Seriously...my house is not a rental.
I own it...well, technically the bank owns it, but I pay them a lot of money for my name to be on the deed!
But really, it's not a rental...so why then, 3 years after we bought it, are our walls still white? You know...rental house white.
I'm tired of the white walls...it's starting to make me feel like I'm not at home...like I don't own the place...like I'm here temporarily. I hate that feeling.
So, we need to paint. One problem...
I can't commit.
I cannot commit to paint color...it's just so permanent. Yes, I was able to commit my life to my husband. I was able to commit to a 30 year mortgage. I was able to commit my life to caring for another human being, my child.
But I cannot commit to paint color.
Hi...my name is Jennifer and I cannot commit to paint color. Is there a 12-step program to help people like me?
Well, this morning as I sit in my white-walled house, I'm thinking...I must commit to a paint color today. So, let's start small. I've decided that I'm going to commit to a paint color for our downstairs bathroom/powder room (I hate that name by the way...we don't "powder" anything in there)...and I'm going to do it today!
I have learned that the money-sucking paint makers have finally given in a little to us homeowners and have finally developed a little tiny container of paint that you can buy for like $3 and bring home and paint a nice little square on your wall, and you don't have to commit to a whole quart of paint that will sit in your garage for the next 10 years. And once you get this little square painted on your wall, you can leave it there for months while you decide if you like it or not.
Well guess what...I'm going to get one of those containers today...I'm going to paint the little square on my little bathroom wall...and I'm going to only take a week to decide if I like it or not. That's right people...I'm telling you right here, right now that I will put paint on my wall, and make a decision on whether or not I like it between today and next weekend.
And then guess what...next weekend I'm going to go and buy a quart of paint to paint all of the walls in that bathroom!! This is like telling everyone you work with that you're on a diet...they're going to hold you to it, come hell or high water. So people, or person (if anyone is reading this) please start to question me if there is not a post on here next weekend about me painting my bathroom!
I will make this happen...I will commit to paint color...for at least one small room in my house! I'm hoping that this first step (of my non-existent 12-step program) will lead me to commit to paint color for the other rooms in my house!
Wish me luck!
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
5 Question Friday!
Ok friends...it's Friday again...finally!!! And that means it's time for another rendition of Five Question Friday...yaaayyy! Come on people, we need to get excited about something! Here we go...
1. How many pets do you have? Officially we have two pets...unofficially we have/had three. We officially have our two cats, Elvis and Roscoe (who are litter mates) since they were 8 weeks old and are now turning 6 years old this month! Unofficially we had our dog Buster, that we got when he was 8 weeks old and acquired him a week after I found out I was pregnant. We had him for a year and then he was shipped off to Grandma Beth's where he now resides, and probably will for a long time. :)
2. If you could switch places with anyone in the world for one day, who would it be? Probably my boss...just long enough to grant me a raise!
3. What is your favorite money saving tip? I have two! One...coupons! I am a fairly regular coupon clipper and I cringe at the thought of buying things like diapers without a coupon! Two...only buy what you need for the week, unless it's on a "life changing" sale! I know we're going to grocery shop every single week, so why stuff your fridge and cupboards if you're going to be at the store a week from now? It cuts out on impulse buys just because I think I might need it at some point in the future...oh, and this takes some menu planning.
4. What do you want your kids to be when they grow up? Whatever makes him happy...and makes him a decent living. I don't want our child/children to struggle financially, so I'm working to try to set a good example now. But I also want them to enjoy whatever career they choose.
5. What is your favorite quote? "Due to the highly confidential nature of my job, I'm not allowed to know what I'm doing" (this is on my computer at work!) and "Somebody's got a case of the Mondays"
Ok, that's all for this week! But if you have a yearning for more you can head on over to Mama M's...
Happy Friday!!
Monday, August 23, 2010
Stuck
Now you may have read the title and thought..."does she already have writers block?"
No.
"Is she having problems at work or at home?"
No.
"Did her car break down somewhere?"
No.
What I am referring to is an incident that happened to me this past weekend at...Victoria's Secret! So here's how this incident played out...
My wonderful husband was ever so kind enough to offer a little of the money from the sale of his last bike for me to buy something for myself. He told me that I should go buy a new bra and some makeup. Now I won't go into the story of how this generous offer came about, as that is a whole other story for another day (and I care not to relive times that I've shed a tear).
