Huge News!!

Okay I feel like am about to burst. The past couple weeks have been very rough on me physically (dealing with a cold) and emotionally.. and that's a big long story, So most of this has happened in just a weekend! So skim to the good part at the end or get comfortable.

So we knew that eventually the time would come for our little gang to break up, for the roommates to move out on their own into the world. I just didn't think it was going to be any time soon. So when one of the room mates says that they are wanting to move out, my world starts into a tailspin. Currently we can not cover what the rent is on our own or with only one roommate.

This leads us to start looking for a place to go. So first we are considering condo's. We look at some, really love some and then we find out about the HOA's per month. Nearly 250$ just in HOA thats not even covering anything else. Even so we still really like them, but we find out that the banks are not financing them.

So plan B. Friday I am set out to look for apartments. Me and mom drive around to all the apartments in the area, getting pricing, scoping out areas and layouts. All apartments are saying we are looking too early for the timeline (the end of November is when the roomie leaves) And all places are 99-100% full. Great!!

All along Mr's Dad really wanted us to look for a house. Both of us though that it would not be possible within our price range. Or that all of them would be old and gross and need too much work!! But to entertain the idea...

Saturday we start out early in the morning looking at places. The first one is a bust, WAY too much work to be done. I really feel like we wont find anything special. Our timeline does not really allow for short sales homes (as they can take forever to close on them). The second house we looked at was promising from the outside. The yard was nice, where most we looked at had dried up lawns. The paint on the outside was fresh, new and clean.

It was an investor who bought the house to flip it. New tile floors, freshly painted walls and new carpet. A lovely back yard with a covered patio, beautiful lawn and mature grown trees, adding shade and privacy. It was really nice. We went to look at several other places but none of them even came close.

Sunday we go in to make an offer...

And Today Monday, They accept it!

Me and Mr. Are buying our very own, First house!!

How exciting and scary all at once. So much to do and get done. Packing, moving, changing our address, cleaning. All while working and right before the holidays!! I've been made to keep it a secret for a couple weeks now, so that's why I have been MIA from the computer and the blogosphere, too much going on to handle. I have had emotional breakdowns, and ups And its only the beginning!

Yikes!

I just completely disappeared from the blogosphere. I really don't have an excuse for myself, as to why I am not posting. Not like it matters one way or the other, but I mostly made a promise to myself to keep at it. Then I slip into missing a day, then it becomes easy to not post anything, easy to not even get on the computer.

I have been so wrapped up in my daily life this past week or so, that I completely even forget to check my email. This is pretty normal for me, time to time. I lose interest in being social and keeping up 'appearances' online. I just say the things I need to say to people in person, or don't feel the need to say anything at all. Then all of a sudden ,I will be on the computer all the time, addicted.

We finally have some semblance of fall weather now, breezy and cool. Even being over cast puts me in a better mood..usually. Right now (and I can't say what.. sworn to secrecy) I am super stressed and thinking about "stuff". Super vague I know, but when the time is right I will find solace in the Internet. I think even that, has been putting a damper on my blogging mind, If I can't say what major things are happening in my life, what do I have to talk about? So I just give up on saying anything at all.

Hopefully this will all be over soon and I can return to normal. Instead I will tell you this from class.

At our pre-school site, which is located on a school grounds/ campus, our bathroom is a walk from our building. So it is usually my job to take our kids on bathroom runs. This time my teacher went with us, all the kids needed to go, yeah that crazy! One little girl did not have to go, so stayed next to my teacher and told her "Why do we have to be out here? I just want to go back to your house!" The little girl thought the classroom was our house, well why not? It had a play kitchen! She then continued "Why don't you have a bathroom in your house? Why do you have to walk to get to it?" Kids really are too funny, and amazingly perceptive.

I am a Genius!

Yes I am going to slouch and sink into obscurity, I am beating myself up in my own mind. I did something today which earns me this lovely dunce cap.

