I've been a little MIA in all things social networking related lately because things in our casa have been CRAZY!!!!
A few weeks ago we received several answered prayers all within a matter of days.
1. We sold our truck! We had passively been trying to sell it on craigslist since August. There was nothing wrong with it, but it was a diesel and very hard to work on (meaning even an oil change required a trip to the dealership) and since we already had another truck as well...why not sell? Now that we are both self-employed and have been slowly plowing our way through our savings, this was a nice way to give us a little bit of a financial sigh of relief!
2. Greg's business is rockin' and rollin'. Have you ever heard the expression, "from your lips to Gods ears"? Greg had literally just told me that he wished he had enough jobs lined up to keep him backed up for a month or two. Within a few days time, he had a handful of different jobs! To date, he has at least six jobs that I know of waiting for him to tackle. Again, since we have jumped in head first in having jobs that don't guarantee a bi-weekly paycheck, it is a nice feeling. Not to mention, he's pretty dang good at what he does!!!
3. I got a kick-start in my career. I think I mentioned in one other post that the real estate office I work at is quite small. In fact, it's just me, my broker, and one other Realtor. My broker called me at the beginning of January and informed me that the other Realtor was retiring....and that she was giving me all of her listings. All 60 of them. No, that wasn't a type-o! Now, I'm not the type of girl who cries very easily, but this news literally brought me to tears. I have gone from trying to break into a market where I don't know very many people, to a huge opportunity! Granted, half of these listings are for individual lots, but the exposure of having my name plastered on signs is incredible! In fact, I've already gained few new potential buyers. I'm trying to market these properties better than the other Realtor (not to diss her, I'm just trying to do things differently), so I'm adding each one to websites like facebook, craigslist, and a few others. It's extremely time consuming and I still haven't made a dent in my list. I've also been spending a lot of time visiting each property to become familiar with them and am adding more directional arrows towards where the listings are located. I've even been adding pin-wheels to all of my signs. I think it makes them stick out and am curious if any other Realtors in the area begin to copy me! They're metallic, so when the sun catches them they make the signs look like they're blinking!
Because of the reasons listed above, my house seems to be in a total disaster mode, I've already given up hope about not eating out more than 75 times in a year, and poor Parker is so sick of his car seat, I haven't bothered to spend time doing anything to my hair other than throw it up in a bun every morning (yay for spin pins!), but I am so thankful for all these blessings that the Lord has showered us with!
And, just so no one reading this wonders why I'm taking time to blog all of this...well, I hinted about this on facebook a long time ago, so I've been bursting to tell my news about my listings! Once Parker is asleep I like to have "me" time...as in loosing myself in a TV show, book, or movie. However, my beloved "Revenge" is on re-run tonight so I decided to blog!!
Now, I can't guarantee that Parker's next "month old" posting will be on time.....so don't hold your breath!
Showing posts with label busy bee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label busy bee. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
An Unconventional Thanksgiving
I know that Christmas is right around the corner, but it's not too late to write about my Thanksgiving is it? This years Thanksgiving proved to be quite different from years past. Typically Greg and I visit a family members house for Thanksgiving. But not this year! Instead my sister and her family drove all the way up to Colorado to help us work on our house. And boy, did they help!
I tend to get the impression that most families spend Thanksgiving getting together for a huge lunch and then the men retire to the living room to watch football while the women clean the kitchen. Well, not in this house! Amazingly enough, neither my husband nor my brother in law, Andy, are sports fans! Which is a good thing since the only working TV was in the nursery/temporary guest room. When we bought our house, since it was a foreclosure, there were no appliances. And although my husband bought a microwave and oven when he went on his big Home Depot trip, we didn't think we would have any of them installed by the time Thanksgiving rolled around. The week before we went ahead and unpacked the microwave and had it downstairs in a random room (it's one of those "hang over the stove" kind in case you're wondering). So when I prepared my menu for the week (yes, I am that girl) I was forced to come up with a creative Thanksgiving meal that didn't require a stove.
