Dreaming

Have you ever thought about packing up all of your belongings and starting over somewhere you have never been before, and no one knows who you are? I have those thoughts sometimes, especially on days like today, where everything seemed to go wrong.  I won't go into specifics, but let's just say I messed up at work this morning, and called my boss and told him to fire me.  He didn't, of course, but that was just the beginning to a pretty horrible day.

It's days like these that I think about Flats to rent Glasgow, because I can pretty much guarantee that no one would know me there.  I could take the kids, run away, and never look back.  Of course, I would let their dad know where we were, and my family, but I would be content to be on my own.  I would never really do this, but sometimes it is nice to dream.  I could spend hours searching for Flats to rent Edinburgh or Flats to rent Aberdeen online, because these properties are beautiful! I am having a little trouble figuring out exactly how much they cost, because the price is not listed in American currency.  I bet if I searched for a converter online I would see that all these places are way out of my price range.  But, like I said, a girl can dream, right?

New Florida Homes

I got the call today...my kittens are ready to come home.  My friend's cat had babies about six weeks ago, and they are ready to leave their mama.  I love that I am able to have pets here, even though I will have to pay a non-refundable pet deposit.  I miss having cats in the house. 

It would be better if I owned my own home, but right now that is not an option.  It's fun to look at new Florida homes online and dream about owning one, someday.  I would love to live close to the ocean, and be able to watch the sunset over the water every night.  I bet that would be beautiful.  But buying a home is a huge decision, and one that I can not make right now.

Maybe someday, when I meet and marry a rich man, I will be able to have the home of my dreams.  For now, though, I am going to make this apartment "home" for me and the kids.  I think I am doing a pretty good job.  We are settling in, and are almost completely unpacked.  I know we will be happy here, and that is all that matters right now. 

Our New Home

Okay, after getting several requests for pictures of my new place, I finally found some time tonight to take some pictures.  I don't know why the bottom of this shot is missing, but this is my kitchen, shot from standing in my dining area.

This is my dining area.  Don't pay attention to the mail tubs along the wall...they were used to move and are being returned to the post office tomorrow.

This is my living room.  I love the little alcove-ish area with the windows.  It was the perfect spot for my desk.

This is a shot of my kitchen/dining area from my living room.

This is my bedroom.  I refused to bring my bed, so I am using the mattress from the bottom bunk of my girls bed for now until I can afford to buy myself a new bed.

This is a close up shot of my desk area.

This is down the hallway towards the bathroom and the kids rooms.  As you can see, they still have a lot to unpack...there crap is overflowing into my hallway.

That's my front door.  The laundry room is on the left and my bedroom is the door on the right.

We really are happy here.  I love my new living room furniture, which was a gift from my best friend.  We have more space here, and are settling in quite well.  I have so much more to share with you all about what is going on in my life, but I have stalkers, and some things are meant to remain private.  Message me on Facebook if you want an update, kay?

I'm Not Looking For Luxury Retirement Communities Just Yet

Getting older is a part of life.  I am going to be 40 next year, which completely blows my mind if I sit and think about it too long.  I don't know when I got to be so old, not that 40 is old.  In fact, I have a feeling that 40 is going to be an amazing age for me.  I won't have to start looking for luxury retirement communities for quite a few more years.   Of course, different people have different ideas about what the word "luxury" refers to.

Right now, I am focusing on finding an apartment for the kids and I to rent.  I am trying to get in where my best friend lives, which would work out perfectly for childcare during the school year.  My kids love her, and she is really good with them.  For now, though, I am going to move in with my mom, and hopefully before school starts next year, we will have an apartment.  If not, I don't know what I will do, because I refuse to put my kids in the school district where my mom lives. 

Of course, this is all contingent on me finding a job, which seems to be close to impossible.

There Are More Than 55 Communities In Florida

I packed my first box the other day.  I was going through my photo albums the other day, taking out all of the pictures that had any of Bob's family in them, and I decided to go ahead and pack each album after I went through it.  I see it as a step in the right direction.  I have resigned myself to the fact that I am going to have to move, though it isn't going to be where I had originally thought.  I am in the process of renting an apartment for the kids in I, and I am pretty excited about it.  It's in a better school district than the one they would be in if I moved in with my mom, and I have really been stressing about that. It is also closer to my best friend, who has been my rock this past month.  I know I will be able to count on her to help me with child care in the afternoons if I need her.  I have been applying for jobs in that area, and am hoping I will have better luck this time.  I had one interview, which never led to anything, from all the places I applied to by my mom's house.