Shopping day, again, it always seems to be shopping day. There is just me and Mr. to buy for, but that boy sure can eat. So I am set on the task of making the dreaded menu and list. Why is it when I am put on the spot I can not think of anything?! So It takes me an hour to make a small list for two people.

My first stop is Trader Joes, they have some really yummy frozen meals. I do love an easy dinner, especially when I am feeling below the weather..(is that a real term? I don't even know anymore). Then it is off to the worst of it all, the mother of all places I despise the most... *insert scary music here*

Walmart. It is actually not as bad as I try to make it seem. I always hype it up to myself, and I always make it through rather painlessly.. other than the bottom of my feet from those long lines. We really do save a lot from shopping there.

We usually don't get soda very often, I consider it a treat when we do. So I decided I was going to treat myself to something I don't allow myself often. I make it through the line, and when it gets checked out last, there is no room in the top of my cart for it to fit. So I stick it on the bottom..

Biggest Mistake! (I bet you see where this is going)I make it out to the car, load everything up. Drive the 10 minutes home, unload everything ...sit down to relax and...

I forgot the soda on the bottom of the cart. So I better get some good karma in return for giving someone a free pack of soda. I guess someone was trying to tell me I didn't need it in the first place.

Lesson learned, never go shopping when you feel like you need a nap, feeling ill and never ever place anything on the bottom of the cart, if you do not normally do so.

So there, my lovely dunce cap earned.

Hangin' in there!

Yesterday I thought I had cleared the worst of it. Instead I was only in the eye of the storm. Oh yes, yesterday I was feeling good, I did not miss whoopie Sunday because of illness, but of having a good day.

Mr. and I went on a little bike ride together to a park down the street. Stopped off at the store to get some picnic goodies. Salami, cheese, crackers and brownie bites. Found a lovely shady spot under a tree and laid out on a blanket. It was wonderful, and perfect and now...

I am feeling worse than before. I did not let that stop me today from making my whoopies. Although feeling a bit lazy ,did not get a picture. Tomorrow I suppose I will stage a lovely shot of my creation.

Work is going smoothly, for being only the second week, the kids are rather well adjusted. Although we did have a girl cry because there was no toilet paper in the stall. I don't blame her, that is a rather frustrating occurrence, and at 4 yrs old rather traumatic.

Tomorrow morning I have 36 alligators to cut out of construction paper, welcoming the week with the letter A!

Don't you just love being sick?

It's those first few days, where you can feel it creeping up on you that I hate the most. Where it is just on the cusp of being too late, and there is nothing you can do about it. This in-between limbo. Just bring it on already and get it over with! I always love to hear

"I have a sore throat" from a kid who just put their hands on me, and two days later I have one too, Thanks!

Whenever I get sick, I GET SICK. There is no 'sleeping it off for me', it turns into a two week long dragged out ordeal, sometimes longer. And of course I can never make it through the year without contracting some sort of viral plague in which to spread to the rest of my family, Your Welcome. SO now I am popping C like its candy and drinking tea till I float, and two hour naps on the couch help too. So I am hoping I will be better by Sunday so I can complete another whoopie creation.

None of this helped today when I went to work. Today the teacher (bless her heart) had to stay home with her son. So I was left with a class of 20 4 yr olds within the first week of school. Luckily I got someone to come help me, a dear older lady who does most of the preschool subbing. Being older though, limited her abilities and being a sub limited her range of help. So I took it upon myself to make sure class ran as smoothly as possible.

For the first time I ran the class, basically on my own, and did circle time and all our activities and made sure we began and ended everything on schedule. No one got lost on the bathroom run, and no one peed their pants, over all successful! I survived, and it was really rewarding knowing that I could keep the class in line on my own.

Even so, I really hope she returns back to me on Monday. I so much more enjoy being the aide and not stressing as much, with 20 little judging eyes on you.