Let me backtrack a little. Since I now work from 2-6 every evening, I'm starving by the time I get home. Keep in mind this preggo is used to eating dinner at 5:00. So, for the last three weeks, I've been cooking with my trusty crock-pot during the work week. I even purchased a new crock pot cook book, and believe it or not, there were several recipes in it for cooking a turkey! I settled on one that I thought sounded pretty good, and it only involved a turkey breast. Sounded simple enough! I also decided we'd eat cranberry sauce (from a can, but who cares, right?), Country Crock microwavable mashed potatoes, and a new coleslaw recipe I learned from my father in law's girlfriend the week before. The meal was complete with a frozen cream pie from Edwards. There! Thanksgiving from a crock pot and microwave!
Now, if there is one word for me to describe my husband, it would be a toss up between "workaholic" and "the energizer-bunny". That may be more than one word, but you get the picture. I also tend to tell him he's a slave driver. Getting a better picture? Since we had so many people coming to visit us and help us work on our house, the workaholic in him went into overdrive. The great thing is that my brother in law is the exact same way! My family had arrived Tuesday night and by the end of the day on Wednesday Greg and Andy had ran the water line for the fridge and the new gas lines for the oven. (I discovered while living "life on the road" that I absolutely love cooking with gas! And my husband was awesome enough to surprise me with the gas stove I really wanted, even when I told him I could live with electric! Gotta love him!) Once that was completed my sister, Sheila, and I tackled putting new plastic shelving liner in all the cabinets and drawers. Then came the joyous task of trying to unpack and organize our kitchen. After I went to work they worked on some overgrown yard work that the neighbors commented on. It wasn't exactly on our schedule, but it did need to be done. Don't get me started on our lack of a housewarming from our neighbors.....
When Thanksgiving rolled around, my sister and I had to make a quick Wal-Mart run (again, something I've never done on any Holiday). Since we officially had a working oven, I decided to pick up some rolls and decided why not make "real" mashed potatoes?! Since the guys aren't sports fans, lots of work took place in our house that day! Andy painted our office and most of the upstairs hallway while Greg textured the wall we had to strip wall paper from in the living room and the dining room. Once the texture was dry, they primered those walls and painted the ceilings. Sheila was a trooper and brought load after load of "stuff" from our trailer into the basement. By the time dinner rolled around we were all pretty hungry....and thankful that our Thanksgiving dinner from a crock pot turned out pretty darn good if I do say so myself!
Unfortunately for us, no shopping was done on Black Friday. But, the guys painted the living room and the dining room, and hung new lights in the living room while my sister continued to bring in load after load of "stuff" from the trailer. Believe it or not, it's still not unloaded all the way! (And to think that a lot of people don't believe anyone can actually "live" out of a travel trailer!) Despite all the work going on, the kids were pretty good about entertaining their selves. Greg turned the box that our oven came in into a "Box Castle" which also occasionally turned into a coo-coo clock and a choo-choo train. They also had a blast playing on.....the stairs! Who knew!
All in all it was a great Thanksgiving week! The gang left the next day and I was so sad to see them go. THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR HELP GUYS!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!!
I tend to get the impression that most families spend Thanksgiving getting together for a huge lunch and then the men retire to the living room to watch football while the women clean the kitchen. Well, not in this house! Amazingly enough, neither my husband nor my brother in law, Andy, are sports fans! Which is a good thing since the only working TV was in the nursery/temporary guest room. When we bought our house, since it was a foreclosure, there were no appliances. And although my husband bought a microwave and oven when he went on his big Home Depot trip, we didn't think we would have any of them installed by the time Thanksgiving rolled around. The week before we went ahead and unpacked the microwave and had it downstairs in a random room (it's one of those "hang over the stove" kind in case you're wondering). So when I prepared my menu for the week (yes, I am that girl) I was forced to come up with a creative Thanksgiving meal that didn't require a stove.