So this past Sunday we piled into the truck and headed down to SLO...as it's obvious to anyone who lives around here that there is nothing short of a lack of shopping in A-town. We eventually made our way to Victoria's Secret. Now you may be stopping here and asking yourself why I would spend so much money on a bra at VS when I could easily run to Target and spend half as much. Well, my friends, I went down that road a week or so ago and have since made 3 separate returns of bras that were just horrible and am now stuck with one that I tried to wear for a day and can't return. I LOVE Target...don't get me wrong. But I've thrown my hands into the air when it comes to purchasing a bra there. And the two bras that I've been wearing for the past 4+ years every single day were from VS and they were wonderful.
Anyhow, I could write a whole novel about my old bras, but that would bore you. So now on to the good part....
Like I said, I had been wearing the same bras for well over 4 years so needless to say they were a bit stretched out and very old. Of course when I walked into the store, every college girl in there wanted to help me, but of course I refused and told them I knew exactly what I needed. But after a few minutes I realized that in 4+ years the store had changed a little and apparently they no longer carried my size. But one of the very helpful college girls offered to measure me and went on to inform me that it's good to be measured every 6 months. I felt like telling her "honey, I can't afford to be measured every 6 months" but I chose to keep that to myself and just nodded and smiled. I figured that she was going to measure me and tell me that they wouldn't have anything in my size. But much to my surprise I actually measured down one size (around my chest, not cup size for those who wondered) and they actually carried my new size! Imagine that?! So my little college friend ran off to get me their box of bras so I could try on all of the different styles they offered in my new size. I tried on the first two and was pleasantly surprised at the fit and was given a rude awakening on how poorly my old bras were fitting...or a better description would be, how poorly my old bras were hanging on my body! As I moved to try on the 3rd bra I noticed that it was a front clasp. I thought "oh, I might like this one as they are generally easier to put on". Boy was I wrong!!!
I proceeded to get the front clasping bra on, pulled it up, got everything adjusted and found that I didn't really like the fit. Now here's where "stuck" comes into play...
As I moved to take this front clasping bra off, I couldn't get the clasp undone!!!! I tried several different ways, I moved the bra around on me, I moved it up and down, I twisted, I turned and there was NOTHING I could do to get this stinkin' bra off of me! I was STUCK!!! So, what did I do? I started to panic of course! I started thinking that I was going to have to ask my little college helper to come into my room and help me! And that wasn't going to happen, so I continued to struggle some more. By this point I was ready to just break the stupid bra to get it off and then tell my little college friend that it must haven been broken before she brought it in. But then I stopped, took a deep breath, and told myself "you are a mom and you're supposed to be able to do anything, you can get this stupid bra off". So I continued to work at it and after about 10 minutes of struggle I finally got it off!!! I pulled the thing off and flung it into the box and wanted to spit on it, but composed myself instead and proceeded to put my old bra back on and tell myself that I was satisfied with what I tried on and didn't want to try anything else!
So, I walked out of there with not one bra but two! It's amazing that a bra can make a woman feel so much better about herself, isn't it?! And if I learned anything from this little experience it's this...(1) moms really can do anything and (2) don't buy the front clasping bra from VS!
No.
"Is she having problems at work or at home?"
No.
"Did her car break down somewhere?"
No.
What I am referring to is an incident that happened to me this past weekend at...Victoria's Secret! So here's how this incident played out...
My wonderful husband was ever so kind enough to offer a little of the money from the sale of his last bike for me to buy something for myself. He told me that I should go buy a new bra and some makeup. Now I won't go into the story of how this generous offer came about, as that is a whole other story for another day (and I care not to relive times that I've shed a tear).
So this past Sunday we piled into the truck and headed down to SLO...as it's obvious to anyone who lives around here that there is nothing short of a lack of shopping in A-town. We eventually made our way to Victoria's Secret. Now you may be stopping here and asking yourself why I would spend so much money on a bra at VS when I could easily run to Target and spend half as much. Well, my friends, I went down that road a week or so ago and have since made 3 separate returns of bras that were just horrible and am now stuck with one that I tried to wear for a day and can't return. I LOVE Target...don't get me wrong. But I've thrown my hands into the air when it comes to purchasing a bra there. And the two bras that I've been wearing for the past 4+ years every single day were from VS and they were wonderful.
Anyhow, I could write a whole novel about my old bras, but that would bore you. So now on to the good part....
