Where have I been?

I know, I know, you all missed my posts terribly.  I feel like I haven't had any "me" time the past few months to sit and post.  Honestly though, I think it has been planned that way.  My hubby has been such a great support, but as part of his support tactics, he has tried his best not to leave me to my own devises.  I still find it very difficult to sit in quietness and not let my thoughts focus on life without mom.  Life without mom is hard; actually much more than hard, but I don't think there is a word for it.  There are so many times I want to pick up the phone to ask her how she is, or her opinion.  She always was so good at giving me advice, and if she didn't have any she would just say "I don't know baby, you'll figure it out".  Anyway... let's change the subject. 

Happy, Happy, Happy.

So many things are coming up on our oh so busy social calendar.  Since we have so much coming up, we are trying our best to budget accordingly.  Therefore, it is back to business with the couponing.  With a full time job and essentially a one day weekend, it has been nearly impossible to find time to dedicate to couponing/ shopping.  I contemplated doing a few couponing trips during my lunch break at work, but I was worried it would take me more than an hour, and I didn't want to lug my loot home on the train. 

Today it was back to the couponing grind.  I did pretty well, and even had the cashier impressed (which I thought was funny because he was a miserable teenager).  While I did spend money on the things that I can never seem to find a coupon for, I did manage to get a lot of things for free.  When you coupon, you learn quickly that every penny counts, especially when you add up all the pennies you save.  Today I saved one hundred dollars in my shopping trip.  I look at that as essentially adding to my salary for the day, since that is money I would've spent on our groceries. I taught a few people at work today that when trying to plan a coupon trip, the easiest thing to do is google the store for matchups (i.e: Walgreens matchups 2/5).  There are so many great blogs that put all the information out there for you, all you need to do is print, clip, and shop!

Ok, so I didn't really have anything to write about today, I just thought it had been a while, so I would say something. 

How about that Pinterest? Addicting?  I think so!

I will try to post again soon with an actually topic in mind.

Part I- "For some moments in life there are no words"

Since my blog is about life, and this week was a reality check in that department, I have decided to dedicate this entry to writing about just that.  However, in an attempt to prevent you all from slipping into a deep depression, I will write a "part II", and that one will be about couponing... something I did once or twice this week to get my mind off things.

We all knew it was inevitable. My mom fought unlike anyone for much longer than doctors believed she could.  In July of 2009, doctors told her she had a very aggressive form of Appendix cancer and there wasn't much they could do.  Despite being told she had about three months to get her affairs in order, my mom researched, found doctors, and endured countless surgeries.  She prayed, fought, and made promises to my sister and I that she would be at our weddings; promises that she kept.  As the priest at our church put it "Barb lived until the day she died".

While my family knew how sick mom was, I think everyone started to believe that she was untouchable.  No matter what happened, mom would pull through.  That being said, I still spent countless moments over the past few years a puddly little mess, crying about all the things my mom would miss in my life, and my sisters lives.  My mom would never get to meet my children, she wouldn't get to see my little sister go to high school, prom, college, and wouldn't get to see her get married and become a mother of her own.  I will spare you all the thoughts I have had about the things my mom and dad had planned that he is left to do alone.

My mom was my hero, and this week helped me realize I wasn't the only one who saw her as one.  The amount of people who have reached out to my family and I has been overwhelming, and for a moment yesterday I thought "if she could only see how many people she has affected".  Sitting in church I felt comfort in the belief that mom was watching.  She was seeing everything from her new home, and was helping me get through the day.  I found strength this week that I never knew I had, and I thank her for giving me that strength.

Hello Again, Working World

The blog has been on the back burner, along with many things I had been doing on a daily basis since June.  Last week I started working in Philadelphia.  My new roles as both business professional and wife, are two very different roles for me, that I need to acclimate myself to simultaneously.  Both very positive changes in my life, might I add.  I had a few months to begin figuring out "wife", and as part of that role, I worked out different ways to live on a budget (couponing being one of them).  I think I got pretty good at it.

Just as I started to adjust to how my day is carried out, I got a job (finally)!  I find it so rewarding to know that I am financially contributing to our family again, along with how nice I find it to be taking the train into the city, dressing like a business woman (I never thought I dressed like I would've like to as a teacher), and being a part of the "hustle and bustle".  As odd as it sounds, I forgot how much I liked being at a desk.  I find it much less stressful when I get to do my job without the impressionable eyes of twenty-something middle schoolers watching every move you make.  Don't get me wrong, I love teaching, and hope to teach again, but I don't hate working in an office.  (I know, I have only been there a week.)