Let me backtrack a little. Since I now work from 2-6 every evening, I'm starving by the time I get home. Keep in mind this preggo is used to eating dinner at 5:00. So, for the last three weeks, I've been cooking with my trusty crock-pot during the work week. I even purchased a new crock pot cook book, and believe it or not, there were several recipes in it for cooking a turkey! I settled on one that I thought sounded pretty good, and it only involved a turkey breast. Sounded simple enough! I also decided we'd eat cranberry sauce (from a can, but who cares, right?), Country Crock microwavable mashed potatoes, and a new coleslaw recipe I learned from my father in law's girlfriend the week before. The meal was complete with a frozen cream pie from Edwards. There! Thanksgiving from a crock pot and microwave!
Now, if there is one word for me to describe my husband, it would be a toss up between "workaholic" and "the energizer-bunny". That may be more than one word, but you get the picture. I also tend to tell him he's a slave driver. Getting a better picture? Since we had so many people coming to visit us and help us work on our house, the workaholic in him went into overdrive. The great thing is that my brother in law is the exact same way! My family had arrived Tuesday night and by the end of the day on Wednesday Greg and Andy had ran the water line for the fridge and the new gas lines for the oven. (I discovered while living "life on the road" that I absolutely love cooking with gas! And my husband was awesome enough to surprise me with the gas stove I really wanted, even when I told him I could live with electric! Gotta love him!) Once that was completed my sister, Sheila, and I tackled putting new plastic shelving liner in all the cabinets and drawers. Then came the joyous task of trying to unpack and organize our kitchen. After I went to work they worked on some overgrown yard work that the neighbors commented on. It wasn't exactly on our schedule, but it did need to be done. Don't get me started on our lack of a housewarming from our neighbors.....
When Thanksgiving rolled around, my sister and I had to make a quick Wal-Mart run (again, something I've never done on any Holiday). Since we officially had a working oven, I decided to pick up some rolls and decided why not make "real" mashed potatoes?! Since the guys aren't sports fans, lots of work took place in our house that day! Andy painted our office and most of the upstairs hallway while Greg textured the wall we had to strip wall paper from in the living room and the dining room. Once the texture was dry, they primered those walls and painted the ceilings. Sheila was a trooper and brought load after load of "stuff" from our trailer into the basement. By the time dinner rolled around we were all pretty hungry....and thankful that our Thanksgiving dinner from a crock pot turned out pretty darn good if I do say so myself!
Unfortunately for us, no shopping was done on Black Friday. But, the guys painted the living room and the dining room, and hung new lights in the living room while my sister continued to bring in load after load of "stuff" from the trailer. Believe it or not, it's still not unloaded all the way! (And to think that a lot of people don't believe anyone can actually "live" out of a travel trailer!) Despite all the work going on, the kids were pretty good about entertaining their selves. Greg turned the box that our oven came in into a "Box Castle" which also occasionally turned into a coo-coo clock and a choo-choo train. They also had a blast playing on.....the stairs! Who knew!
All in all it was a great Thanksgiving week! The gang left the next day and I was so sad to see them go. THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR HELP GUYS!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
As I Was Sayin'
I believe my last post mentioned how I felt my life was at a stand still and I was just basically waiting for the ball to drop and for everything to take a downward spiral (but in a good way!) Well, I was definitely right!
We were finally able to close on our house on Friday the 13th! Good thing I'm not superstitious! Closing went without a hitch and by Saturday afternoon we had all of our items that were in storage unloaded into the basement of our house. Did I say basement? I sure did!! I'm a true Okie, and in Oklahoma basements are virtually unheard of. When we first came to Colorado I was fascinated by how many homes had basements. I've always wanted one, and now I have one! The best thing is that our house is a tri-level, so it's not completely underground which I actually like. I love natural sunlight!
Saturday night we spent the first night in our new home. We tossed our mattresses on the floor and that's where we've slept ever since! Thankfully we have lots of good friends here who all pitched in to help us move since I'm in no condition to do any heavy lifting. The next day we moved our fifth wheel to our house. It takes up most of the driveway! We have it for sale now and I'm hoping it sells quick!