Like I said, I had been wearing the same bras for well over 4 years so needless to say they were a bit stretched out and very old. Of course when I walked into the store, every college girl in there wanted to help me, but of course I refused and told them I knew exactly what I needed. But after a few minutes I realized that in 4+ years the store had changed a little and apparently they no longer carried my size. But one of the very helpful college girls offered to measure me and went on to inform me that it's good to be measured every 6 months. I felt like telling her "honey, I can't afford to be measured every 6 months" but I chose to keep that to myself and just nodded and smiled. I figured that she was going to measure me and tell me that they wouldn't have anything in my size. But much to my surprise I actually measured down one size (around my chest, not cup size for those who wondered) and they actually carried my new size! Imagine that?! So my little college friend ran off to get me their box of bras so I could try on all of the different styles they offered in my new size. I tried on the first two and was pleasantly surprised at the fit and was given a rude awakening on how poorly my old bras were fitting...or a better description would be, how poorly my old bras were hanging on my body! As I moved to try on the 3rd bra I noticed that it was a front clasp. I thought "oh, I might like this one as they are generally easier to put on". Boy was I wrong!!!
I proceeded to get the front clasping bra on, pulled it up, got everything adjusted and found that I didn't really like the fit. Now here's where "stuck" comes into play...
As I moved to take this front clasping bra off, I couldn't get the clasp undone!!!! I tried several different ways, I moved the bra around on me, I moved it up and down, I twisted, I turned and there was NOTHING I could do to get this stinkin' bra off of me! I was STUCK!!! So, what did I do? I started to panic of course! I started thinking that I was going to have to ask my little college helper to come into my room and help me! And that wasn't going to happen, so I continued to struggle some more. By this point I was ready to just break the stupid bra to get it off and then tell my little college friend that it must haven been broken before she brought it in. But then I stopped, took a deep breath, and told myself "you are a mom and you're supposed to be able to do anything, you can get this stupid bra off". So I continued to work at it and after about 10 minutes of struggle I finally got it off!!! I pulled the thing off and flung it into the box and wanted to spit on it, but composed myself instead and proceeded to put my old bra back on and tell myself that I was satisfied with what I tried on and didn't want to try anything else!
So, I walked out of there with not one bra but two! It's amazing that a bra can make a woman feel so much better about herself, isn't it?! And if I learned anything from this little experience it's this...(1) moms really can do anything and (2) don't buy the front clasping bra from VS!
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
5 Question Friday
Ok...here's something new!! I'm trying to incorporate myself into the blog world by participating in other bloggers fun activities. So here is my first one!
Here are some random questions that Mama M from My Little Life has posted...let's see what we come up with!
Here are some random questions that Mama M from My Little Life has posted...let's see what we come up with!
1. Do you have any nicknames and if so how did it come about? Jenn, Jenn-O, Penniper, Missy...not really sure how I've come about some of these names, but if you know Ian and I and the rest of my family, you know that we generally don't call anyone by their given name!
2. What is your birth order amongst your siblings? Well, technically I'm first/middle/last as I don't have any blood siblings, but amongst my step-brothers (whom have been around since I was like 5) I am the middle child of 3. I loved it because I was the only girl and I was in the middle...I don't think it gets much better than that!
3. In a movie of your life, who would play your significant other? Oooh...that's a tough one...I'm not good with famous people. I guess I would say Harry Connick Jr. Not because he necessarily reminds me of Ian, but I love the role that he portrays in the movie "Hope Floats"...but sadly enough, I don't really know much about him.
4. What is currently your favorite song? Oooh,...another tough one! I am not really a "favorites" person...I generally like a lot of things. But I guess if I had to choose one right now it would be "We're Going to be Friends" by Jack Johnson. I just bought it on iTunes and added it to my iTouch and I could listen to it over and over...it's so relaxing and upbeat.
5. Are you saving your money for anything right now? Big or small purchase? Yes! We're saving some money right now for a big purchase! We sold my motorcycle about 3 months ago and are saving that money for new flooring for our house!! We think we might need to save up some more, but we don't know for sure how much it will all cost just yet. We are so desperately in need of some new flooring, at least in our living room and on our stairs. Between the cats and a small child (and a former dog!) our carpet has taken a beating and it's really starting to show. We're hoping by the end of this year to have the flooring redone!
Ok...that's all for this Friday! You can head on over to My Little Life to check out more answers for 5 Question Friday!