The only issue I will have is coming up with the deposit, which means I may need to stay with my mom for a little while so I can save up some money.  My goal is to be in the apartment before school starts in the fall.  I can't help but think about how older people must feel like when they have to pack up the home they have lived in forever and move to something smaller.  We all know older folks who have moved to Florida to retire - I know my grandparents did.  I probably will one day, too.  I know there are more than 55 communities in florida for older people to live in.  There are probably hundreds.   Anyway, packing up my house this time feels different than all the times before.  I think it's because I am getting rid of all of the reminders of my husband, and starting over.  Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying the purging and looking forward to starting a new life with the kids, but it is still a little sad.

For now, I am going to continue with the packing, and hopefully I will have two boxes packed by the end of the week.

My Dream Home - West Palm Condos

 I need to get away.  I have been extremely stressed about money and not being able to find a job.  I know eventually, my landlord will get tired of waiting for my rent, and we will be asked to leave.  I plan on moving the kids and I to my moms house for a while.  I am not sure how much I will be paying her for rent, but it will definitely be cheaper than what I pay here.

I wish I could find a rich man who would move us down into the West Palm condos.  Living in Florida would be awesome.  I could spend the day lying on the beach, working on my tan. These condos look amazing, too. You can go on their website and take a virtual tour of every floor of the building.  I was going to, but they ask for some personal information first, and I didn't want to give that out. 

Until I find a rich man, I will go live with my mom.  I am so lucky that I have such an amazing support system, because I have no idea what I would have done this past month without my family and friends.  I know I am going to need them even more in the upcoming months, and I know they will do all they can to help the kids and I.

I am so blessed.

My Secret To Making A Move Easier

I am a pro at packing and moving.  I mean, in the past three years, we have moved twice.  It was not fun at all, but I learned the best way to pack and the best way to move.  Do you want to know my secret?

Pay someone else to do it all. 

No, I'm kidding.  Kind of.  The packing needs to be done by me, because let's face it, I am the only one who will care if my elephants make it safely to their new home.  As far as the moving part?  Well, let the professionals help.  With abf upack moving, you pack and load the truck yourself, and then have a professional come and drive all your belongings to your new place.  Trust me when I tell you this is a lot easier than making fifty trips in a pickup truck.  

Thankfully, I have no plans on moving again anytime soon.  Well, maybe next year, because we want to buy our own place.  At least I know how to pack!

Not Again

The kids went back to school on Tuesday.  It's funny, but only Brandi asked about staying home because Junior's dad died.  I didn't let her.  I told her that they only let you stay home if you are sad about someone dying, and because she wasn't, she had to go to school.  At the bus stop that morning, one of my neighbors asked if I had heard about what happened during the break to some of the kids in the neighborhood.  I said I hadn't, so he told me about this 16 year old boy who was arrested and charged with molesting four different little boys in our neighborhood. 

The first thought I had was that we needed to contact Express Estate Agency because I wanted to move.   I mean, who wants to live in a neighborhood with a child molester.  The funny thing is, this kid has approached Ryan about playing video games.  I think I might have written about it when it happened.  The kid told Ryan that he was on house arrest, and wanted him to come over to play video games.  Ryan, of course, said no, and came right home.  (I believe he was checking the mail for me when this happened)  A few days later, the kid knocked on our door, again asking if Ryan could go to his house.  At this point, Junior asked him what he was on house arrest for, and he said that he was "wrongly accused" with touching little boys.  Yeah, Junior told him to get out of our yard, and to never come back, then slammed the door in his face. 

Turns out there was enough evidence to convict him, which led to a search of his residence, which led to his mother and a family friend being arrested for providing him with pornographic material.  They sound like a bunch of winners, don't they? 

After thinking about it, though, we decided that we didn't need to contact Express Estate Agency.  We decided that we are going to stay right here.  The kid is in the custody of the juvenile courts, and it doesn't sound like he will be coming home.  Plus, my kids are very rarely outside alone.  They usually ride bikes and play football and stuff together, and I know they know how to protect each other.  Someday, I would love to use the Express Estate Agency's services to buy a home instead of renting, but for now, I am happy not to be packing again.  

You all remember how many boxes of elephants and books I had last time we moved.  I don't think Junior's back can take that again.

