-
Tech Stuff
-
Stuff I Like
-
COPYRIGHT 2007-2008
At least we’ll be clean…
Is it wrong to be proud of a box full of toiletries? I hope not, because I am! I have been collecting these items since January, when I started officially CVS’ing. In this box I have the following:
- 12 Dove Deodorants
- 6 Adidas Deodorants
- 3 Herbal Essences Shampoo/Conditioners
- 3 Herbal Essences Shampoo/Conditioners
- 7 Listerine Smart Rinse Mouthwashes
- 9 Suave Shampoos
- 2 Suave Body Washes
- 9 Boxes of CVS Brand “Tylenol
- 6 Boxes of CVS Brand Bandages
- 2 Sicks of Benedryl Allergy Reliever
- 1 Tums Quick-Pack
- 4 Kiss Nail Glues
- 6 Aquafresh Toothpastes
- 28 Toothbrushes
Yes folks, I said 28 Toothbrushes. It seems that there have been “free” toothbrush deals at CVS constantly since I started “doing the deals”. After we move, I will probably go through all of them and only keep the ones that my family (and our houseguests) will use. The rest, I plan to donate to our local women’s shelter. They have already seen the benefits of TONS of other CVS finds.
Keep in mind, all of this stuff was bought with either no or very little out of pocket expense on my part. Aside from the initial investment to get my first round of “Extra Care Bucks”, I have spent a tiny amount on these items. I hope that this will make a dent in my family’s budget this year.
And to top things off, I’ve been able to get TWO gift cards for prescription transfers this week. I now have $55 to use on future CVS deals!
![[del.icio.us]](http://images.del.icio.us/static/img/delicious.small.gif){kind=small}
Muddy Waters
When you fly to Arkansas, you pass over beautiful farmland, small towns, and lots of water. Arkansas is just full of puddles and creeks, ponds and streams, and lakes and rivers. I always feel like I’m home when I see the big ole’ muddy Arkansas River!
After stretching our legs for a bit on the ground, we posed for a few pictures and then hit the road.
So…now it’s time for a game. It’s called “Guess Whose Hair is their Natural Color!”
(That’s My Mom in the middle and my Lil’ Sister in the shades!)
Reader’s Choice #1
Since I put out a call last Sunday for questions, I have received a few that I am willing to tackle. My answers have been on my mind, but I haven’t had much time to sit and actually write about them. As luck would have it, Ladybug and her two cousins are all three napping together at the moment. I’m in the other room with my feet propped up relaxing in a comfy chair.
Ok. Here’s the question!
Beth (who never leave a website, but is a faithful commenter) writes: “Here is my question: Where do you think you’ll end up living when Dr. D has completed all his training? Will you go where the best opportunity is, or will you head back closer to home?”
Well, Beth. That’s a good one. To be quite honest, I’m just not sure where we will go! Dr. D has yet to determine exactly what area of Psychiatry that he would like pursue for his Fellowship, and that could lead us to a different city for a short amount of time. (A Fellowship is shorter amount of time than his Residency will be.)
Now, when he is completely finished with his training, I would like to go back closer to where our family lives. Unfortunately, I just don’t see that happening. I have a feeling that we are going to be the “Black Sheep” of the family. You know, the ones that move far away and never come back “home” to live.
I never would have expected my little family to move to Michigan. If you had asked me 10 years ago, I would have told you that I would be living in Little Rock, Arkansas. I have always loved to travel and see new places, but I was very content with my little corner of the world. I had all of my friends and family nearby where I could see them at any time. I was comfortable–perhaps too much so.
I can honestly say that I am glad that we moved. I really like the town where we are currently living, and once we get a new house, I think that our living situation will be greatly improved. I don’t regret this move one bit. There are days when I loathe the fact that we are so far away from our family, but I have never been just down and depressed because I have regretted moving out of my comfort zone.