Anyway, I think my point is that all of a sudden there aren't enough hours in a day.  I told the hubby the other day, teachers do have it made, I had no idea.  I used to hate that my long commute as a teacher meant I didn't get home until 4:30.  Now, I don't get home until about 6:30 and I think, "How in the world am I going to do anything other than eat dinner, shower, and get to bed".  Luckily, I married a great cook, and when he gets home first and decides to cook, I know I am in for a treat.

So, how does everyone do it?  Wife, Worker, and Independent Woman?  Is it possible to be all three?  Figuring my day out, the breakdown seems I have eleven hours as a worker, require eight hours of sleep, which leaves me five hours to do everything else (both as wife and woman).  I will give it another few weeks and hope I can tackle the day to day needs of the house.  Well, I hope I can get the laundry done at the very least.  If I can manage to extend the day to 26-28 hours, maybe I will be able to stay more on top of the couponing!

;-)

Pardon my absence...

I know I have been gone for a little longer than usual.  Things have been kinda crazy for this unemployed girl.  My number one priority is... ok, I guess I can't pick just one "top" priority.  I have been driving back and forth to Delaware quit a bit in the past two weeks to see my family and help out where I am needed.

When I am not driving, I have been couponing and working on the house.  I have done a few small projects since my last blog, emphasis on the small.  One project was that I finally hung the towel rack in the bathroom.  I know, wahoo, a towel rack.  But, our bathroom walls are tiled, so the thought of drilling into into the wall terrified me. However, I sucked it up and fortunately did not crack the tile.

Major successes I have had this week was with couponing.  I am not yet good enough to classify myself an extreme couponer, but I am excited by the possibilities.  I have been sharing my savings with the hubby and I told him that I was not going to be an "extreme" couponer to avoid stock piling.  Then he said the words "you can stock pile, as long as it can be kept in the basement".  Oh my, it was like getting a free ticket to an amusement park.  Wonder what he will do if I start finding out I can get things like diapers for pennies.  Do I stock pile them for sometime in the future?  Those freaking things are expensive!  Note to anyone who reading this:  if you ever find coupons that you are not using, please send them my way.  Many deals require multiple coupons and vendors put print limits on the computer versions.  I think this has been holding me back.

The hubby is working a double today and tomorrow, so I am going to try and get a lot of work done around the house, possibly attempt a free shopping trip (which would make me an extreme couponer!) and apply to as many jobs as I can find.  This whole job thing is so discouraging.  I have been applying to absolutely everything I can find that doesn't require a degree I don't have.  I am crossing my fingers something pans out before I lose my mind. 

Oh, new topic since my last post: running.  I hate it.  However, I am going to be running a 5k on Thanksgiving Day (I am a poet).  Now I have to run so I don't embarrase myself.  Only problem I can't seem to tackle is that, no matter what, I lose my breath halfway through the second mile.  I'm gonna have to figure that out pretty soon. 

Ok, well I have run out of topics for day.  I will try to post more later in the week.  Hopefully something more interesting, too.

Good Morning New Jersey!

Today is going to be a long day.  I probably should have tried to sleep in a little more, but alas. 

He put himself in time out

Rewind a minute, to Tuesday.  The day of my last post, I believe (or maybe it was Monday).  I spent the day down in Delaware, helping out around my parents house.  On my way home I decided to stop at the grocery store to grab something for dinner.  I know myself enough to know that once I am home, I don't really like going back out to run errands. Anyway, I have a plan to come home and get started on this weeks project of painting the bedroom.  Instead, I walk in the door to disaster.  The dog had gotten into the kitchen trash can and decided to paint the house in trash.  You know when you decide to have something unhealthy for dinner, like Chinese food, and you say to yourself "I'm going to regret this".  Seeing the sweet and sour sauce all over our new area rug made me regret the Chinese.  So, instead of painting the bedroom, I was attempting to clean the carpet.  Sweet and sour sauce is a rough stain. 

With Tuesday's evening shot, I decided to start fresh Wednesday.  And, that's what I did yesterday.  It is starting to look pretty good, but I definitely have more work ahead of me today.  Which I better get started on.  I only have a few hours before I have to hit the road, and I haven't packed yet.  My dads plan is to leave around 5 o'clock, and stop somewhere around the Virginia/ North Carolina border tonight.  Can someone explain to me a six day trip to Disney World that consists four days in the car and two days in the park?  I tried to get Chris to consider flying down for the weekend, but it looks like I will just have to plan a trip for us sometime soon. 

