GOT IT

Got the Wii Fit ... it's in the truck, waiting to go back to my house.

YAY! Thanks Daniel.

Kah

Wii Will be Fit!

Happily, someone we know from high school moved to Houston a few months ago and HE has an extra Wii Fit he's looking to get rid of. Turns out he bought himself and his brother one- and his brother ended up getting himself one the same weekend.

This thing was about to go on Ebay and now at lunch today it will be MINE for the price he paid for it! Wii Fit's ran for awhile at about $89 and now IF you can find one, they are over $150 ... I guess because of demand and Christmas coming. So I am VERY excited about this and am meeting Daniel today for lunch.

WII will be FIT!

Hurricane forming in the Gulf. AGAIN ... This one looks big and it looks sort of erratic ... it can't really decide if it wants Texas or Louisiana ... we'll just have to see. Everyone have a good and maybe DRY Labor Day Weekend!

Oh ... and my sister does not appear to be on board with naming the baby Karyn or Karyno if it's a boy. I told her that Karyn meant "pure one" and after she stopped laughing, she said no. Sometimes I think she is really selffish. :)

Kah

Cube View

Wanna see my cube? My home away from home?

My friends decorated it for me for my birthday. I took pics ... because it looked so bright and cheerful. The pink boas are always here- I got one at each of my bridal showers - and they stay here year round. Everything else was just for my birthday.

I don't know - when I call people at work sometimes, I sort of wish I knew what they're space looked like so I could imagine them there as we're talking. Weird? Maybe.

Kah

Stressed

Not feeling myself still ... feel very anxious and on edge. We did get the Met Life man out to the house last night and got the life insurance ball rolling. We've applied and given them permission to send the people out with the bloodwork tests. I don't know what all they are looking for ... but I know HIV Is one thing and blood pressure is another. I don't think I have anything to worry about in either one of those cases. I asked him about weight - my weight- and he said I looked about normal, which I don't think is the case, but I'll take it!

I am having troubles with my truck, which at 93K miles I guess is normal. It's having a hard time starting. I took it to Firestone the other day and they said it was the battery- so I changed it. They said the starter and alternator were fine. Ok, so the problem is STILL there $100 later .... and I want to know WHAT it is. I don't want to be stranded somewhere in Houston in rushhour ....

and I also don't feel well. I've had a sore throat for several days now. All I want to do is curl up in bed and sleep for a day or so ... I took Theraflu, hot baths, drank hot tea, etc ... and nothing. I still feel yucky.

Just a bad few days for me ... and I'm really really bummed about not being able to find a Wii Fit ANYWHERE on the planet. Except for Ebay- where you don't really know what you're getting and the price is double. I bet Nintendo is purposely not releasing the Wii Fit's because Christmas is coming up and they want there to be high demand and people paying overprice for it.

Sometimes, everyone just irritates me.

Kah

Wii are so happy

I got a Wii!!!!

Circuit City had them last night and I had been trying for four months to find one. I wasted NO time- I went and got it with our wedding money.

We also want Wii Fit and Guitar Hero and both are sold out right now ... but there will be time. I will be calling stores on Friday looking for the Wii Fit ... I think the Olympics has spurred people on to exercise and they are sold out everywhere ... but I can't wait to get one!

Today has been a weird day. I feel very anxious and weird ... sort of don't feel myself ... just irritated at everyone and everything.

On another note, the MetLife guy is coming tonight- we are getting life insurance policies. Trying to do all the right things and make sure we are set for our new lives together.

Kah

Aunt Karyn

I was going to post this morning about our marvelous deck renovation. We got it done because after five straight days- the rain finally stopped. THAT was my workout for the weekend!

BUT. We interupt our regularly scheduled program to announce that I'm going to be an Aunt ... and yes, I realize Conrad has two nephews and I am now their aunt ... but I mean, a flesh and blood aunt. MY SISTER IS PREGNANT.

What a whirlwind these past two years have been. First Bonnie gets married, she buys my house and I move to Houston. Then I get married and now a new baby ... life moves fast.

So, I imagine somewhere around May we'll hear the pitter patter of Little Karyn Jr's feet ...