I Am NOT Moving Again

We have lived in this house for almost a year now.  In that time, I have never felt afraid.  Junior works early mornings, leaving the house between 3:30 and 3:45am.  That leaves me and the kids alone until I walk them to the bus stop at 6:20am.  Then I am alone until Junior comes home from work.

For most of our marriage, I have been home alone at night while Junior worked 3rd shift, usually 10pm to 7am.  In all the places we have lived, I have never been afraid of being alone with the kids at night.

A couple of weeks ago, Junior discovered that someone was messing with our shed, trying to break into it.  It is on the opposite side of the house from where my bedroom is, so I never heard a thing.  It is right outside Kasi's room, and she didn't hear anything either.  The funny thing is that this was a night when Junior was home.  Thankfully, they couldn't get inside the shed, so nothing was taken.

For a moment, Junior considered moving. The thing is, I refuse to move again.  I don't want to have to pack up all my books and elephants again.  I know, it sounds weird.  It's pretty simple packing the bedrooms and clothes and dishes, because none of that stuff is breakable.  I could even hire a Moving Company to move all of that for me.  But my elephants are fragile, and they need to be handled carefully. By me.  Because no one else realizes how much they mean to me. 

Okay, maybe Junior does, because in all the times we have moved, only a couple of elephants have been broken.  Either way, I am not moving again.  Junior spoke to the neighborhood maintenance guy, and he said it sounds like a couple of kids in the neighborhood we probably responsible.  I tend to agree, because I think if it was a "real" thief, they would have gotten into the shed.  Whoever it was left behind the sledge hammer they were using, and a "professional" wouldn't do that.  So I tend to agree that it was a couple of kids who got scared and ran before doing any real damage.  My husband's solution was to booby trap the door of the shed.

So far, no one has been caught in it.

Thank God.

***this is a sponsored review

Beach Bound

 My friend is moving to the beach.  She found an apartment to rent close to Myrtle Beach, and she plans on moving in a couple of months.  I think she is making a mistake.  She is moving to an area that she knows nothing about.  I told her she needs to do a little research before signing a contract, but she won't listen.  She is determined to leave this area, so she is taking the first apartment she found. 

I think if I were to ever move to a location I know nothing about, I would do a lot of research.  I would go online and find out all the information I could about the area.  For instance, if I were looking for west palm beach real estate, I would Google West Palm Beach and read every article I could find.  Then I would visit the area myself. I would not commit to anything until I have seen with my own eyes how nice, or not so nice, the neighborhood is. I would let a professional agent help find the perfect place for me and my family.  I would never blindly move somewhere new.

My friend thinks differently.  She has never even been to this town she is moving to.  For all she knows, she may have committed to living in a run down, drug infested neighborhood.  She also sent the apartment manager a ton of personal information, without ever meeting her.  The whole situation gives me a bad feeling, but it's her life.  If she gets down there and regrets her decision, I will be the one saying, "I told you so.".

Moving Tips

Are you planning a move?  If so, you really should check out this blog I found, called Move Builder Blog.  It is full of tips on moving and packing, as well as storage issues and keeping moving expenses low.  I read a pretty interesting article about having a moving sale before you begin packing, so that you not only get rid of some of the things you don't want to take with you, you can also make a little money to cover moving expenses.  Trust me.  I have moved several times, and I always forget how expensive it can be.  I'm not talking about the actual moving part (which we all know can be expensive), but the meals you have to eat out because you haven't unpacked your kitchen yet and all the cleaning supplies you have to get so that you can clean the mess that the previous tenants left behind.  It's the little things that add up.

For more moving tips, check out the blog.

The Right Way To Pack For A Move

Are you moving anytime soon?  I know with the economy the way it is, a lot of people are making the move to smaller, less expensive homes.  The key to a smooth move, and trust me because I have moved a few times in recent years, is to pack the right way.  You should use boxes that are specific to the items you are packing.  For instance, if you are packing your fine china, you don't want to put it in a box with your Tupperware.  You should use dish pack boxes that are designed to keep your dinnerware safe.  It is not fun to unpack your boxes and find broken dishes because you packed wrong.  Again, trust me.  I speak from experience.