Ok...that's all for this Friday! You can head on over to My Little Life to check out more answers for 5 Question Friday!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Relaxation
So, on my way to work this morning I had about 10 minutes of silence (with the exception of the car sounds and the other cars on the road ) and I started to actually relax...just a little bit. And with this slightest bit of relaxation I started to think...I need more of this! Then the thoughts started to flow. I won't talk you through how I got from A to Z on my ideas, but here's what I came up with...
There is a a yoga studio at one of our buildings in town that we just recently renovated. I happened to have to email the owner today to go over a couple of things and I mentioned that a couple of us inthe office might be interested in some lunch time yoga. Well, the owner bit the bait so to speak, and said that they happen to be adding some lunch time classes to their schedule at the end of next month and that he would drop off some free week long passes for us to try the classes out!
Now, one of my co-workers is always talking about how you have to put ideas out into the universe to make things happen. And I guess today that happened for me! I thought about the yoga idea most of the morning, talked with my co-worker about it, then happened to mention it to the yoga studio owner...and now I've got free passes!!
I feel like this is totally something I need right now. Yeah, I could go and spend some ridiculous amount of money for a massage and I would walk away feeling good and relaxed, but I would also feel like I didn't accomplish anything...plus I can't afford to do that on a weekly, monthly or even semi-annual basis these days! I feel like if I do yoga, then at least I would be "working" my body, I would be clearing my mind, and I would walk away feeling relaxed and refreshed...and hopefully could afford to do this at least on a weekly basis. And one thing that really makes it work is that I can do it on my lunch...though, my lunch is technically only half an hour, but if I only went once a week, I could make up the time over the course of the week...details.
So, my plan for now is to try the classes out when they start at the end of September with my free pass and see how it goes. In the meantime, I'll treasure my ten seconds of silence each day!
There is a a yoga studio at one of our buildings in town that we just recently renovated. I happened to have to email the owner today to go over a couple of things and I mentioned that a couple of us in
Now, one of my co-workers is always talking about how you have to put ideas out into the universe to make things happen. And I guess today that happened for me! I thought about the yoga idea most of the morning, talked with my co-worker about it, then happened to mention it to the yoga studio owner...and now I've got free passes!!
I feel like this is totally something I need right now. Yeah, I could go and spend some ridiculous amount of money for a massage and I would walk away feeling good and relaxed, but I would also feel like I didn't accomplish anything...plus I can't afford to do that on a weekly, monthly or even semi-annual basis these days! I feel like if I do yoga, then at least I would be "working" my body, I would be clearing my mind, and I would walk away feeling relaxed and refreshed...and hopefully could afford to do this at least on a weekly basis. And one thing that really makes it work is that I can do it on my lunch...though, my lunch is technically only half an hour, but if I only went once a week, I could make up the time over the course of the week...details.
So, my plan for now is to try the classes out when they start at the end of September with my free pass and see how it goes. In the meantime, I'll treasure my ten seconds of silence each day!
Monday, August 16, 2010
First Official Post
Ok, so here I am...and this is my first official blog post.
I have to admit, I've been a "blog snooper" for quite some time now. I click from a friends blog, to their friends blog, and then their friends blog, and then to another random blog that they follow, and so on, and so on. I'm not sure what the attraction is. I know that one thing I've found for sure is that there are a lot of women just like me in this world...married, kid(s), job, house, desire for a life :)...etc. I've also found some pretty cool blogs that have really caught my attention like this one here.
So with all of this "blog snooping" I thought to myself "maybe you should start your own blog". So, I got myself all set up on Blogger, set up my profile, found my profile picture, and then...nothing. I came up with a blog name, but I'm not too fond of it. I've thought about a "theme" for my blog, but not sure that I want to go in that direction. I've thought about various posts for my blog, but haven't had a chance to really "put pen to paper" so to speak. And I guess I've found that I'm really the kind of person that if I can't do things exactly as I think they should be the first time around, then I won't do them at all. To be honest, I'm not really sure how many people I'll tell about having a blog just yet. I may post this and let it sit. I may even end up deleting it if I think it sounds funny after I've posted it. But, then I think to myself...this is me. This blog can be a place where I can express myself. I like to write, but haven't done it in like a million years. I like to entertain people, tell funny stories and be humorous, but I don't always have the right audience. So maybe this is the place for all of that. Maybe this is the best place to let the thoughts flow...share random thoughts and ideas. I'm not sure who I'll be sharing with...as I've said, I haven't decided that yet.