...and to those that are asking - NO. This does not make me want children of my own. There is no jealousy. No envy. No longing. Nothing but happiness for my sister and happiness for me now that the pressure is off - to make my dad a grandpa. Way to go Bonnie!

So I imagine these next few months will be filled with painting what used to be my old room (my sister bought my house in Dallas) with nursery-type things, buying baby clothes, going to and arranging showers and heading to Dallas in the middle of the night when the call finally comes.

My only prayer is that Bonnie was kidding when she said if it was a boy, they were naming it Johnny Rocket.

Congrats and welcome to the family Baby Abercrombie-Christensen!

Kah

Oh Yeah

and I did 30 minutes of Turbo Sculpt last night.

We are going to 24 Hr Fitness this weekend to join up.

Safety Dilemma

For about three years, I have had my eyes on this safety pin plaque from Ballard Designs. I LOVE this thing and I have absolutely no idea why. In their catalog, they show it in a baby's nursery and also in the laundry room. I'm one of those people who sort of views the laundry room as more oppportunities to decorate ... nothing wrong with some paint and a nice curtain in there ...

I have always wanted this stupid thing and I have no idea why. Just one more thing about me that's like my grandmother- I have been waiting all this time for this thing to turn up at a garage sale. I frequently look at Ebay looking for one too. NOTHING ...

Then we walked into a model home about three weeks ago and there's the darn thing hanging in the model's nursery- and it looked just as good in real life as I thought it would ... and the salesman told me if we bought the house, he would make sure it stayed. DANG IT! We didn't buy the house ... and I KNOW it was the same safety pin because believe it or not, no one else on the entire planet makes it.

So this week Ballard's is having a 15% off Everything Sale ... and this safety pin is $49.00 ... and with the 15% discount, it will be about $42.00

I am about to break down and buy the darn thing- I got a $25 Mastercard gift card for my birthday and also I got $20 from Conrad's parents. DARN IT- I don't know what to do. I should probably just put it on my Christmas list and BEG for it.

Decisions, decisions ...

Kah

Doc Talk

Well. I think I finally found a good endocrinolist ... his name is Dr Woo and I really do like him. He took the time to sit and talk to me about my concerns and my aches and pains. The fact is simply this- without a thyroid, getting out of bed is hard. Everything hurts. You're either starving or not hungry at all ... you're either losing weight like a marathon runner or packing on the pounds. Energy is nil ... exercise is impossible ... tired, ALWAYS ...

So I went to him and ask him to help me, fix myself. First order of business, is to get my energy UP. We did a blood test for thyroid levels and for Vitamin D. I am probably dificient ...

Next step- join the gym. I'll probably, after getting some encouragement from the girls here at work, need to jumpstart with a personal trainer, but then I'd like to go and take classes, because I get BORED at the gym ... He told me non- activity = low energy and the first thing to do is MOVE and I will begin to feel better and look better ... he said the first two weeks I'll be cussing him, but afterwards, all will be well. I can't wait! I'm excited.

He also did a Diabetes test, which I'm a little concerned about- but I think it's just because the two diseases are so closely related. I really think if I had it, I'd be having some major problems like the blood sugar thing, etc ... I truly think my problem is lack of activity ...

But anyway, it'll be a week before we know. In the meantime, it's life as usual.

Kah

Grandma

Here's a cute pic - Blanca with my birthday flowers from last week! She tried to eat them, but who can blame her, stargazer lillies DO smell good!


Today I have my first appointment with my new endocronologist and this is the first doc's appt I have ever looked forward to. For many reasons, it's been two years since I've seen a proper thyroid doc. But I want to ask him about vitamins, supplements, food, etc ... anything to help me with weight and energy ... and of course, they'll take my blood which I welcome, because then he can get my levels right and maybe, just maybe for the first time in three years I'll feel like myself again.

In other news ... you know the old joke about "you're turning into your mother"? Or the husband is told to look at his mother in law and that will be his wife in 25 years or whatever? Yeah- not with me. I just skipped that entire thing and turned SMACK into my grandmother at the ripe old age of 33. I have NO idea how this happened ... but it sure did.

