Media and the gimmees

Major confession here. I am so a TV junkie and it is not helping the case of the gimmees I can't seem to get rid of. I swear the more I watch of Real Housewives of New Jersey the more I want to decorate my house and fill it with luxe knick knacks. and it's not only that show..its media as a whole. I can watch an episode of Cribs and feel that way. I can watch an episode of Desperate Housewives (I heart Bree Van de Camp) and dream in my head ways of sprucing up my home. I swear watching TV has become hazardous to my budget by really my overall health. I will actually spend hours searching for just "the right" tie back for my curtains. Then when I get that "just right" tieback I spend hours placing it trying to figure out how low or how high it should go. I mean seriously who does that? Oh yeah. The Real Housewives of Orange County, New Jersey, and right now Atlanta. I'm watching the Atlanta housewives now. lol. See the addiction I have? I'm watching NeNe show off the new house she just bought. I'm looking at her home going I like that, I don't like that. Uugh. an addiction that needs to go.

God bless my husband he has not been much better. By the grace of God he has been given so much work to do (for his own business) and as a result more money has come in. Unfortunately to get moved into our new home we had racked up some credit. So now we have to work on getting out of credit hell (I mean debt) once again. Credit debt is such a sneaky thing. Before you know it you can rack up a balance with very little to show for it. Its hard. So, we are trying very hard to pay on that all the while finishing up our new house we are in and fixing our old home to get renters in there. We ended up painting the whole inside and are getting new carpet put in. We are seeing it as an investment in our old home. It is still our home but we are going to rent it out until *artist* goes to college and then she can live there if she so chooses. So these expenses have snuck up on our credit bills. uugh. To make matters worse my hubbie had a case of the gimmees himself. With Obama's new plan he is giving cash for clunkers. Well, wouldn't you know that hubbie's truck is considered a "clunker". Our local car dealership is giving $4500 for your clunker along with a $4500 credit towards a new car. That is $9000 credit. For that we could potentially buy a new car for $7000. How can you beat that? However I told hubbie what he always tells me, "just because its a really good sale does not mean you are saving money. You are only saving money if you have money to spend and if you are spending it on something to use." We decided we just don't have the money right now to take advantage of such a good deal but yet we are both being pulled towards that good deal being that *artist* will be driving soon and will need a car. uugh. what to do? We are at status quo right now and fighting every urge to go out and buy a new car. Right now I just feel like our goal should be getting out of debt and taking advantage of all the work hubbie has on his plate right now. For him and his business (architecture) its feast or famine. He can have months with nothing coming in and months like now where its non stop. I feel like for now the best thing to do is pay off debt and pocket money for a rainy day. I am hoping I don't regret that decision when the cash for clunker deal is over...the case of the gimmees and what to do...why does everything have to be so darn appealing these days???

Menu Monday

I know I always say this but boy how time flies. I'm having a hard week with my endometriosis flaring and aunt flo deciding to visit for the 2nd time this month. How in the world do I get 10 days off and then she decides to come visit again??? uugh I tell ya. So, I'm not quite sure how this week will pan out cooking wise. I'll be good to just get sammies on the table but luckily tonight its leftovers so at least I have one night done.

Monday: leftover ribs, potato salad, beans
Tuesday: taco tuesday
Wednesday: chicken stir fry served with rice
Thursday: take out pizza
Friday: sammies, chips, fruit
Saturday: cook out on the grill
Sunday: sunday dinner at my sister's house

Rain, dogs, and the Duggars

Yeah I know strange blog title but really that is all thats on my mind today...Rain, rain, and more rain. Thank goodness the roof got fixed cause it has rained all night and all day. My backyard is a glorified mud lake. We have no grass, just dirt and there are slumps throughout the dirt so where there is a slump there is a lake ha! I was supposed to have the pest control come tomorrow to just spray the house and yard (i mean dirt) but now that there are ponds throughout it doesn't look like that will be happening. I went to Wal-Mart today to see if they had any more spider glue traps but they did not...I'm hoping if the rain calms down I can go see if my other Wal-Mart has one. Yes you heard me right..the other Wal-Mart. Honey in my neck of the woods we have 4 Wal-Marts and they are all open 24/7. I go everyday. It feels weird if I don't go one day and what feels more weird is if I don't make it to Target at least once a week. Pathetic I know when I actually look forward to going but hey that is just me.

