I do now but at least my rear end wouldn't be glued to a chair.

Natalie's December Pictures

They came in woohooo! (and that darn hair is in her eye in every picture!)

A New Blog 4 You to Read

I am a wanna be coupon person. I had a lot of fun when I was on adoption leave, scoping out the deals and reading budget blogs on how to do overages. I think I've found the queen of coupons at:

http://midgetmomma1200budget.blogspot.com/

If you want to coupon, you should check her out. She uses a lot of different resources including hotcoupon world.

Cashing Out Points and Planning My Garden

I decided to cash out all my credit card points tonight. I am not saying the program will end, it just seems like every few months you have to spend more points to get the same goody. So I cashed out 28,000 points and got $150 in visa cards that are good anywhere and $50 in Sunoco cards for gas.

I am going to plant a deck garden this year (as part of my holy crap I might lose my job thing). I swear, the Burpee catalog makes me drool.

Tomato Yellow Pear

HEIRLOOM. Enormous number of yellow bite-sized fruits.

This extremely old variety makes a vigorous plant, which bears enormous numbers of bright yellow, bite-sized fruit. The flavor is deliciously tangy. Perfect for summer party hors d'oeuvres.
Indeterminate
75 days.

Mesclun Sweet Salad Mix

Customer Favorite
Beautiful blend of Heirloom greens.

A tender, mild flavored blend of leaf veggies for early spring salads. Mouth watering, time-tested heirloom varieties in red (Ruby lettuce, Bull's Blood beet) and bright green (Bloomsdale spinach, Simpson lettuce, Tendergreen mustard). Plant them and then pick them all together, starting when the leaves are about 3" long. As beautiful in the garden as they are sweet in the salad bowl. 35 days. Full sun. Burpee Exclusive.

We have about 25 linear feet that I can line up containers on to grow organic lettuce, grape tomatoes and maybe even green beans on the trellis thing we have out there. At my Mom's we are going to redneck up her two story deck and let more green beans climb strings. I figure the more I grow, the less I have to buy :)

The baby's picture CD came in from her Dec photo shoot. I can't wait to get it, I'll post the pictures tomorrow :)

Bye for now!

Yipppeeeeee

Disney on Ice is coming and we have tickets!

I still have a job! (for today, we are being sold)

The baby's first pillowcase dress came in :)

I'm going to scrunch up the sides some.

My kid is weird...


Just think of the pocketbook as a new kind of halter top

The market stinks! (ok not a yippee but what can you do? Not going to worry about it all of 2009!)

I found out if I do lose my job Natalie qualifies for healthcare and WIC - yipppee! (this is my biggest concern. I can always find money - whether I sell stuff, make stuff yada ya but if she gets sick that would worry me)

My house is on target to list March 1st!

Natalie's initial shirts are done! I can't wait to trim out her capris for summer and make hairbows!

I am addicted to Etsy! I've bought two dresses and two shirts. Stop the madness! I'm loosing my job soon! eeeck!

I have two jobs to apply for!

I am learning to sew so I can make pillowcase dresses too. They sell for about $10 each, so small profit but not a ton of effort either. This will supplement unemployment for a bit.

This weekend we are going to Tia's birthday party. Can't tell what I bought her because her mama reads my blog every so often. But it is something Natalie loves so hope she likes it :)

This weekend I am collecting a ton of kid's stuff for the spring sale. My goal is to take 200 things. I know 200 sounds like a lot but I think it can be done. I have several pieces of maternity clothes to take in, lots of toys, clothes and hair bows.

I am undecided. Would you take in a pack and play and an exersaucer? If I am lucky enough to adopt again, I'll need those things. But they take up so much space. I guess I could buy another set used when the time came? What do you think?

Ok that is plenty for one night, bye!

Elmo!

Don't let the sullen look fool you. She clapped and danced the whole time!

(side note, my Nikon rebooted after making all sort of noises (think of Furby and all the squeaks and squacks he made) and then ERASED MY MEMORY CARD! I was so mad I could of spit. My cuter pictures were on it. I had a funny vibe and took my old Kodak with me and I am so glad I did!)

I am looking at Disney on Ice tickets now. If anyone knows of a discount code please let me know!