Let me take you back to the early to mid-80's when I spent a lot of time in the summer with my grandparents. AH- good times! Lots of laying on the couch, lots of playing with my Barbie Dream House and LOTS of watching the Price is Right ... and of course Sesame Street, Mr Rogers, The Electric Company. Those were some GOOD times ... but the thing that would strike fear into my heart was when my grandma would come out FULLY dressed (not her normal uniform of this button down, thin, cotton robe) and announce to me we were going grocery shopping. Upon hearing that, I would wish the earth would open up and swallow me whole. Going grocery shopping with my grandmother was a NIGHTMARE ... she had like this system, this plan ... she would go to four different stores, it would literally take hours. She would say Bilo had the best meat, and Winn Dixie had good milk and Doscher's had the best produce and of course, Food Lion was good for everything else ... it was my absolute worst nightmare. I always wanted to point out to her that she probably would save money (in gas at least) by shopping at one store, but she wouldn't have listened anyway. She would look over the sale papers and make a plan for that week's shopping and I WAS spoiled to death- she always made me whatever I wanted ... but I know she shopped for dinners and lunches off that sale paper. I inherited a lot from her- her love of garage sales, and her keen shopping skills- she gave the BEST Christmas presents and frankly, I do too ... I bet if I tried, I could get a garden going in no time. I drive with my hands perfectly placed at 10 and 2- and I'm almost always sucking on a mint. I have a lot of her traits.

But then something terrible happened- fast forward to 2008, and my grandma has been gone for 13 years now ... and I found myself talking to Conrad about the upcoming week. The things we need to do around the house, errands I'm going to run, etc ... and this is EXACTLY what comes out of my mouth ... "Well, there was nothing good at CVS this week. But Wednesday the sale paper comes out and I can see what Kroger and HEB have going on ... I'd like to run down to Kroger and see about their meat specials and HEB has pretty much everything else. I never shop at Wal-Mart until Sunday because that's when they publish that week's sales ... so I won't worry about running down to see what they have until next Monday or so- but really I only get toiletries there ...."

OH MY GOD. Who is that talking?! Has my grandmother come back to life? Has she possessed my body? Why am I going to four different stores PER week, looking for the best deal ... and WHO told me that Kroger has the best meat? How come I just KNOW THAT?! OH MY GOODNESS. I've turned into my grandmother. If she hasn't possessed my body, I now have proof she is hovering very close by and influencing my every move ...

KAH

Weekend Project

Ah ok ... I was able to download pics last night ...

This was the weekend project that nearly sent me to the hospital - ha ha ... but I had wanted to do it FOREVER ... our dining room is not closed off. When you walk into our house you basically walk into a hall. On the right is the dining room ... and it's got three normal walls- the fourth wall is the wall that makes the "hall" part ... so it's sort of an open dining room. On the left side is our little alcove that leads to the two guest rooms and the bathroom. The wall you are seeing here is the khaki wall (doesn't show well in the picture), but just know that directly opposite of what you are looking at, is our red dining room ...

So last year, we painted the three dining room walls red ... and the hall wall khaki (to match the body of the house) and I left the alcove white (as shown above), but I always did want to paint it RED ... to match the dining room. Sort of a contrast wall ... Then Conrad's sister gave us this lovely sign that says "The Love of a Lifetime" (old Firehouse tune!) for our wedding, and the red in it, I thought, would really POP if that alcove was red. So there ya go ... I decided to paint it this weekend ... I went ahead with it and it looks FABULOUS! If you go down to an older post- where I showed the invite my Aunt Robbie did for me (the framed wedding invitation) you can see the whole dining room.

I watch a lot of design shows and red is a popular color, however on the resale shows they always want the homeowners to paint over it- they say it's to "personal" of a color ... and they make them paint over it. But I don't want to. When the house goes up for sale. I want to leave it as is.

This is the reason we're working so hard, by the way ... this is all for resale. Well, so we can live in a pretty house too- but we already know we won't be here in a year .... we just want to do all the projects we need to do NOW instead of getting a laundry list from a realtor and having to pack into into a month. The deck will add value, the custom paint will add value, the new fridge, all the upgrades we are doing- Conrad added a sprinkler system and gutters ... all part of our evil plan.