Another Baseball Birthday

It was a pretty fun weekend with the husband, as we celebrated his birthday pretty much the whole time.  Saturday we went to the Phillies game, which has come to be something we look forward to every summer.  We have been on a streak this year, seeing a win every time we go.  To keep the baseball birthday going, we had friends over on Sunday to celebrate.  I always love playing hostess, so I made meatballs, pasta salad, and a baseball birthday cake.  It worked out well, even though it was originally planned to be a birthday cookout.  Man, it sure has been raining like crazy the past few days.

When we weren't partying, my dad was up helping get the bedroom closet done.  I am so excited because it is finally time to sand, paint, and call to get the carpet installed!  I will be sure to show you all the before and after transformation of the bedroom.  I am so excited, mainly because I picture in my head how something is going to look, but usually do a terrible job explaining it, so when it is finished, I just hope that it looks like it does in my mind.  It was pretty much the same thing with my wedding reception, and that turned out just like I pictured. :-)

Along the same lines, I have decided that I am going to attempt a "project of the week".  This weeks project is going to be painting the bedroom, and next weeks project is going to be a new fireplace screen for under $30 (Thank you Craigs List). Also on the project list is a job... I need one, and preferably before my next car payment is due.  I had a third interview with a company today, and now I am just crossing my fingers. 

Hopefully I will get one more post up before the impromtu trip to Disney World.  We leave Thursday.  I am pretty excited, mixed with wish my mom and my hubby were going too.  Regardless, Disney is always a good time!

Off to the Races

I know I haven't written in a few days.  The internet at the hotel was not exactly functioning.  Getting together with family is always an interesting combination of emotions that I am sure everyone experiences.  I love my family, but why is the process of getting everyone together so stressful to me?  I get anxiety every time, as any of my bridal party, and especially my husband witnessed on our wedding day.  I do wish my family didn't live in so many different states, because family gatherings seem so high pressure when they don't happen very often. 

After spending a few short days in Kentucky, most of the time spent with my absurdly crafty aunt, I came home with a laundry list of ideas for our still rather new house.  There are so many things I'd love to try, my poor husband is probably going to be sick of me before our one year anniversary.  I really would like if he would want to try some of these projects with me, but ce la vie.  As I go through the list of projects, I will be sure to let you all know what I attempted and if I was successful.

On another note, Grandpa's 90th birthday turned out great, and it was awesome to have the family together.  I hope we can get everyone together more often.  Yesterday, we spent the whole day in the car, which I guess is an upgrade for my mom.  It was the first birthday in three years that she didn't spend in the hospital!  (Yay mommy!)

Welcome one and all... no one??

So, here it goes.  I've decided to create a blog.  There are millions out there, I am sure many of them are just like mine.  However, I am doing this more for me than for anyone who might happen to stumble upon it.  It probably wont be very interesting, but it will amuse me, so here it goes.

I plan to talk about life... my encounters with the people I know and love, as well as strangers.  I may talk about a recipe I tried, food I shouldn't have eaten, places I have been, or would love to go. 

That being said, let me tell you a little about me... just a little.  I am a 27 year old wife, daughter, and hopefully, some call me a friend.  I currently live in New Jersey, which is still something to get used to.  I moved here to be with my husband after saying I would never live in Jersey.  What can I say about him, other than, he is perfect for me, and has become the most important part of my life.

Went to school in D.C. where I majored in politics, then went to school in Baltimore where I majored in education.  It sure paid off, because now I have a great job as a... oh, wait, I am unemployed.  Not being able to find a teaching job in NJ has made me start the process of "what I want to be when I grow up" all over again.  I love to travel and take photos of those travels, my dream job would involve either one of those. 

Born and raised in Delaware, I spend a lot of time driving down to see my family.  I am the oldest of three girls, the youngest just became a teenager, and we are a close group of five.  My mom and dad are the strongest people I know, whether they believe it or not.  My mom was diagnosed with appendix cancer in August of 2009 and was given 3 months... maybe.  Screw the doctors who gave up on her, because we haven't, and she is still with us today.  My dad has grown to become the biggest support any of us could ask for, and he never stops, unless he falls asleep. 

Already writing more than I planned, so I am going to stop.  I promise not every post will be a chapter of my life.