I guess what I'm also hesitant about is the fact that people that read this might want to comment on my posts. I know, I know...I can turn the comment section off. But maybe part of me wants to hear what people have to say about my posts, while another part of me could care less to hear what people think about me! And maybe some of my thoughts that flow here are for myself...which I guess would be better left for a diary right?! These are all thoughts that have run through my mind as I've thought about how to go about this blogging thing.
Another thing that has kept me from moving forward is time. Did you know that there are only something like 84,600 seconds in a day?! That may sound like a lot, but in my world, those seconds just seem to fly by. I've already got another website up and going here if you want to check it out. It's kind of a family thing and place to post pictures (more on that later). But it's something that I keep up specifically for our family, and more specifically for Logan and it's a place to post our pictures. But I haven't had a lot of time lately to keep it updated. So I'm worried that I'm now venturing out into blog land and am committing myself to keep something else maintained.
Along with the time issue, the last thing that has made me balk at this whole blogging thing is the fact that I maybe get about 10 seconds of absolute quiet time each day. And, as you can imagine, it's nearly impossible to do any reasonable thinking, much less typing in that amount of time! More on this later...if there is a later when it comes to this blog!
So, here I type...the longest posting that you'll probably ever see on here...and the only one for now! If you've made it here, it means that I wanted to share this with you...if you've made it this far in the post, it means you either have nothing better to do, or you were hoping for a more exciting ending! Happy reading... :)
I have to admit, I've been a "blog snooper" for quite some time now. I click from a friends blog, to their friends blog, and then their friends blog, and then to another random blog that they follow, and so on, and so on. I'm not sure what the attraction is. I know that one thing I've found for sure is that there are a lot of women just like me in this world...married, kid(s), job, house, desire for a life :)...etc. I've also found some pretty cool blogs that have really caught my attention like this one here.
So with all of this "blog snooping" I thought to myself "maybe you should start your own blog". So, I got myself all set up on Blogger, set up my profile, found my profile picture, and then...nothing. I came up with a blog name, but I'm not too fond of it. I've thought about a "theme" for my blog, but not sure that I want to go in that direction. I've thought about various posts for my blog, but haven't had a chance to really "put pen to paper" so to speak. And I guess I've found that I'm really the kind of person that if I can't do things exactly as I think they should be the first time around, then I won't do them at all. To be honest, I'm not really sure how many people I'll tell about having a blog just yet. I may post this and let it sit. I may even end up deleting it if I think it sounds funny after I've posted it. But, then I think to myself...this is me. This blog can be a place where I can express myself. I like to write, but haven't done it in like a million years. I like to entertain people, tell funny stories and be humorous, but I don't always have the right audience. So maybe this is the place for all of that. Maybe this is the best place to let the thoughts flow...share random thoughts and ideas. I'm not sure who I'll be sharing with...as I've said, I haven't decided that yet.
I guess what I'm also hesitant about is the fact that people that read this might want to comment on my posts. I know, I know...I can turn the comment section off. But maybe part of me wants to hear what people have to say about my posts, while another part of me could care less to hear what people think about me! And maybe some of my thoughts that flow here are for myself...which I guess would be better left for a diary right?! These are all thoughts that have run through my mind as I've thought about how to go about this blogging thing.
Another thing that has kept me from moving forward is time. Did you know that there are only something like 84,600 seconds in a day?! That may sound like a lot, but in my world, those seconds just seem to fly by. I've already got another website up and going here if you want to check it out. It's kind of a family thing and place to post pictures (more on that later). But it's something that I keep up specifically for our family, and more specifically for Logan and it's a place to post our pictures. But I haven't had a lot of time lately to keep it updated. So I'm worried that I'm now venturing out into blog land and am committing myself to keep something else maintained.
Along with the time issue, the last thing that has made me balk at this whole blogging thing is the fact that I maybe get about 10 seconds of absolute quiet time each day. And, as you can imagine, it's nearly impossible to do any reasonable thinking, much less typing in that amount of time! More on this later...if there is a later when it comes to this blog!
So, here I type...the longest posting that you'll probably ever see on here...and the only one for now! If you've made it here, it means that I wanted to share this with you...if you've made it this far in the post, it means you either have nothing better to do, or you were hoping for a more exciting ending! Happy reading... :)
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