Anyway- enjoy the before and after!

Kah

Epsom Salts

Ah ... the miracle cure.

I woke up on Saturday morning FILLED with motivation! I decided to paint the last alcove. There is one that you can see from the dining room (our dining room is red) and it has a bedroom on one side, a bedroom on the other and a bathroom in the middle ... and I thought since you could see it from the dining room, if it too was red, it would really POP. Boy was I right! I love the way it turned out. When it fully dries and it put back together, I'll post up pics!

Anyway- it took me the better part of Saturday to complete. At the end of the project I DID feel a little bit sore ... but nothing too terrible. Whilst I was painting, Conrad was outside cleaning the backporch. We decided to stain it- the wood had turned this really unappealing shade of GRAY ... it had never been stained and it's got six years of wear on it ...after we bought the stain, etc- we realized that FIRST you are required to clean it- with industrial strength wood cleaner. Um, WOW - it is no longer gray! The wood is a pretty, beauiful clean yellow wood ... we can not believe it. We can't stain it, however, until the forecast calls for 24 hours of no rain- and the next three days call for it. So probably we'll complete the project sometime this week when it's dry.

Back to painting- so I took two Aleve before I painted, three afterwards and a hot bath. It SO didn't matter- I could barely walk yesterday. I am in TERRIBLE shape ... clearly. I finally got up and went and got a massage - which almost KILLED me ... but the massage therapist told me that Epsom Salts was the ticket. I needed to soak in some for 30 minutes because it will help the lactid acid. Well Conrad is VERY allergic to epsom salt. The last time he used it, in college lab, his face swelled up like a blowfish. So needless to say, I was VERY careful with it last night. But I soaked in it, then got out and took a shower to get the salt residue out, got rid of the towel, etc ... Conrad is still alive and not swollen this morning and I feel 80% better. I was SURE I would not be able to walk today ... but it's fine. It hurts, but not like it did yesterday ... and usually day 2 is worse than day 1. Epsom salts are AWESOME- and they can also be taken internally for a laxative. I, uh, don't know about that ... but if you're someone who enjoys a natural cure ... there ya go.

We have decided however, this means we are very very out of shape and I know for me, especially, this is true. We're going to start walking ... and this week I have my first appt with an endocronologist in probably two years ... so I am very excited about that and about feeling better... for various reasons, all insurance related, I've had to see my family doctor for the thyroid stuff ... and this is the first time in a long time I'll be able to see a specialist and I'm really looking forward to it.

Kah

Arkansas

Trip to AR is BOOKED .... and I saved $60 but looking at another airline.

Kah

Short Post

SORRY!

I had a doctor's appt at nine this morning ... and for ONCE she didn't keep me waiting. Then I realized I had mere fumes in the gas tank, something that irritates Conrad something awful ... THEN I remembered I have a 11 AM meeting this morning here at work.

So I have run in, fired up the computer, printed out my report, I am in the middle of checking email and thought I'd post so you'd know I was alive - but that's about all I have time for this morning.

This weekend is home improvement weekend- so wish us luck. We're staining the deck and painting another little alcove in the house ...

Kah

Model Home

Well ... after all the hoop-la of my birthday, I don't have much to post today!

I will say though that things at work are 500% better... I feel so much more relaxed and happy and ok about being here. They made my day very special yesterday (we celebrated all August birthdays yesterday) ... we had an ice cream social, my friend Sherry got me some bath salts from Pier One that smell SO good and then the girls all got me the cutest doggie card and a Master Card gift certificate - I've decided to go on to Amazon.com and get me some more books with it ...

Other than that, the next model home picture I have came out of a master bedroom - they apparently had a recessed ceiling which I generally like- and they went over it with some dark wood molding. It's very striking when you're in the room and I think this would be SO easy to do in your house, if you already had the recessed ceiling. It really adds some nice depth and sort of a "higher-end" feel .... I say try it- shoot, you could probably do a room for less than $50 if you stained it, cut it and installed it yourself ...