Planning a Vacation

Usually we try to take a vacation during the summer. Mr. works really hard during the school year, so he treats himself to a nice vacation and I get to tag along. This summer we went to Yosemite, although nice was not 'super luxury vacation'.

So now he has set me on the task to plan our next vacation.. for next summer. Of course he does not want to par-take in any of the hard work (I guess that's how I earn my vacation) and leaves me to do all the research and planning. All he knows is that he wants to go somewhere he has not been before. Real definitive huh.

We had discussed once before our joint interest in seeing Puerto Rico. So that's where I started. Hotels, how to get around, points of interest. I just hate planning all the little details. So I decided to look at cruises. We had really enjoyed our Alaskan Cruise, so thinking on that same game plan, all new research. With some more hard work and many site price comparisons, I found that if we fly straight to San Juan and leave on a cruise there, we can get more bang for our buck than if we flew to Florida and took a cruise from there. Who'd da thunk it.

So now my mission is to find all the information I can on every port of call for that cruise, some of which include Dominica, Barbados and even the Netherlands Antilles. Of course I am really excited, which makes research easier and waiting even harder. I still have to work through the whole school year to get to summer! I think tomorrow I am going to hit up the book store and google and find out everything there is to know about Puerto Rico!

Weekend Whoopie!

Whoopie Pie time!

Peanut Butter Whoopie with a home made Dulce de Leche filling. YUM!

The batter this time was really thin, and thus a thin whoopie!

Yikes! Tomorrow is the first day of Preschool. I am excited to start the new year at work, new kids to meet and projects to do. It also means kids crying non-stop and lets hope for no pee'd pants eww. * Fingers crossed!*

nananana BATMAN!

I didn't do a whole lot today. Was glued to my DS today, I really needed to try and beat Super Mario, almost there!. But I put that on hold, so that I could work on a very important piece of art. Right before my sister moved into her new place, she asked me if I would do a piece for their new space. The only rules to go by were it has to match their decor (reasonably) and it was to be "nerdy". In a good way of course, being a nerd myself I was really excited to do something fun and different. Little one likes 'Batman', so this is for you!...

Yikes blurry pictures!

Dimensions (18"x24")
Close up:

I loved the way it turned out, I personally am not a fan of Batman, but I could be now.. (or just a fan of myself ) I just love seeing my stuff framed and up on walls (not like I'm vain or anything).

Sunday Whoopies will have to be put off till Monday, Tomorrow we are going to a local brewery (Sierra Nevada one of my favorites) With Mr.'s friends and the roomies.

Back to Mario now I have level 8 to beat!

Too Competitive?

Ever since I was little, I have been super competitive at whatever it is I do. Unless I chose to not care, and chose not to be (but that's different). I'm mostly talking about games.

I love playing games, board or card, I love it. The problem is there is no one to play with. Why? You ask, because I went and dug myself a game playing grave. Instead of playing games for the fun, I love to play... To win! What is the point of a game, if not to win?

Well sure you can play to 'have fun', 'together-ness'
whatever.

At least growing up that was my mind set. I would try to win every game I played. I would be as cut throat as I needed to be, of course I never cheated, I just knew how to win. If I was not winning, that was a problem. I don't even want to go into our seldom Monopoly games that did not end in 'happy family time together'.

Soon enough, no one would want to play with me. Although I am not the only one (which makes me being the winner more difficult) I know some others- not naming names dad- who are as well, which just fuels the fire.

Now that I am older, I can appreciate playing a game and NOT having to win.. *cough lie * Well mostly just with kids, I can turn it off and not win.

So now when I want to play a game with Mr. he does not want to play, or blames me of being too competitive. So I am trying to learn to not be, in a way. Although he is just as I am, in some ways. I remember the first time we played battleship together, HE CHEATED. Yes I am calling him out, and still do to this day. Not to mention he will lose on purpose, just so I win. Where is the fun in that?

So the moral to my ramble, I need to cool it, and I am working on it! really... until the next game of Uno then its all out the door.