Lifey Lifey LIfey
I guess it's been a while since I updated those of you still reading me on here:
My new place is all set up on the inside, except a few white walls that need some artwork. Any of you arty types want to donate to the cause? Or sell cheap - I'm on a *really* tight budget, but more on that in a minute.
I'm slowly working on the outside. Plans are in the works for a veggie garden, herb barrels, potted flowers and a few flowering vines. I'm hoping to get a nice variety going so they bloom all day long and possibly into the night. Maybe a rose bush or two? Not sure - this is the biggest yard I've had on my own and the more I look at it, the bigger it gets. For now though, my yard time consists of a lot of taking down dead vines, pulling weeds and preparing dirt. All of these actions are surprisingly cathartic. I found an online concoction for murdering weeds on the cheap, so we'll see if it works on my walkway.
As of last week, I've been employed the same number of months that I was unemployed. I now have a functioning car, a job and a house that I love. I'm still digging myself out financially, though, and recently took what ended up being something like a $1300 hit on my car. Lesson learned on that: only go to certified mechanics. You're slightly less financially screwed if things go wrong. That hit killed my savings, so I'm on a $200 a month budget for gas and food. This is about $20 a week in gas and $30 in food. I've mostly cut meat out at home (we eat it about once a week or so), which actually helps a lot. Not that I don't *like* dead animal, I just can't really *afford* dead animal. This has led to some pretty interesting cooking adventures and new, tasty food combos. It's also led to a lack of pre-made food in my house. Adventures in health? We shall see.
What does that mean? It means that my car only leaves my house for work, taking Bella to school, running errands (which usually happens with the picking up of Bella), and attending special events. So, if people want to see me, they are welcome to stop by my new, awesome house! I'll be holding more gatherings since I can't leave often and do tend to go a little bit crazy without at least some human interaction.
Work is going really well. I've taken over a portion of the design work (mostly digital), have almost gotten used to getting up just after 7 and generally enjoy being here. Bella's grades have improved at school and her teacher says that she's really blossomed over the last 2 months. She's got an A+ in science and has almost nailed the complex long division and basic pre-algebra concepts they're studying. She's been reading more, which has improved her writing. She's not reading as much as I'd like, but then I chew though like 3 books a week. Probably skews my view a little bit.
Most of my free time is spent reading, doing word puzzles, cooking, gardening, or watching movies. My mom says it's me hitting my 'reset' button. I do need to be a little more active. There is a park very nearby and the weather is getting nicer. Hmmm.
And, yes, I'm seeing someone. It's pretty casual and we work opposite schedules, so we see each other like once a week or so. It just kinda happened that neither one of us is really interested in seeing anyone else. I don't really want to get all gushy about it, for fear of jinxing the situation. But, there's the basic info. :)
Overall, I'm happy. Dirt poor, so I get stressed sometimes (like now, when I'm pretty sure my car is running on hopes and dreams), but still happy.
My new place is all set up on the inside, except a few white walls that need some artwork. Any of you arty types want to donate to the cause? Or sell cheap - I'm on a *really* tight budget, but more on that in a minute.
I'm slowly working on the outside. Plans are in the works for a veggie garden, herb barrels, potted flowers and a few flowering vines. I'm hoping to get a nice variety going so they bloom all day long and possibly into the night. Maybe a rose bush or two? Not sure - this is the biggest yard I've had on my own and the more I look at it, the bigger it gets. For now though, my yard time consists of a lot of taking down dead vines, pulling weeds and preparing dirt. All of these actions are surprisingly cathartic. I found an online concoction for murdering weeds on the cheap, so we'll see if it works on my walkway.
As of last week, I've been employed the same number of months that I was unemployed. I now have a functioning car, a job and a house that I love. I'm still digging myself out financially, though, and recently took what ended up being something like a $1300 hit on my car. Lesson learned on that: only go to certified mechanics. You're slightly less financially screwed if things go wrong. That hit killed my savings, so I'm on a $200 a month budget for gas and food. This is about $20 a week in gas and $30 in food. I've mostly cut meat out at home (we eat it about once a week or so), which actually helps a lot. Not that I don't *like* dead animal, I just can't really *afford* dead animal. This has led to some pretty interesting cooking adventures and new, tasty food combos. It's also led to a lack of pre-made food in my house. Adventures in health? We shall see.
What does that mean? It means that my car only leaves my house for work, taking Bella to school, running errands (which usually happens with the picking up of Bella), and attending special events. So, if people want to see me, they are welcome to stop by my new, awesome house! I'll be holding more gatherings since I can't leave often and do tend to go a little bit crazy without at least some human interaction.
Work is going really well. I've taken over a portion of the design work (mostly digital), have almost gotten used to getting up just after 7 and generally enjoy being here. Bella's grades have improved at school and her teacher says that she's really blossomed over the last 2 months. She's got an A+ in science and has almost nailed the complex long division and basic pre-algebra concepts they're studying. She's been reading more, which has improved her writing. She's not reading as much as I'd like, but then I chew though like 3 books a week. Probably skews my view a little bit.
Most of my free time is spent reading, doing word puzzles, cooking, gardening, or watching movies. My mom says it's me hitting my 'reset' button. I do need to be a little more active. There is a park very nearby and the weather is getting nicer. Hmmm.
And, yes, I'm seeing someone. It's pretty casual and we work opposite schedules, so we see each other like once a week or so. It just kinda happened that neither one of us is really interested in seeing anyone else. I don't really want to get all gushy about it, for fear of jinxing the situation. But, there's the basic info. :)
Overall, I'm happy. Dirt poor, so I get stressed sometimes (like now, when I'm pretty sure my car is running on hopes and dreams), but still happy.