Oh and WHOOPS- I guess some pretty important news ... our Spain trip has been cancelled. The fuel costs are soaring and so the company doing the trip decided not to allow people to go on the trip that had not earned it 100% - Conrad got REALLY close, but he wasn't 100% and we were going to have to buy in for the remainder. We were totally ok with buying in - but they have cancelled that portion- no buy in's for this year. So ... I'm not as upset as I thought I would be. I wasn't looking forward to that CRAZY flight ... so now we're looking at other options. I'm keeping my vacation for now ... on the books ...we're talking about a cruise or a nice trip somewhere that has a beach like Mexico or Belize or somewhere like that ... it's going to end up being FINE ... so no sadness here... a little disappointment, but really we have a GREAT life and this is not worth complaining about ... so we're looking for a nice deal somewhere ... maybe offseason deal ... and next year this Spain trip will be the Dominican Republic. So if Conrad gets 100%, we'll be heading to D.R. next year!

Kah

Great Day

Hello!

Yesterday was a great day ... it was so nice!

Conrad sent flowers- and not just ANY flowers, but a bouquet- the same as my wedding bouquet- the Star Gazer Lillies ... (which are a symbol of wealth and prosperity) this morning when I woke up, I could smell them all over the house. He also took me to dinner and gave me my favorite- Bath and Body Works! My friend Sunny sent me a Bath and Bodyworks gift card- SCORE!!!- and my mom sent $50 which I have decided to spend on Amazon.com since they are offering free shipping and there are two books I REALLY REALLY want ... the Florida side of the family sent me a very pretty vase and a book ... (and that vase came in handy for my flowers!) I got lots of emails and phone calls and I think 6 or 7 cards in the mail at home from friends and family ... and today I got to work and my cubicle is all decorated and I got some bath salts from Pier One from my friend Sherry - we are also having an ice cream social today at work.

It was a great day ... and looks like it will continue into today ... so many people remembered- you guys are great!!!

The sale papers come out today for HEB and Kroger and you know THAT always makes my day! I had a buy one get one free last night for my birthday AND the restaurant we went too gives free appetizers on Tuesday's so we were barely able to walk out of there. I ended up boxing up a lot of my and Conrad's leftover food for me to have at lunch today and also we had ordered queso (not knowing we were getting free apps) so we didn't touch that. I boxed it up too and tonight I'm going to bake some chicken and then top it with the leftover queso. I think it will be great- I don't like to see stuff go to waste!

Happy Wednesday to you all ..

Kah

33 Years

That's how long I've been here ... as of noon today.

Everyone has been calling, texting and emailing ... thanks to you all! It should be a very nice day .... I had kind of forgotten about it, until I got into the shower this morning and remembered why today felt different ... it's my BIRTHDAY!!!!

I usually think about my life on this day ... and this year, it's actually my first birthday after being married. I remember we were with my mom and stepdad last year and Conrad's parents. We were at Steak N Ale a year ago today eating my birthday dinner- and Conrad's mom asked me what I wanted by next year and I looked at Conrad and said TO BE MARRIED ... and everyone laughed. Well, that birthday wish came true! It's been a really really great year ... we had wonderful holidays last year, we went to Hawaii, I got married, had two really nice bridal showers, I held on to a job I love and I think got better at it, I had some trials - but everything ended up being much much better ... we began looking at homes and have decided to build one in the next year ... I think I paid off two or three bills - my family and friends and my sweet baby Blanca are all happy and healthy ... it's been a really nice year ... which is good, following the two hectic and sometimes not so great years before it!

Thanks for stopping by! I'll just be here ... enjoying my special day!

Kah

Entertainment

Here's some cheap entertainment ... I've been getting the Sunday paper at home because of the coupons, and Conrad does the Sodoku and crossword ... and I realized in his section of the paper, they do wedding announcements ... and Houston is a BIG city - and usually there are only 4-6 announcements per week ... so you KNOW the kind of people who put them in the paper. It is the skinny, rich girls and they CRACK ME UP ... first of all, you'd be skinny too if you had money for personal trainers and had been told since birth that food was evil ... they have to stay skinny to land these doctors and lawyers. The announcements entertain me because they are SO SILLY! All of these girls have custom dresses made, their flowers are ridiculous ... they are almost always frats and sororities involved and a lot of the men they are marrying are "consultants" which Conrad says means unemployed. I think a lot of these announcements are WAY embelished ...