Now moving on to dogs..(Michelle that is so funny that that pic of KiKi is a great dane/mastiff mix. 2 breeds in 1 that I love). I'm still not sure of what we will get. We used to have 2 beautiful huskies that we had to give away when we moved years ago. My kids would love another husky but I'm thinking more along the lines of lab or golden retriever. I would love a great dane but they are truly big and really they don't sell them around here. I have to admit after watching Marlee and Me I have grown to love labs. Marlee was so sweet even though she was a mess. I dunno. We shall see. I'm a big believer in when the time is right the right dog will find us.

Finally, the Duggars. I checked out their new book at the library and have just been inhaling it. What a breath of fresh air to finally read of a family keeping it real and true. Their morals and values are so inspiring. The way they have chosen to lead and live their lives is something to be admired. I found myself nodding in agreement while reading about their trials and tribulations. They tell stories of trying to get out of the house by a certain time only to finally be ready to leave an hour past their desired time. That is so us. I was so upset last Sunday as we were so late to Mass. I'm talking 20 minutes late. For some reason we just could not get out of the house on time. The whole, "i can't find my other shoe..I got to go potty...wait I forgot something..do you have my snack?" So we were late and with my head hanging down to my knees we slipped into the cry room ha! but we still went and I think that accounts for something.

One thing that I really admire of the duggars is their financial security. They are very savvy when it comes to money and how to handle it. I think today we as a society are so quick to spend, spend, spend and never save for the rainy days like our grandparents and great grandparents did. I think they learned how to save during the Great Depression but for our generation having not lived it we have not learned that lesson. However I must say given our current economy I think some are starting to learn those principles. The principle of making do with what you have. Fixing something rather than buying to replace something. Bartering for a repair or material good rather than paying. My husband and I are personally doing this now. How do you think we got the roof fixed? My husband bartered some drafting services in exchange for a roof repair. He is also about to barter his drafting for transmission work on his truck. We could just go get a loan and buy a new truck but why do that when we can get it worked on and have it for a couple more years till we have cash to pay for a new one out right. That is what we are slowly learning or rather quickly I guess...that is why we don't have a fence yet..we are waiting to save up enough cash to pay out right for it so as not to accrue more debt. We are seeing this time as time to spend thinking and researching what kind of fence we want to put in and later what kind of dog will be running around inside it. That is the best part..our future dog. We even named it: Jade for a girl and Max for a boy. We are patiently waiting for our future addition and boy how will enjoy him or her immensely.

Feeling bipolar

First off No I am not bipolar just feeling that way lol! I don't know if its the move, keeping the kids occupied this summer, hormones, my endometriosis or any combination of these things but boy what an emotional roller coaster I have been on. And my poor husband oy vey! Having to put up with me. yikes to say the least.

Since moving in we have found things that either need repair or replacing. Finally today after waiting 4 weeks our roof was repaired. It still is not completely repaired but at least it is now repaired to the point I don't have to worry about rain. But for crying out loud 4 weeks to get someone out here??? And wouldn't you know we have had more rain the past 4 weeks than we have had the past 4 months. go figure. Then my granite needed resealing and boy was that smell intense from the sealer. Finally after a few days the smell has dissipated and is one less worry on my worry list. As if all that was not enough we found a brown recluse spider crawling on the wall in my daughter's room! I was so scared and restless having found one of those and felt disappointed in finding one as we sprayed during the construction process and again before move in. You would think that would have killed off everything but from reading up on spiders they do not lick themselves hence the spray won't kill them off. You have to "gas" them away. So after much reading on www.brown-recluse.com I have set out a ton of sticky glue traps everywhere to monitor activity. So far I have caught a few ants (boy are those boogers hard to get rid of living out yonder) and one daddy long legs. My pest control offered to do a "brown recluse" treatment of the house where they basically "gas" the house for a fee of $375. Right now I think I am going to postpone that and see what the glue traps turn up. We just don't have that kind of money right now esp. with the kids going back to school, trying to sell our old house (whole other story there), fixing the odds and ends around here, etc.