The week has basically been a blur since then. I went on a job interview on Monday morning, was informed I had the job on Monday afternoon, and began work the next day. Whew! We also found out that evening that Greg's dad and his girlfriend were for sure coming to help us work on the house and they would be arriving on Wednesday. So, here's everything that has taken place work wise on the house this week: laid new flooring in utility room, painted utility room, installed new hot water tank, wood filled and painted trim in the master bedroom, office, and nursery, patched holes in the master bedroom, painted the master bedroom, shampooed master bedroom carpet, peeled wallpaper in dining room and in living room, hung new cabinets in the kitchen, trimmed out wainscoting in dining room, lots of wood filling and caulking, and as I type hubby is primering and painting all the cabinets and wainscoting in the kitchen and dining room. Whew! That doesn't include the day that Greg, Carl, and Ronda spent going to Garden City, KS to buy appliances and 6 cart loads at Home Depot.
Needless to say, I'm a little tired.
And it doesn't stop there! This week, my sister and her husband and my niece and nephew will be here! And, on Friday I have an ultrasound to find out the sex of the baby! Greg was able to put our bed together today so tomorrow night will be the first night to sleep in our "real" bed in our new house! That's always exciting! (Sleeping in the trailer tonight b/c the paint fumes are too much for me!)
I can't say when I'll have before and after pics posted because I know by the end of the week the master bedroom, kitchen, and dining room will all be 3/4 finished and I am a perfectionist and want to wait until they are 100% done before I post....so don't hold your breath!!! Flooring and counter tops aren't cheap!
We were finally able to close on our house on Friday the 13th! Good thing I'm not superstitious! Closing went without a hitch and by Saturday afternoon we had all of our items that were in storage unloaded into the basement of our house. Did I say basement? I sure did!! I'm a true Okie, and in Oklahoma basements are virtually unheard of. When we first came to Colorado I was fascinated by how many homes had basements. I've always wanted one, and now I have one! The best thing is that our house is a tri-level, so it's not completely underground which I actually like. I love natural sunlight!
Saturday night we spent the first night in our new home. We tossed our mattresses on the floor and that's where we've slept ever since! Thankfully we have lots of good friends here who all pitched in to help us move since I'm in no condition to do any heavy lifting. The next day we moved our fifth wheel to our house. It takes up most of the driveway! We have it for sale now and I'm hoping it sells quick!
The week has basically been a blur since then. I went on a job interview on Monday morning, was informed I had the job on Monday afternoon, and began work the next day. Whew! We also found out that evening that Greg's dad and his girlfriend were for sure coming to help us work on the house and they would be arriving on Wednesday. So, here's everything that has taken place work wise on the house this week: laid new flooring in utility room, painted utility room, installed new hot water tank, wood filled and painted trim in the master bedroom, office, and nursery, patched holes in the master bedroom, painted the master bedroom, shampooed master bedroom carpet, peeled wallpaper in dining room and in living room, hung new cabinets in the kitchen, trimmed out wainscoting in dining room, lots of wood filling and caulking, and as I type hubby is primering and painting all the cabinets and wainscoting in the kitchen and dining room. Whew! That doesn't include the day that Greg, Carl, and Ronda spent going to Garden City, KS to buy appliances and 6 cart loads at Home Depot.
Needless to say, I'm a little tired.
And it doesn't stop there! This week, my sister and her husband and my niece and nephew will be here! And, on Friday I have an ultrasound to find out the sex of the baby! Greg was able to put our bed together today so tomorrow night will be the first night to sleep in our "real" bed in our new house! That's always exciting! (Sleeping in the trailer tonight b/c the paint fumes are too much for me!)
I can't say when I'll have before and after pics posted because I know by the end of the week the master bedroom, kitchen, and dining room will all be 3/4 finished and I am a perfectionist and want to wait until they are 100% done before I post....so don't hold your breath!!! Flooring and counter tops aren't cheap!
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