I think we had a great wedding- I think it was beautiful and classy and a lot of fun. We had the best time! We still talk about it- the food was AMAZING, I was never so proud ... but if I did an announcement they way THEY do announcements and I put in all true facts it would sound the HillBilly Wedding of 2008! Wanna see? Fine - It would have looked something like this ...

Miss Karyn Elizabeth Abercrombie and Mr Conrad Michael Hopkins were united in marriage on April 26, 2008 at six o'clock in the evening at the County Line BBQ in Houston, Texas. The ceremony was officiated by Pastor Dickson Rial of Garland, Texas. Music was provided by On Deck Entertainment (Your One Stop Party Source!) and the bride's parents hosted an all you can eat BBQ buffet and keg beer reception at the same location. On Friday evening, the groom's parents hosted a rehearsal dinner at the Gleannloch Farms Community Recreation Center.

The bride is the daughter of Mr David Abercrombie and Mrs Brian Boring. She is the granddaughter of the late Mr and Mrs Earl Abercrombie of Charleston, SC and the late Mr and Mrs WR Doran of Charleston, SC. The groom is the son of Mr and Mrs Mike Hopkins of Dallas, Texas. He is the grandson of the late Mr and Mrs George Hopkins and the late Mr James McKinley and Mrs Wanda McKinley, all of Dallas, Texas.

Given in marriage by her parents and escorted by her father, the bride chose a strapless, second hand Alfredo Angelo gown purchased off of Craigslist for $100. The full A-line dress featured embrodiery and delicate pleats at the midriff. To go with her gown, the bride chose an ivory, two tiered veil purchased for a reasonable price off of Ebay. The bride chose a bouquet made of Stargazer Lillies- whose smell was so strong, it caused the groom to lean over in the middle of the ceremony and ask the bride "what's that smell?"

Attendants to the bride: Mr Mike VanStaveren of Slidell, Louisiana served as the bride's Man of Honor.

Mr John Rios, of Greenville, Texas, Texas State Trooper, served as the Best Man.

Karyn is a 1993 graduate of South Grand Prairie High School, in Grand Praire, Texas. She will continue on in her position in the Customer Service Department of _________ in Houston, Texas.

Conrad is a 1993 graduate of South Grand Prairie High School in Grand Prairie Texas and a 1998 graduate of Texas A&M, where he was a member of the 12th Man. WHOOP! He will continue on as a biomedical equipment salesman for ________ in Houston, Texas.

The couple has choosen to delay the honeymoon, instead using the free trip to Marabella Spain and Morocco- Conrad earned, until October, where they will enjoy a romantic trip with all of Conrad's coworkers. The couple will reside in Houston, Texas once they find that perfect foreclosure!

See? A perfectly good wedding looks COMPLETELY redneck! I absolutely ADORE the Sunday paper!

Kah

Lovin the Oven

Lord have mercy ... I just stuck my head in the oven. No, seriously ... I had to.

A few weeks ago I made the mistake of cooking some chicken on a flat cookie sheet. As the chicken cooked, the oil ran off into the bottom of the oven. We used the oven twice more after that and the smell in the house was unbearable ... it's not even something I can describe ... so tonight I tackled it.

But ... I didn't want to spend a ton of money on oven cleaner, PLUS I am sort of afraid to put chemicals in something I cook my food in. So I did an internet search and came up wtih a homemade oven cleaner.

1 TBS of dish liquid
1 TBS of lemon juice
2 TBS of bleach
1 QT of warm water

You put this on the offending stain and or all in the bottom of your oven and wait 45 minutes, then scrub like the dickens, rinse out and dry off.

So this evening., I had my head in the oven. Even with the door shut and oven turned off it smells worlds better ... I will NEVER make that mistake again! But the oven needed cleaning anyway - something tells me Conrad never did before I moved in ... and I also took the time to pull out the heating elements on top, soak the burner plates, scrub them and lift up the oven top and clean under the burners... and while I was at it, I cleaned the microwave too.

