Model Homes

Model homes are a good source of decorating inspiration. I took a few pics of the things I liked the best, neat things or things I could have never thought of on my own.

My absolute FAVORITE was in this game room. They have taken the carpet up from underneath the pool table and replaced it with this really nice wooden floor. They also (not shown in the picture) have a rich wood bar running the full length of one of the walls ... it looks just like a pool hall. It's the neatest thing ... I think it may be the nicest thing I've seen in a game room. I don't even play pool! I told Conrad though if we get a house or build a house with a game room, we are totally doing this. I think it looks so "custom". I took a few more pics and I'll show them in the next few days ...

Not much else going on. We have company in town, so I'll probably not be bargain shopping much these next few days ... Gotta stay home with the family ... but back at it next week for sure! I did though last night get a FREE box of Uncle Ben's rice and a FREE box of the Betty Crocker's Mini Delights ... and those are GOOD. We tried them last week because I had coupons and got them free from Kroger ... so this sample showed up today and I can't wait to eat it.

I LOVE FREE STUFF! I'm just getting a kick out of saving and enjoying it before the food companies catch on and stop offering coupons. That will be sad day.

Kah

Invites

When I designed my wedding invitations I completely fell in love with them. They were simple and sweet ... and I wrote the interior myself ... when you have divorced parents, you have to get a little creative, not hurt anyone's feelings, not make anyone angry ... etc, etc ... I think I did an excellent job.

The current trend is to have the names somewhere on the top of the invite ... and then you open it up sort of like a book ... and the information is inside. I'm not big on trendy stuff but I LOVED that about the invitations ... and it caused me some grief too ... because I always wanted to be able to display my invitation in my home. SoI saved a few and figured I would worry about it later ... problem is, when you open the invitation, our names are at the top ... (the only writing you can see when the invite is closed) ... then you open it up and our names are still visible ... which looks sort of weird because then there's a big gap and then the interior ... Beautiful invite, but not good for display ...

Until my Aunt Robbie came through! I thought I would spotlight her thoughtful gift today ... on the night of the rehearsal dinner, she presented me with this ...

She SOLVED the problem!!! She does these really neat clay crafts ... and so she was able to put in some really pretty roses where that big gap was ... the gap I was worried about. I'm sorry the picture is blurry and not so easy to see, but you get the gist ... anyway, I just love it ... and I hung it in our dining room ... the picture at the top... is a shot of it on the wall ... again, not a good picture. SORRY!

Thanks Aunt Robbie! I will treasure it forever. IT was the absolute perfect gift! I just took those extra invitations I had and put them in our wedding box ... so I still have some in their original form too! Best of both worlds.

Happy Tuesday ...

Kah

Before and After

Good Morning- Happy Monday!

We had a whirlwind Sunday of working on the house. We hung up some curtains and curtain rods that we had been neglecting ... and then I went and got a new duvet cover for one of the guest rooms ... it was very very GREEN in there ... but I bought some khaki items and I think, lightened it up a bit. Conrad said we should paint the ceiling (currently green) maybe a white or light tan and I think I agree with him. It's way to dark in there and I PROMISE you, for resale, when the time comes, we'll have to anyway ...

Here's a little project that was finished up some time ago. There is this weird little alcove going into our bedroom. It's just an open doorway (no door) then you hit OUR door and go into the room. Anyway, our room is navy with a khaki ceiling ... so I figured the little alcove is really more of an extension of our bedroom anyway - so I just copied what we did in there. It looks GREAT ...we can't believe we didn't do it sooner. What you are seeing is our living room wall (the really light brown) then the alcove which WAS white and then our room which is blue... and then the last pic is the white that is now blue. INCREDIBLE!

Have a good week!

Kah

Oh and I made these for breakfast on Sunday. DELICIOUS EASY and QUICK!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/07/egg-in-a-hole-see-alternate-names-below/

What a Morning

Well ... this was the morning to end all mornings.

First I wake up with a splitting headache. It's so bad I lay there 10 minutes after the alarm goes off just so I can get to the point where I can lift my head- and my throat is sore. Sometimes I think the ceiling fan is the culprit when I don't feel well first thing in the morning.