My Bedroom

Okay, so I promised pictures, so this is a start. My bedroom. As you can see, I have much more room, because in the apartment, I didn't even have a bedroom. For now, my bed is sitting on the floor, because the rails are metal, and I am afraid they will scratch the floor. I wish you could see the "fake" wood floors. They are all through the house. I am standing in the doorway, and to the right is the bathroom, which has the most amazing tub. But, those pictures will have to wait, because this is the only room made up enough for showing. Notice Princess (the hamster) is in my room, because the girls room is still a mess of boxes that need to be unpacked. I will try and get some more pictures up tomorrow, but no promises. I am having guests over tomorrow night, and I want things perfect, which means more unpacking and organizing.

Wish me luck!

Daddy's Little Helper

We are finally getting settled into the new place. I promise in a few days I will get some pictures up. I just want to get everything unpacked first. It just doesn't feel like "home" until all my elephants are unpacked.

When we looked at this house, it already had a fridge and stove. We requested they be removed so we could use our own, and the manager agreed. Unfortunately, the plugs didn't match up, so we had to replace ours. (we ended up spending way more than I thought moving into this place, but it was sooo worth it!) Brandi jumped right in and asked Junior if she could help, and I just had to get a shot of her removing the old plug from the back of our stove. She also helped screw the new one into place, but I missed that.

Junior loves when the kids want to help him do things, so he rarely tells them no. I love that the kids like doing things with him.

It keeps them out of my hair for a little while! lol!

The First Moving Story

I live in the south. It is not supposed to snow in the south. But, luckily, this year we have been snowed upon a couple of times, the most recent being the night before we moved.

That's right. Friday while I was here, at the new place, waiting for the phone guy, it started snowing. By the time he came and did what he had to do, it was snowing pretty good. We left to go to the apartment, and it took us almost an hour to make a trip that should have taken 15 minutes at the most. The roads were horrible, and we were convinced we would be stuck in that apartment forever.

Saturday morning, we get up ready to get moving, and look outside to find lots and lots of snow. Now, it looked beautiful, but we wanted to move! Then my mom calls, and she was flying to NY, and my sister was taking her to the airport but didn't want to take the kids, so I went and babysat for Carson and Lylah for a few hours. By the time we actually started moving things to the new place, it was well into the afternoon. In fact, we didn't even get the beds moved, and had to spend another night at the apartment.

Thankfully most of the snow melted during the day on Saturday, so we were able to get a good bit done yesterday, but there is only so much the kids and I can help Junior with. I am a weakling, and wasn't able to do much. I did, however, unpack most of the boxes today. That was until Junior made a trip from the apartment. Now I have new things to unpack tomorrow.

I promise, pictures of the new place are coming soon. I want to get everything in it's place first. And I have another story for you, which will explain why we had to stop moving for about three hours on Saturday...

To My Wonderful Blog Friends....

We got the house...yay!!!!...so I will spend the next week or so trying to get ready to move. This means that I will not only be taking a break from entrecard as I have already posted, but I will be cutting back on the blogging as well. As soon as I am all unpacked and settled, I will post some pictures and get back to it. Until then, I may find time to do a post here and there, but for the most part will be super busy with other things. Try not to miss me too much!

The Maze

Do you want to see why I haven't been blogging? Take a look at these pictures. I have boxes everywhere! I have made little paths through them, just so that we can get from room to room. There have been many stubbed toes the past week or so, but it will all be worth it when we can leave this horrible little apartment.

I think we have finally found the perfect place. It is a cute three bedroom double wide, in a nice mobile home community. I can not, and will not, call it a trailer park, because it is so much more than that. The kids will have other kids to play with, and they will have lots of space to ride their bikes. Our yard is really tiny, but they do all the yard work. I know, you are all shocked that I would give up mowing myself since I love it so much, but rest assured. I now have mom's yard to mow, so it is all good.

When I spoke to the owner the other day, she pre-qualified us over the phone. The only thing holding us up is the background check, which should be back by tomorrow. There is not a doubt in my mind that we will pass that with flying colors. Once we hear back from her, we will go in and sign the lease. She said they have lots of restrictions, but good ones, like no loose dogs running around. In fact, no dogs over 10 pounds are allowed in the entire neighborhood, and they enforce the leash laws.

The house itself is cute. It has three bedrooms and two full baths. The kitchen is okay. The cabinets are handmade, and don't exactly match, but I am going to ask if I can paint them. Right now some of them are just unfinished wood, so I don't think it will be a problem. The living room is a nice size, and the bedroom for the girls is big enough for them to share comfortably. We can take our appliances (Yay! I was worried about this) and it's already hooked up for the cable company I use now, so they should be able to transfer my service pretty easily.

