27 February 2020

little break

Galentine's was so fun this year. Mom hired a caricature artist who was a hoot. Continuing the recent trend, I had so much fun I didn't take any pictures.

I was so productive today.

Lately I've been sitting at a high profile account all day every day providing support should they need it. For the most part... they don't. I have had some long, boring days.

But today, I took an office day (mostly to go over to FG's house so he could get pest control). Once I got home, I got so much done in the office, and around the house.

It's amazing how much stuff there still is to purge. It's easy to toss because if it's still sitting in the same spot after I unpacked 2 years ago, it's obvious I don't use it. Plus because I'm downsizing, I can reason that it's ridiculous to have, for example, a dozen wine glasses.

As the pile of stuff to donate grows, Ashley's suggestion to have a garage sale is sounding better and better. Especially because I still have furniture to purge and it would be easiest to drag it into the driveway and hope someone wants it. Being on a busy corner might be to my advantage here.

18 February 2020

bites.

It's been a long day.

I was up at 5:45am, after a light sleep that was not helped by allergy medicine, because as it turns out, post-lasik antihistamine-induced dry eyes are a thing even when you're sleeping. I might prefer the sinus congestion.

Anyways, it was a slightly rushed morning, a bumper-to-bumper drive to the lab, and a day full of simultaneously being available to several different people while supporting the customer that I was onsite to see.

Just another day, really.

But then I came home and got undressed to soak in the bathtub.

That's when I noticed them.

The bites.

I noticed a few yesterday. One on my leg, a couple on my neck and chest. Little red bumps that I noticed as I applied my moisturizer, but nothing serious.

This evening, I noticed several more. A few more on my thighs, abdomen, and back. Little red bumps. Enough of them to take notice.

Then the internal alarms went off.

OH MY GOD. What if they're BEDBUG BITES??

I travel a lot. It's very plausible that I might have picked up bedbugs at any number of the hotels that I've stayed at in the past year. So I did what any rational person would do. I googled it. And of course, bedbug bites look a lot like any other type of bite... and also like mine. Of course I started to freak out.

With a queasy feeling in my stomach, I donned my head lamp and stripped the bed, inspecting every tiny speck as I went. I peeled apart the seams of the mattress as much as I could. I peered into every tiny nook and cranny in the bed frame and nightstands. I looked into the tiniest corners in all of my suitcases. I saw parts of my couch that no normal person should every see.

I found... nothing... other than cat hair and chip crumbs. Thank GOD.

The other most plausible explanation would be fleas. Slightly less disgusting than bedbugs.

I don't usually give Pumpkin flea medication during the winter, and as I suspected, FG hasn't been giving his dog any, either. Although I haven't noticed Pumpkin itching, and I didn't see any during my search, the weather has recently warmed up and it's possible that fleas are the culprit. They're sneaky little bugs.

Regardless of the source, I began a significant frenzy of vacuuming, dusting, and washing blankets, sheets, and the animals' beds. Whatever it is, I'm nipping it in the bud. My bedroom is so clean right now.

The other thing is, I spent most of the weekend at FG's, and I noticed the bites on Sunday or Monday night so I might need to inspect his house as well.

Not safe yet.

16 February 2020

favorite things, lately

This year I'm hosting Galentine's day. Yay!

I'm happy to be throwing a party that's actually mine, instead of on behalf of someone or stolen. Never matter, a party is a party and I have this big party house for at least 4 more months and I want to take advantage of it. Do you think I can throw a party a month?

Anyway, we're playing the 5 favorite things game, and although I love the Litmas version (which is co-ed), I particularly love the Galentine's version, which is all gals so everything can be girly.

These are my most recent 5 favorite things:

1. Bio Oil. I started using it last summer in the hopes that it would help me avoid acne scars during a bad bout, and I have been using it ever since. I love this stuff. It absorbs nicely and makes my skin really soft. I will even mix it with sugar to make a nice exfoliating scrub.