Then I get up- get moving and get into the car. About 7 miles down the road I realize I don't have ANY gas! The gas light is on ... not good. So since I am already running late I say what the heck- and pull over to get gas. Still have the headache!

So I go on ahead and pull into Sonic which is right next door thinking a Cherry Coke will maybe help my headache ... I pull in, get the coke and a little spot of breakfast. I pull out on and onto the highway and THEN I spill mustard all over myself. I mean I am wearing a tan colored shirt ... so I have to get off the highway and pull over. I keep wipes in the car for Blanca - she tends to have accidents just like any other "kid" ... the wipes are DRY. They have been there a loooong time. (Which is REALLY annoying because I picked up two packs FREE last night at Wal-Mart with my new coupon skill ... but I didn't know I needed more in the car. Grrrr....) So all I can do is wipe and keep driving. I finally get here- having to revise my route since my normal route, by the time I get there is completely backed up with traffic.

I get here and walk in and am saved from a horrible yellow mustard tumeric stain by Erik, one of our product managers who happens to carry a Tide pen .... Thank the LORD. The stain has almost faded to the point I can't see it ... Thank goodness for Tide and for Erik!

Kah

Happy Friday!

Bargain Shopping

Ok, I hit CVS and Kroger on the way home last night. Wal-Mart will be this evening ...

At CVS they were having buy one get one free on All Laundry Detergent. I also had a $1 coupon AND $4.50 in ECB's (Extra Care Bucks) which is sort of like having a gift card or credit with the store. I'm not yet into the CVS game, but I know the gist of it is you're supposed to buy items that have ECB's on them .. such as buy a bag of Cheetos for $2 and get $1 in ECB's (which print at the register) effectively lowering the ACTUAL cost to $1. You just have to spend it on your NEXT transaction ... Out of pocket is $2 but the next time you go to CVS, you will reduce your out of pocket. For some reason this is a HARD game for me to play but never the less, I had $4.50 in ECB's left over from something. I had to use it by 8/15.

I went in and purchased the All Detergent for $6.49 (got one free) plus I used my $1 coupon and my ECB's- so I walked out of CVS with two detergents = 64 loads - and paid $1.06
SCORE!

Next stop, Kroger.
I escaped out of there for $23.47 and dinners for about the next five days. One of things that was NOT on the Mega deal was chicken breasts w/legs attached. You get four of them, seasoned for $3.03 - DEAL DEAL DEAL. For Conrad and I, that is two dinners- that we can either bake or grill. Nice! I also got some frozen pizza for my lazy nights, etc ... it was a good haul. I even got Conrad's favorite deoderant for $1 which it's usually closer to $3. I got BBQ sauce, hot sauce, deoderant, chicken, pizza, bleach, sour cream, two boxes of Tyson chicken (from the freezer), etc etc ... the list goes on. I can't remember everything I got. I am REALLY digging this coupon shopping.

Beginning in August (I need a fresh month) I am going to start a spreadsheet and track it to see what I really can get for what. Should be a neat game...

Again, the links are on the left side- Money Saving Mom is my fav, but Becentsable, Coupon Cravings, etc ... are all very very good ... they list out grocery deals by store and sometimes even have the links to the coupons. I really really encourage you all to try this. I print out my list before I go, attach my coupons and shop accordingly. The thing to remember is you may end up STOCKPILING but that's ok. You'll always need soap, deoderant, Tylenol, toilet paper, paper towels. Heck we have four bottles of shampoo- all name brand usually over $3 each- but I got them all free or less than $.50 - I'd rather it sit there for awhile than pay $3.50 for one bottle later.

I am my grandparents granddaughter FOR SURE. Conrad is really getting into it too. He's pretty impressed.

Kah

Kroger # 2

So ....

I hear Kroger is back to the Mega Sale- the one I told you about months ago in the Let's Go Krogering! post. I'm pretty excited about it- it's become a game to me. See how much I can get for as little as possible ... it's the Buy Any 10 Items, get an automatic $5 off ... and some items are $1, $1.50, $2, etc ... if you can get as many $1 items as you can ... knock off $5 for every 10 you get AND use coupons AND they double and triple them. Good times!

I am going this evening on the way home from work. Conrad's even starting to get into it a little bit. It's pretty cool to see me dragging in bags and I tell him I only paid $4 and some change ...