The only draw back is that Brandi has to change schools. As most of you know, she is my worrier, and this is pretty stressful for her. She has been crying on and off since we looked at the house yesterday. I keep telling her that she is going to make friends easily, and that we are only moving ten minutes away, if that, so she can still have play dates with her friends she has now. But, being eight, I know it's hard to say goodbye to the kids she has known for years. She told me that she is nervous about walking into a new classroom alone, and I told her that Junior and I will take her on her first day. I hope the school allows us to walk her to her class. I am actually hoping that we can set up a tour of the school beforehand so she can kind of get to know the layout.

But, I know in my heart that this is a good thing, and that if we hear back that we got the place tomorrow, that is where we are meant to be. All the other places we have looked at have fallen through for one reason or another, so I have to believe that all of that was because we belong in this house. Does that make sense?

The Hunt For A House Continues

I am getting kind of frustrated with this whole "finding a new place to live" thing. Every place we have looked at has something we don't like, and i have a feeling we are going to end up picking the best of the worst. I am surprised at what people are asking for places that are falling apart. We went and looked at a house (mobile home) last week. It was advertised as having four bedrooms and 2 baths for only $600 a month. What a joke! One of the bedrooms was no bigger than a closet, and the wall in one of the bathrooms was rotting on the bottom. When we told the lady, after looking at it, that we weren't interested, she wanted to know why. Exactly why. Junior told her the layout didn't work for us, and we high tailed it out of there.

The house we are seriously considering is the one with the small living room. It is the only house we've seen that is in really great shape, and that has big enough bedrooms. It is also right across the street from McDonald's and a bunch of other fast food restaurants, so if I had to go back to work one day, I could walk there while the kids were in school.

For right now I am still mainly focusing on getting the house packed up. We are still undecided on the best moving strategy. Junior thinks we should rent a storage building (which we were going to do months ago but never got around to it), but I don't see the point of moving everything twice. I mean, if I had my way, we would hire a Moving Company Los Angeles and let them do all the work. They are:

• Insured & Bonded
• Local Residential & Commercial Movers
• We Will Beat Any Competitors Price,
  and Beat Your Expectations!
• Reliable - Affordable - Professional
  #1 in Customer Service
• Free Estimates
• Professional Packing
• Last Minute Moving Call = OK
• Experienced, Professionally Trained Movers
• Clean Trucks with Liftgate & Ramp
• Commercial Office & Business Movers
• Customer Satisfaction is Our Main Goal
• You can reach them at 1-800-431-3920
  

It would be so nice to have someone else break their backs trying to move our entertainment center. Moving Companies Los Angeles would make this move so much less stressful. But, I really can not complain about moving, because the last time we did this, I had just had surgery and couldn't lift a thing. That would have been the perfect time to take advantage of Los Angeles Moving Companies services. This time, I am able to lift, and will probably end up doing more lifting than Junior. His shoulder and back just aren't what they used to be, and I would hate for him to re-injure something.

The only thing standing in our way now is finding a new place. Like I said, the best of the worst is looking pretty good right now.

There IS A Reason For My Lack Of Posting Lately

Hello blog world! I feel like I haven't been around in forever. I know there have been some posts from me, but to tell you the truth, my heart just hasn't been in it.

I am totally stressed out about finding somewhere to live, and I am packing like it's an obsession. I want to be ready to go as soon as we find a new place, and that means that everything needs to be packed. The good thing is that I am totally organized (which is weird for me) and things are moving along great. This weekend I am going to focus on the bedrooms, and hopefully it won't be too long before I am unpacking!

And So It Goes

The place we were interested in has been rented. I am not worried too much, because it just means that we weren't meant to live there. I am a big believer in "what is meant to be, will be", and when we have the money in hand, I am sure we will find the perfect place.

We are actually toying with the idea of moving closer to my mom and sister. There are so many houses in that area for rent, with prices we can actually afford. The only problem would be that all the kids would change schools (it's a different district) and I'm not too keen on moving Ryan. With his ADHD, he has a relationship with the school nurse, and now that I am typing this, I realize that he will be going to a new school next year anyway, so what's the difference? But, changing at that age (14) has got to be hard.

I don't know...I have so much thinking (and packing) to do.