All of this has caused my anxiety level to rise HIGH. I am having trouble eating. I feel overwhelmed. Yet peppered in with these feelings are true blips of happiness when I watch my kids enjoy their new home or when I'm cooking in my kitchen and actually have room to groove. So that pretty much sums up my bipolarness. I have moments of anxiety (who am I kidding? days of it) followed by moments of contentment and real happiness.

I'm not good with change and I'm facing a whole slew of it. Mom and Dad's house is finishing up next door. So I will soon be busy moving them in and getting them settled. *Artist* will be attending her first year of High School. Alejandro will be attending his first year of Junior High. Mariposa will be attending her first year of Elementary. Finally, Paloma will be attending her first year of preschool. All this and a new house = lots of change. Me and change do not go hand in hand. I am such a creature of habit and this is just tearing me up. I feel like my reserves are on empty and I'm running on air. I keep reminding myself that once the Fall comes and the kids get settled into their routines things will be better. I keep reminding myself that it is through times of struggle that the most growth occurs. I keep reminding myself that this too shall pass and I'll be better for it. But for now I am having a hard time taking my own advice.

So, I'm taking one day at a time sometimes one moment at a time. I relish in those happy moments I find throughout my day and I push through the struggles that pop up throughout my day. I hope that sooner than later I can look back on this time and be proud that I made it through and was stronger for it.

Menu Monday

Well i didn't quite do my menu last week. We ate mostly at home (I say that tongue in cheek). We ended up being busy cleaning out the old house and moving even more stuff from there to our new home here. I swear this has been the longest move ever. We also had some showing for possible rent/buy but nothing came of it.

Today I am hoping to get some cleaning done and cook a good home cooked meal: chicken and vegetables.

Here is my tentative menu for the week. I'm beginning to think I won't be sticking to a menu till fall when the kids are in school and we actually have a set schedule!

Monday: roasted chicken and vegetables
Tuesday: taco tuesday
Wednesday: chili, cornbread
Thursday: eating out with my parents
Friday: sammies, chips, fruit
Saturday: cook out on grill with the fixin's
Sunday: Sunday dinner here at my house with all the family. Probably will make pasta, bread, salad and brownies.

Happy eatin' this week ya'll!

Menu Monday is back!

Finally, maybe I will have somewhat of a normal week to plan a menu for. My gosh I am so ready for real home cooked meals again without worrying about stepping over boxes and eating out of a box hehe. Ok here goes...

Monday: beef stroganoff, green beans, corn bread
Tuesday: taco tuesday
Wednesday: chicken with roasted vegetables, rolls
Thursday: leftovers
Friday: sammies, chips, apple slices or grapes

I've been tagged!

You know its sad when I don't have anyone else to tag lol! but i'll participate. I must say I feel honored to receive my first tag from Michelle hehe. Ok here goes...

Here are the rules:
1) Go to your photo folders on your computer
2) Select the 6th folder
3) Select the 6th photo in that folder
4) Write a story about it and post it
5) Select 5 blog friends and tag them
6) Let them know they have been tagged

This is a picture of my girls room in the old house. How fitting this would be the 6th picture in my 6th folder esp. given my previous post. Oh how many memories I have of this room and my 2 girls sharing it. *Artist* and Paloma shared this space together. This space is what made *Artist* so thankful to finally get a room of her own. There was a time when this room belonged to my son and *artist* had a smaller room. Mariposa came along and she needed her own space. So we ended up moving Alejandro to the smaller room and put Mariposa in with *Artist* in this room. Obviously *Artist* was not happy about sharing. So I decided to hang a wire across the ceiling and hanging curtains from it so that when *artist* needed privacy she could draw the curtains closed. If you look real close you can see part of the curtain next to the white armoire. On one side of the curtain was blue which faced *artist's* side when closed and the other was pink which faced Mariposa's side when closed. That way when the curtains were closed they could at least feel like they had their own space. It worked for a time and *artist* was very patient sharing a room with her little sister who is 8 years her junior but I must say she is so very happy to be in a room of her own and a space of her own now. I must admit I will always have a place in my heart for this little room.