Anyone have any chicken recipes using dark meat? I ask because I see a lot of drumsticks and wings deals for $.69/lb and yet, I don't normally cook those cuts of meat. Maybe they would be good in a stew or a soup or something? Let me know if you figure anything out!

That's my good samaritan post for today! Let me know if you try it and what all good stuff you get.

Kah

Editted at 4:22PM: Mall Walk Today 1.24 miles- I was lazy

I'm Back

Hello.

So sorry! I had a bit of an emergency yesterday. I got an email last week from a friend of mine who's mother was ill last Wednesday ... she passed way Friday morning and since I am brilliant and didn't check my email ALL weekend ... UGH ... I had no idea. The memorial service was yesterday at 5PM about 2 hours from here ... so I had to hurry with my work and get on the road as soon as I found out. Lori is a good friend, she actually was instrumental in me getting my job here, she's done a lot for me ... and she's good to me ... so I felt like I really should be there for her in her sad time. I've known her for 8 years and she's just the nicest person. Her husband ain't bad either. :) Terrible to lose your mom when you're only 28.

Nothing else much to report ... I'm tired ... I'm hungry ... all the usual stuff.

Ah yes, we have suspended our house search for now. We could abosolutely get a new house tomorrow but I feel the strain of it and the house we have and bills we still have are just too much. When I get my dream home I want it to be a happy occasion. Conrad and I have come to far to ruin ourselves for a pretty house. This society is all about WANT WANT WANT anyway and I don't WANT any part of it ... I have two more cards that need to be paid, he has a small student loan ... and we need to prepare OUR home now for sale ... I told him how I thought we could do that inexpensively ... and that I think when that is done, we will be a lot happier we decided to do it that way. We need to make it a showplace and then get all the $ we can from the sale to put down on a new home. Plus enjoy the showplace while WE'RE still there too!

We have looked at DOZENS of builders ... and we bought a House Design computer program and I think we're going to take what we love about ALL the houses we saw and build our own that incorporates as much of that as possible ... and build it in a low tax rate area... and frankly, every single house we looked at had a formal living and dining room and I would no sooner use those than an axe to shave my legs ... two completely wasted rooms for US ... and this house we fell in love with the other day had that AND one bedroom there's no way we'd need ... we're not greedy. I'm not looking for a home to fill UP with STUFF ... I am looking for a nice place to give us peace ... an oasis ... with everything we need ...

Pray for us- we will need it! We need patience and willpower, etc ...

Kah

Editted at 2:09PM
I just got back from the mall. I walked over there to get some new walking shoes for my new mall walking routine. 1 mile walk. Ironic?

None

No mall walk today, or a post.
I have a funeral to attend in Beaumont.

Kah

Mall Walk # 2

2.37 miles

Choppers

I didn't download my pictures AGAIN last night because I ended back up in the dentist's chair. I had a 6PM appointment for general cleaning and didn't get to the house last night until about 8PM. I had a massive headache when I got home too- I hate those big metal hooks and the SOUND of the scraping almost brings me out of the chair ... it's like nails down a chalkboard or chewing on aluminum foil (oh ........ but I do NOT recommend that last one! Conrad told me if you have fillings and chew foil you will like have some internal electral shock thing going on! YIKES!)

Anyway, I have terrible tartar and every time I go they scrape and scrape and I get lectured ... and then I go home with a migraine. I had to take some Ibuprofren (which Conrad got UP to get me and some water too- how sweet is he?) and then go on to bed. I even slept through the alarm this morning. Pitiful. Today my gums are still sensitive and everyone wants to know why I always try to figure out a way to get out of my dental appointments!

Oh and yesterday was my first day of mall walking! We went 1.91 miles and the goal is to go three times a week- we're going today and shooting for 2 miles. I think pretty soon I'll be feeling a LOT better ...

Kah

The Vomit Chronicles

Well ... anyone who says that having a dog is NOT like having a child, is wrong. Wow did we have a night!