For those of you “rules sticklers” out there, I know that I didn’t exactly give an answer to the question. But the truth is this: I just don’t know. We could move back to Arkansas, or we could stay in Michigan. Or we could move somewhere equally as nice. I just don’t know!
Family Time
Greetings all! I’m coming to you live from what is shaping up to be a cloudy, hot and humid day here in Central Arkansas. We have had a fantastic visit so far, seeing many family and friends. Ladybug is currently in the room adjacent to me playing with her older cousin, who she has missed like crazy. They even slept in the same bed last night! Needless to say, she has been running on full speed since we arrived. Finally she found a few minutes to rest her little body!
With another jam-packed day planned, I hope she is able to catch another nap sometime today!
The House that Haunts Us.
A year ago, our awesome realtor took us to look at this house. We had already been 10-15 homes in the area trying to get a sense about what was on the market. There are a few different floorplans here that we weren’t familiar with, not to mention the completely new concept of a large basement that functions as living space.
Fortunately for us, our realtor was able to quickly (and I mean SUPER FAST) learn what we liked and didn’t like. She was able to also get an idea of what our “dream” situation would be. Even more fortunate for us was the fact that she knew the people that lived in this house. How you ask? They were clients considering buying/selling with her!
After going in the house the first time, Dr. D and I were hooked. It is in wonderful condition (or so we think), it has tons of space for us and our junk, and it is in a nice little subdivision with sidewalks and mature trees.
And check out the deck. It has an awning that rolls out over it if you don’t want the sun!
And a HOT TUB!!!!
Aside from all of the posh outdoor features, the inside is pretty awesome too. The Master Bedroom has it’s own fireplace, and sitting room. Not to mention a closet that is big enough to be a nursery!
And then there’s the basement.
See the drawers? They are refrigerated drawers! There’s a sink to the left, and a dining area to the right.
While we were in the process of falling in love with the place, we knew that this house was out of our price range. We kept running the numbers in our head, unable to make them work at the price that the owners were wanting.
Unfortunately for us, we had already been in the house! We knew that it would be a great home for our family. Every time we would talk about things like getting new furniture or a new TV we would start hypothetically talking about where we would put that item in “the big house”.
A year has passed and we are still talking about this house. We drive by it occasionally. (Ok, not occasionally. More like constantly. I’m sure they think we are stalking them!) We have started eating and shopping in that area to get a feel for the community. I even drove over there this winter “just to see how they cleared the snow from the streets”.
The house has been haunting us. The fact that we knew that it would be perfect for us wasn’t helping. Neither was the fact that we had sold our house in Arkansas. We are just dying to move out of this place!!
So, we made an offer on it last night.
Yep. You read that correctly. I am so giddy with excitement that I can hardly contain myself today. The market here has gone so soft that we are (hopefully) going to be able to get the house at a much better price point for our budget than it was a year ago. It is still not “on the market” but they are actively seeking a bigger home (they just had their 4th little girl). We should know their answer by tomorrow.
While it is hard waiting, I have tons of paperwork and errands to help me pass the time. Ladybug starts preschool on Thursday!
It has been a super busy week so far, and it’s only Tuesday. Don’t forget to check out the Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3 Giveaways, and check back tomorrow for another one!
We gotta get out of this place
Last week, Ladybug got to spend some time with my parents back in Arkansas. They begged and pleaded for her to stay graciously allowed her to stay while Dr. D and I returned to Michigan to do some serious house hunting (and recuperating).
Well, I didn’t really get much accomplished last week. I was recovering from the two-month-long festival of illness that has plagued my house for, well, two months. Sore throats were the main culprit, but the week that we were in AR, a gross cough consumed both Ladybug and me. I chalked it up the stupid blooming Bradford Pear trees, but I’m not sure if it was really allergies or not. I’m still not 100%, but I am certainly feeling better. The copious amounts of NyQuil I consumed last week HAD to help with that, right? More likely, it was the sleep that the NyQuil allowed me to get, but I digress. I feel better and that’s all that matters.