2. Drawer organizers. If you peek into any of my drawers, you'll see this:


Nuff said. I get them at Dollar Tree so they're really cheap.

3. Epsom Salts. I like them better than bubble bath because they don't irritate my skin or leave my bathtub dirty. I like the plain kind, but every once in a while I like to use the lavender kind. It smells so good.

4. Simple face wipes. Loved these for years and they still come in clutch when I'm too tired or drunk to properly wash my face before bed. Also they're great for traveling or camping.

5. This knife sharpener. I run my knives through it frequently. I did not know I had become a sharp knife snob until I used FG's knives that were NOT sharp. So I brought this over and sharpened all his knives. Much better.

10 February 2020

fixin' and sellin' and savin'

First, BABY EMMA IS HERE!!! We waited all day and Chelsea is such a badass because labor sucks, but she is finally here! I can't even begin with how cute she is, y'all. I love her so much and can't wait to squeeze her cute fat little body. Too bad I'm working out of town and haven't had a chance to bribe my brother with dinner to snuggle his sweet little baby girl. I'm planning to hit him up when I get back. Hopefully she doesn't grow up too much between now and then.

Other stuff that is not niece-related:

It didn't take long for me to wrap my head around the idea of moving again. I'm actually really excited about it and would move tomorrow if I could. But, I gotta wait for that 2-year mark because of this fun thing called a capital gains tax. However, that doesn't mean that I can't prepare!

Reason #82 why FG is so great: He let me borrow his power washer.

The porches are looking moderately mildewy, and I'm in the "fix up the house to sell" mode which means things like grungy pavers need to be cleaned. It is so much fun. It's very satisfying watching the dirt literally disappear.

There isn't much to repair on the house, just a few rotted boards outside. Practically everything inside is fine. I'll pack up everything but necessities and do a deep clean right before listing it.

In addition to the "fixing" mode, I'm also in a "selling" mode.

My plan is to downsize a lot, which includes selling some furniture and random stuff that I don't use and would rather not pack up and move. Most of my furniture is stuff I kinda ended up with, and it doesn't really vibe together. I've struggled to find places for all of those end tables I somehow acquired, so you know what? They're outta here. Easy and I made a little bit of cash.

Honestly, if I end up with just my bed, tv, bookcases, and purple chair, I'll be happy. In my new house I want to find furniture I love to fit the space... instead of trying to find a space for furniture that I don't even like that much.

I know I don't plan to move for another couple of months, but I'm on the ball now because I have time now. You never know, this year could be like last year where I spend months working out of town. I sure hope not.

One more mode! Serious "penny-pinching" mode. Buying a house is not cheap and I need to pad my savings a little before taking a huge chunk out of it.

I've been purposely transferring money into savings every paycheck, which leaves my checking account slim on purpose. I'm getting creative with groceries, and have cut out pedicures and random trips to Target. Dollar Tree has been my friend. I deleted my credit card info from Amazon to curb impulse buys- I have to actually get up and go to my wallet if I want to buy something. Slowly but surely.

Less transactions and a fuller savings account will make it look better on the mortgage application and underwriting, so hopefully that process will go smoother too.
Plus I will probably eventually need extra money to buy furniture, ha!

So anyways, that's where my head is at right now.

03 February 2020

tired and excited

It is 7:45 in the evening and I'm so ready for bed.

I've been like this for weeks. I think it's because my eyes get tired towards the end of the day and tired eyes = tired everything. I'm 1 month post-lasik and I can see very well but my eyes are still very dry and drops are my friend.

Been having a lot of fun looking at real estate online. Really leaning towards moving into FG's neighborhood, because they actually have a lot of houses in my price range.

Plus, like Ashley suggested, we could get a golf cart and cruise between each other's houses. I'm about that kind of life.

Been looking for another mantra/affirmation to guide my mood. I came across, "Practice reckless optimism." I like it. I have a tendency to hope for the best, prepare for the worst and sometimes that preparing for the worst part brings me down.

Reckless optimism sounds fun.