I went to bed and fell asleep about 10:30 and an hour later I was awakened by the unmistakable sounds of a dog throwing up. It happens sometimes, usually not a big deal. We got up, turned on the light and ewwwwwwww- she was in the living room, head hanging, ears down (she thought she was in trouble) ... sitting in the middle of two HUGE piles. ICK. So we cleaned up ... went back to bed. Blanca jumped on the bed, I was petting ... trying to make her feel better. Finally she got up, made her way to the foot of the bed to her pillow and heaved once more and threw up all over the bed. OH MAN! So we had to get up AGAIN, strip the bed- put linens in the washing machine, find another set of sheets, remake the bed ... sit up with her for a bit to make sure that was all that was in her and it wasn't going to happen again. I don't think we went to sleep until after midnight and this morning I am TIRED. This must be karma for that one time when I was a kid and I threw up on my grandmother one summer night. :)

On another note, I stopped at Wal-Mart on the way home last night. I went to the Money Saving Mom Blog and printed off the Wal-Mart list of deals this week. Some coupons I had and some I was able to print from her site. I got:

John Frizz Ease mousse
Gold Bond Powder
Clean and Clear Blackhead Erasing Pads
Muir Glen Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
Uncle Ben's Rice
Coffee Mate - new Tiramisu Flavor

At the end, when I went to check out the total cost was $9.61 and after coupons I paid $.38- LESS THAN A DOLLAR! SHUT UP! What a deal. I told Conrad that I think I need to do this every week or so and build up a nice stockpile of things we WILL use ... but maybe just wasn't on the grocery list this week. We are also going to start doing Angel Food Ministries - please check out their website- the menu is different every month. Depending on your state you get meat, eggs, veggies, etc ... for the one time price of $30. I know people who have done it and say it's GREAT. Please check it out. We all have to save money where we can. Lately, I really feel I have been able to serve Conrad and our home with these amazing deals ... it feels really good to be able to bring home things we need for very little money.

Kah
https://angelfoodministries.com/

Sorry

I'm so sorry I still haven't shared a picture or two. I am going to write myself a note today and then make sure I download the pics tonight. Our evenings have been pretty busy ... and I keep forgetting.

The week seems to be going by pretty fast. Still on the house hunt. We did get "approval" for a loan ... so at least we sort of know what range we can look in. The thing about Houston is the taxes ... so we're trying to stay in low tax areas. Funny how one neighborhood can be one thing and the next stoplight can be 2% higher. I'm learning a lot! We also know what builders we like and what we don't. Research is good!

Well, work is good, home is good ... no problems. My friend at work and I are going to start mall walking maybe twice a week or so. We have other coworkers who do- I thought they were crazy to walk everyday- it's HOT outside ... and when I asked my coworker why she does it, she told me they actually go to the mall. Well, DUH?! How could I not have known that- HA HA ... but I didn't ... and it makes all the sense in the world, we are right next door to the mall here ... so that made sense and I can totally do that. So starting tomorrow, I'm bringing some casual clothes and tennis shoes to work. At least twice a week, I'm shooting for three. I think that will help get my energy up ... until I get to the endocrine doc next month.

Happy Wednesday.

Kah

Happy

Well, since I last posted in the early morning hours ... things have gotten better! Amazing what a little prayer can do.

One of my work issues was fixed today! I am feeling SO MUCH BETTER ... like 10,000 pounds has been lifted off my shoulders. I think it's going to be ok.

Even when you have ten problems, it's so nice to get even one addressed and fixed ... so one down, nine to go. HA HA - not really nine ... just need to get this house thing straightened out ... and I need more energy- but I'm going to the doc about that on Aug 20th- so slowly things should straighten themselves out ... you know, life stuff.

But most problems at work now ok- and so big thanks to the one that fixed it!

Kah

Conrad

Conrad's a good boy. I'm lucky to have him.

Yesterday was a rough day ... it was really hard to get anything done, but happily, at least here at work, I did. But on the way home from work, I just wanted to cry and sob in my car. There has been a LOT of things going on lately. Some you know about, some you don't ... but it's all just sort of crashing in on me. I told Conrad last night if I had about a week to just sit at home, on vacation and sort of detox and get myself filled up, I think it would do me a world of good. But that's not ever going to happen, as long as I'm working ... because my family all lives far away and Conrad has access to some amazing trips ... so I know I'll probably never have a week to just ... BE.