While the little one was away, I was able to look at a few houses that interested us, but overall, I think we know which one we want. The only problem is, it’s occupied. The owners had a baby in February (my birthday, actually) so they kind of stopped looking for a bit. I know that they are still open to the prospect of moving into a larger home, but I’m not sure how quickly this deal could be executed. We are pursuing it, but I’m growing impatient with this tiny duplex. I’m ready to close and move TODAY!! I so desperately want to move out of this place.
This is a picture of Ladybug coloring at our 4-top kitchen table. I turned my computer around to get the pic with photobooth. See the stretch of kitchen cabinets behind her? Yeah. That’s all there is. less than two feet on one side of the sink where we have to store the crock-pot (notice the fruit dish ON TOP of the crock-pot), and only about three feet on the other side where the dish drying rack and microwave are housed. The kitchen table is our saving grace in here. We use it for a desk, craft table, island, and general surface to set stuff down. I would just LOVE to have at least one stretch of true counterspace that wasn’t occupied by a piece of kitchen crap equipment. The worst part of it all? See the sweet pink dish brush on the sink? Yeah. That is our dishwasher. It is not automatic.
But, my kiddo is back and life is returning back to normal. I missed her terribly and it seems she has changed so much. I always swear that a “week is too long and I’ll never do it again.” We’ll see. I doubt it will be her last vacation with the grandparents.
Houseless
Well, it’s official. We no longer own a house in Arkansas! The papers are signed and sealed and we have paid all of the fees. The sign is gone, and the keys are on the counter.
Bye bye, Rock House!
(Ironically, I think that I am even more excited today than the day we bought it!)
We made it!
I’ll fill you all in tomorrow, but we made it! Now if we could only escape the pending ice storm….
What’s going on? Not Much.
Sorry I’ve been post-lite lately. Sadly, it’s not because I have been busy. I’m still battling this bug that I’ve had for the past week and a half. My “doctor” seems to think that I will be fine, I just need to wait it out.
Other than that, we have been trying to get organized and start packing for our trip on Thursday. Ladybug has only flown once, and she did great. But she had her daddy with her. He won’t be coming with us this time, and I’m a little concerned about that. Plus, how do I get through security while carrying my crap and toting a tot? I hate to check baggage, so I try to avoid that situation at all costs.
Besides that, there’s not too much going on. I have had painters at the Rock House all weekend working to make it look purdy. I can’t wait to see how it looks when we get home! We have GOT to sell that thing so we can move out of this tiny duplex. Plus, I don’t want to have to buy a new TV until we move.
Yeah, our TV is still not doing well. It fades out and turns completely black. Usually right in a spot that you really want to see. Grr.
So that’s what’s going on in our neck of the woods. What’s up with you?
Veintiocho
Along with our Valentine’s Box, my mom sent an additional box that was addressed to Dr. D. Inside, were party hats, plates, candles and three little mini-cakes.
Dr. D had to light the candles at least twice because Ladybug was having a hard time NOT blowing them out. See the pink sprinkles? All her idea. My cake was crunchy. Cake is not supposed to be crunchy, y’all.
After cake, Dr. D and I set out to configure the Eye-Fi card that he (and Ladybug) got for me. I’m loving it, so far. I can’t even tell you how many times I have stopped short of posting a picture because I can’t locate the card reader for the computer. I’m thrilled that I don’t have to keep up with one anymore!
I had a great birthday, despite the fact that I am STILL sick. My energy is zapped and I can’t seem to stop running fever for longer than 8 hrs at a stretch. I don’t feel terrible, just really run down. I certainly hope that I can kick this before we are supposed to fly to AR on Thursday. I don’t even want to think about getting through the airport alone with a toddler!
______________________________________________________________________
Meanwhile, I’m a bit obsessed with the ice outside.
I was out walking the dog and noticed these just hanging on the back of our garbage can. I thought they were just beautiful. Seriously. My garbage can is pretty. Does that make me weird?
Posts