But anyway- so driving home I was thinking about everything and by the time I got home, I was just in tears ... the house thing, family stuff, not feeling well, the work issue has not really gotten THAT much better ... I feel I'm in great turmoil. When I look around at other people and the things they are going through, mine seems like not all that important ... and I'm probably right. My stuff is not that big of a deal ... but gosh, I am down.

So anyway, I get home and I immediately tell Conrad what all is on my shoulders and how I feel. I'm in some kind of funk and depression for SURE ... but at least last night I got some sleep- I can feel it today ... that I got some rest. I forced myself to go to bed and I feel asleep right away. Conrad is a good person - a very good husband. I don't think I could have done better- I know I couldn't have ... we went out to dinner, got our minds off of all that's going on, he had some good advice, some good ideas, and he really cheered me up. By the time I went to bed, I honestly did feel a little better.

Today things are not weighing on me so much ... but still a little bit.

My main goal right now should be trying very hard to learn how to deal with life's little bumps a little better. I can admit I'm 100% better than I used to be, but I could still use some work.

Kah

Circus Home

The house with the floor to ceiling circus stripes is back on the market. I finally found a pic to show you how truly horrifying it is. Can you IMAGINE walking into this kitchen in the morning?

Welcome to the Jungle!

I'm Back

Sorry for the absence! I'm here.

I wasn't feeling well on Friday and we had a really busy weekend, so the combo of the two = no posting. We found a really great house with ALMOST everything we want. Conrad went ahead and agreed to let the mortgage lady call him today to discuss what the end payment would be. The problem is that certain areas of Houston are HEAVILY taxed. We are not in that area right now and to go up 2% would be tough ... and we would be taxed on the value of the house, NOT on the great deal that they give us. This houe happens to be in the highest taxed neighborhood we have seen yet- almost 3% ... actually more than that, but after Homestead, about 3%. Judging from what the mortgage calculators SAY we should be fine, but I'm not comfortable with the end number. I'd like to see the monthly payment come down quite a bit. I told Conrad what that # would be ... So this puts us in a different range for a new home and if he would go with a foreclosure, needing some elbow grease then we could really get more bang for our buck ...

So I'm not sure just yet what we're doing ... but we're getting closer and we for sure know what we're looking for- in terms of kitchen, bedrooms, etc ... I think we'll end up with something really great.

Tonight, if I can force myself, I'll download some pics I've been meaning to share ...

Happy Monday.

Kah

North Georgia

One of the greatest joys of Conrad's life is to irritate me... or at least bug me a little bit.

The two things that will get me fired up before anything else are: South Carolina/making fun of Southerners or Burger King.

Burger King because I worked there in high school and was banished to the kitchens (from the front counter) for mild attitude problems, back in the day. Customers would just annoy me to no end. Let me give you a HINT on how to order and also how cash registers work. On an old timey BK cash register there would be a button that said WHOPPER ... there was another button that said CHEESE, we had one for PICKLE, one for LETTUCE, etc ... and we had one that said NO.

When you come to BK and order a Whopper with Cheese, no pickle- we hit the buttons in this order. WHOPPER, CHEESE, NO, PICKLE ... very simple. But when you come in and the conversation goes something like this- I would tend to get upset.

Customer "I would like 5 Whoppers"
I would hit 5 and then the Whoppers key and here is where it would get ugly.

Customer *SIGH* "One with Cheese and pickles only ... one with no lettuce, the other three with just cheese and ketchup oh- and wait, on that no lettuce ... that one I also need to add mustard."

ALRIGHTY ... nothing made me angrier ... I need to know, slowly, per Whopper what you need ... and this was with every other customer. Other customers were more savvy and knew how to order. I would have to void out my entire order, and ask them to start over and because it was "Your Way, Right Away" at BK, I was forced to comply with these picky customers and their families. My favorite was when 4 adults would come in with 9 children. I always just wanted the ground to open me up and swallow me whole. These adults would ARGUE with the children and order 9 different kids meals all with special requests. If *I* was a parent and I was taking my child to BK, then you know what ... you get what you get. You don't like pickles on your cheeseburger, then PEEL THEM OFF!" Barring any allergies, it is my opinion this is how picky, demanding children should be handled ... and I know, I know- spoken like a childless woman. Whatever.

So eventually, the manager moved me in the back where I shined and was referred to as "The Burger Queen" for the rest of my tenure there.... but I digress.

SO - Conrad knows he can irritate me by ordering improperly. For your general information, Whoppers come with mayo- if you want one with mustard it's called a MUSTARD WHOPPER and if you want one with both- then it's a WHOPPER PLUS MUSTARD. Conrad likes to send me into full out convulsions by informing me every once in awhile he'd like to get one of those Whoppers with mustard. WHAT IS THAT?! It could be either one!

UGH ... and last night he came up with a new one. He told me I was from "North Georigia". I said "I am not." I was confused- he knows I'm from South Carolina. He said "Yes, you are. There's the GOOD Carolina and then there's North Georgia." .... as the fire shot from my eyes, I knew immediately he was calling North Carolina the GOOD Carolina which just the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard since "Whopper with Mustard" ... and I knew he meant that my precious state was NORTH of the state of Georgia. Ah, we could have gone round and round all night.

The only thing that saved him was he went to Subway to get us dinner and he shared his chocolate chip cookie with me.

He is very good to me. Sometimes. When he's not insulting my state or challenging my order techniques.

Kah

Nothing

Nothing going on today ... No big wisdom to impart today- except we should all get more sleep. Lately all I do is toss and turn. I'm so tired first thing in the morning.

Driving to work today I saw more new home signs- more builders we haven't looked at yet. I'm going online today to see if there are any I can rule out by sight. We have about 12 more to look at and I don't know if I have the energy. I already know I love the Gehan model ... it's a gorgeous house and I already know it's $80K cheaper at another neighborhood.

But we have more to see: KB Homes, Plantation, Meritage Homes, Perry Homes, Brighton, Ashton Woods, Kimball, Mercedes - the list goes on and on and on ... I'm even now wondering how much cheaper it may be in another county. I am ALL about saving money.

Oh- speaking of which. Here on my blog- to the left side you will links. One is Money Saving Mom ... and it's a blog that has coupon links and also lists of what stores are selling what. I saved SO MUCH money last weekend at the grocery store. She told me what to get, I printed the coupon from her site and was getting things for $.18-.24 a can, etc ... I even got two boxes of cereal and some health and beauty products (shampoo, etc ...) completely FREE. It was so awesome. It takes more work than just your general shopping ... but I've decided to divide it into Kroger and Wal-Mart only so I'm not making 10 stops a week. Just concentrating on two at this time.

Try it. It works! I don't know about you, but if I can cut my grocery bill in half, I am going to do it!

Kah

Maybelline

Let me preface this post by apologizing to my BFF, Sunny, who is a Mary Kay Rep ... although this could maybe drum you up some business, Sunshine.

It's no secret Houston is hot. HOT. HOT. Every day I get out of the shower, go about my morning routine and by the time I hit the front door, I'm already over heated.

My makeup does not help. It's liquid foundation, followed by powder. It's like clogging up your pores and being trapped inside your own face, melting, as the day's temps get higher. So I had been thinking for awhile about getting some of that Bare Minerals- because my mom used to use it and I think she really liked it. I tried hers years ago and decided it wasn't for me. I didn't like it at all ... but I also think at that time, you had to put on like three layers of powder. Ugh. I was always a hardcore foundation girl ... funny how things change as you age... suddenly you're not trying to weigh down your face, because gravity is taking care of that for you.

Mary Kay now sells the mineral makeup and I wanted to try it- but I'm not down with paying a ton of money to try something I may not like. So I took the cowards way out and headed to the drugstore, something I have NOT done in 17 years. I have always had a very snotty attitude towards drugstore makeup and will budget my brains out to find a way to get the good stuff ... like Mary Kay and Clinique.

WOW. I can not believe I'm saying it and Sunny, please forgive me- but I LOVE this stuff! I paid $6.15 for it and it'll last I think forever. This stuns me ... because I can use a bottle of foundation for a year- and the price is about $25 but the powder ... I have to get the powder about once a month and it's $18. It also, I discovered, makes me look like that crazy Elizabethian queen (wasn't her name Elizabeth?) that was rumored to never wash her face and had like 10 pounds of makeup on her face when she died .... anyway ... I spend a fortune. A fortune. With this stuff, I only buy the one thing- it's a one stop shop ... it's foundation and powder and if it's possible (ha ha ha) I look better! I've never had lines/wrinkles or acne, thank the good Lord for good skin ... but sometimes when I'm hot or just waking up, I'll look a little pink and blotchy. Not with my good friend Maybelline Mineral Powder. I'd give any supermodel on the runway a run for her money. It's all the perfect tone, perfect color ... I don't even have that pesky makeup line I sometimes get.

You MUST try it ... although I daresay that Mary Kay's is probably just as good, if not better. I haven't tried it, although I think now I may. But the $6.15 price tag is so attractive when you're house hunting ... I just can't believe someone didn't think of this mineral powder thing sooner!

Kah

Checking In

Hola!

Just a quick post ... Conrad is napping and I was bored, so I hit the world wide web.

We went house hunting this weekend. There is a Texas builder called Gehan Homes and I am in love with them! We toured a house called the Manhattan and I love, love, love it. At the subdivision we toured it at - it was $279K but right down the street at another subdivision it's $198K ... I find that so odd. In neither subdivision would I have waterfront, but there's an $80K difference, for the same house?! Wild ...

So now what I am doing is also taking the subdivisions I KNOW have the Gehan Manhattan (also the Fairfield and Vanderbilt I'd take in a minute) and checking all the foreclosure websites. Let's hope my work pays off! Although for a 3991 sq ft house, $198K is an excellent price. I have a little of that "fixer upper" in my blood too so I am not opposed to once that's not in model home condition, because I'd lower my offer, grab a can of paint and rake in the big bucks.

I am SO like Courtney Cox Arquette- a little house flipper. I could do this research and design stuff all day long. New Career? I dunno.

Adios~

Kah

OOOOOkkkkkkkkk

Alrighty ...

Here is an example of what I find when I search the net for homes. This is all ONE home. These pictures came from the same house.

First of all- WHAT is going on with this kichen? Pink and green .... I have lost my appetite! Do you think that was the goal?

The orange room, judging from the light fixture must be the dining area. Again, I am sick to my stomache.

Blue room- I don't even know what to say. Is this a living room? Would you WANT to live here? It looks like a basketball court.

and finally ... something I always enjoy- the children's novelty bedroom. I have seen pink and green princess rooms, screaming purple room with argyle paint jobs ... baseball MURALS. It is truly horrible ...

If you buy a house these days, and don't build one (which are looking into as well), this is what you will deal with. Good luck to you!

Kah

Trivia

Did you know the Declaration of Independence was ACTUALLY signed on July 2nd. Yes. It was. Perhaps it's like Jesus wasn't REALLY born on December 25th. One of those deals.

I am happy and excited that today MAY be a short day - there are rumors ... and tomorrow we are off. We have friends here who normally have a nice shin-dig, but he was sent to Malaysia for ten days and just got home yesterday. I don't think he's going to feel up to it. Besides, Blanca is terrified of fireworks. She hears them and just sits on on the couch and shakes. I feel so bad for her around July 4th and New Years. Poor thing. She sits in her daddy's lap and just quakes. So I'm thinking I don't really want to leave her at home anyway. I can just imagine her terror. Not to mention all the punks out there who think it's fun to be sneaky and illegal- although I don't know HOW you can be "sneaky" when you're setting off lights that go up 100's of feet in the air. It seems to me, you're easy to track. But every year they do it anyway- I am always afraid they'll set the roof on fire. I reckon we'll need to hose it down tomorrow night, have a nice little cook out with the dog ... and then of course, take our food INSIDE and eat it.

Ha Ha ... sorry Conrad!

Also, great new show out there on Wednesday nights- Baby Borrowers. Reality show, five teen couples that think they want a baby. So they get one and all hell breaks loose. It's the funniest thing I've ever seen. Those kids are throwing up and pooping everywhere ... the teenage boys are gagging and you KNOW the teenage girls were all crying. They made the girls wear the pregnancy belly and one of them flat out refused and sat in the bathroom wailing. This week it was babies, next week they get toddlers. That will probably be the best show yet. See, I can handle babies and I like kids when they hit about 8 or 9. But somewhere between 2-7, I get lost. To me, those five years, if I survived, would be a nightmare. I can not wait to see these kids try to handle these, well, kids ... ah good times! Highly entertaining and all my friends here at work who have teenagers are forcing their kids to watch. Slightly disturbing that 3 of the 5 teen couples are from Texas.

Kah

July 2nd

Fourth of July is CREEPING up. I wish it would hurry up! Today we are having our annual cookout here at work. They bring in a really great BBQ place called Goode and Company. They come in with hamburgers and potatoe salad and they have big freezers full of ice cream like popcicles and drumsticks and things like that ... we have a place called "The Annex" here on site, which is where they hold seminars and classes, training ... and so at noon, the entire company is going to The Annex for lunch. We also got to wear blue jeans today... only day of the year!

Tomorow should be a short day I hope!!! ... and then off on Friday. I am feeling sort of beachy and summery right now. Like I should be floating in the pool and drinking lemonade. I don't know if Conrad is on board or not, but that is where he will be able to find me on Friday ... he swam with me in Hawaii, so I'm pretty sure he'll suit up and follow me to the pool. I actually saw some pools at Big Lots for $99- they are INFLATABLE! How crazy is THAT ... I think they're big enough for two people to float around. It's completely and totally white trash ... but I don't care. I'm really considering getting one. I think it would be so much fun to have a little floaty pool outside I can play in. We could deflat it in December, when it finally drops below 80 degrees and put it back up in the garage. Portable pool! I would be outside ALL the time- and I bet Conrad would be too. We'd fire up the grill and probably have to get a picnic table, ALTHOUGH I did find out something new about Mr. Conrad- he does NOT like to eat outside, ever. It's not something he digs. He thinks it's weird and uncomfortable- he didn't say it, but he might think it's unsanitary ... he's not one to pick up a glass of tea and go outside with his sandwich and he will never ever want to sit outside on the patio of a Mexican restaurant ... never. But if we had a little floaty, trashy pool out back we could blow up with an attachment on our vaccum cleaner- you never know ...

Sounds high class, huh?

Kah

Foreclosures- Galore

Well, there are SO many out there... we have a list of ones that interest us ... but there is a part of me that hates to profit off of others misfortunes ... and that's what a foreclosure is. I sort of can't help but think of the family that used to live there and were so happy. Some of these houses are GORGEOUS and you can tell there were well loved and well cared for. Some of the houses have never been lived in- they are considered foreclosures I guess because the builders were never able to sell them. Then my personal favorite. There is a house on the market here, that's well over 5000 sq feet. Really nice when you first pull the picture up ... so neat looking, nice curb appeal ... tab over to the price. Hmmm... $150K ... so what's going on with that one?! Upon further inspection (clicking on the gallery of pictures) you can see holes PUNCHED in the wall, what looks like paint cans that have been kicked and turned over on the carpet. I mean there were some ANGRY folks leaving this home. I can't exactly wrap my mind around that one either- I mean, NO ONE lives anywhere for free and if you can't make your payments, then you HAVE to leave ... the bank has to get their money ... if they let everyone slide there would be no banks ... and worse than that, to DESTROY property on your way out. Part of me thinks these folks should spend a night or ten in jail- it's not your house anymore, you're pretty much destroying property you don't own. WOW. Whoever buys that house is going to get a HECK of a deal, but there's tons of work to be done. Not sure I'm up to it ...

The other thing that's bugging me ... we don't all decorate the same. I appreciate all sorts of decor and it doesn't have to be something I would necessarily put in my own home, but I am having the time of my life looking at the insides of other people's homes. You would never believe it. One kitchen was FULLY on EVERY wall and even on the shorter walls where the bar area was- decked out in floor to ceiling yellow and red circus stripes. WHO wants to walk into that first thing in the morning? I have a hard enough time getting up and walking through the house in the dark without wanting to kill someone first thing in the morning... It is the ugliest thing I have ever seen ... there is also a living room that's painted a sort of tan and orange ... which is ok ... but then the BIGGEST and I mean at LEAST 20 feet ... screaming orange University of Texas longhorn plastic head thing that takes up the entire LIVING ROOM of these people's house. If Conrad had seen that, he'd faint on the spot ... why would anyone do that to their living area?! I have seen some terrible terrible things in the past few days- but like a train wreck, I'm finding it hard to look away. I think I am safe in saying 80% of this country has really really bad taste.

Kah