The oven looks brand new and it didn't cost me a penny!

Kah

More Savings

Happy Friday!

I was a little disappointed to learn that Kroger and HEB didn't have super great deals this week. I went anyway last night since I needed the basics and I did have SOME coupons.

I had $40.81 worth of stuff and my final bill after coupons was $14.41 Another pretty good SCORE!

Chicken was buy one get one free, plus I had a coupon ... and I had some FREE coupons for Kraft and Nabisco products. You had to buy three products from those two brands (any mixture) and then you got free hotdogs, salad dressing, etc etc ... and Koolaid is actually from one of those brands. So I bought 15 packages of Koolaid for $3 and got five products free- and those products, at full price, were over $20. SCORE! Those were GREAT coupons- I got them out of the All You Magazine that is sold at Wal-Mart (although I have a subscription).

Anyway- we have plenty of food, so no need to shop for at least a week unless a deal is too good to pass up! Hope your weekend will be safe and happy. I just have a lot of chores around the house ...

Kah

Late

I hate being late for work. There were TWO wrecks this morning. Just as soon as I got through one wreck and started moving again, here would come another one. VERY frustrating!!!

I didn't get a chance to make it by Kroger or HEB because I hadn't seen the sale papers yet. I got them last night and will stop tonight on my way home. I've also gotten some cool coupons for Chico's and Steinmart for my birthday so at lunch today I'm going to head over to the Chico's clearance center. They usually have pretty nice shirts for $15- on sale from their normal $48-68 prices. I love their stuff ... I wear it until I can't wear it anymore. You remember my favorite black Chico's shirt that had started to fade? Remember I went to Wal-Mart and got some RIT dye and saved it?! Yes ... that is how far I will go to save a Chico's shirt. That shirt was $48 originally and I did pay that price for it- um, like five years ago!!!!

I was so pumped two weeks ago ... I had been looking FOREVER for a red shirt that Chico's sells. It's actually a regular item they keep year round- it's a long sleeve t-shirt and I have one in black and one in white ... I have wanted a red one forever and I didn't want to pay $48 for one. I was ABOUT to break down and buy one when I found one two weeks ago at a garage sale for $2. You better believe I grabbed and sprinted down those people's driveway. I've already worn it twice! Sometimes I am reminded that the things I really want are worth waiting for. That shirt means more to me for $2 than it ever would have for $48 and nope, they never ever send regular items they stock year round to the clearance center ... and now I am on the hunt for the turquoise one. That will completely my collection ... and any others I happen to run into will just be nice additions ... but my actual base collection will be complete.

I always tell Conrad that he should thank his lucky stars that he did not marry one of those "shopping" women and that I will absolutely hold out til the end, til my fingers bleed, before I pay full price for anything. I know when we went to CVS with me last weekend and we walked out with $42 worth of stuff for $6- he looked at me and said "I think I love you even more" ... yes, and he should ... I am going to be the ticket to his early retirement!

Kah

Back Up and Running

Good morning.

We are back up and running- back to work today! Yesterday was interesting ... I wish I had been able to sleep late, but I was keyed up about the storm. I got up at 5AM yesterday and so I guess that's good because I hit the pillow at 10 and don't remember anything until the alarm went off. I slept goooood.

So back to work today- and it's not all that easy to work from home. First of all, I didn't have everything I needed - like the fax machine, etc ... and second of all it is NOT easy to flip back and forth between screens with a laptop or to take calls all day on the cell phone. Something just felt weird about it all. I did decide at 11 to take a lunch break - so I went to Wendy's close to the house and almost drowned. It was raining HARD! ... and our little country roads can't hardly handle it. I made it back home but was drenched ... I also dropped off our August payment for Angel Food Ministries.

So anyway, just a lot of rain. Hardly any wind and a lot of television coverage which I think was useless ... but that's just my opinion. It never even formed into a real hurricane.

Today's model home pic is awesome ... it's this weird little side shelf built into the bathroom cabinet. I love it. If I was designing a house (and I think I will be soon) this is something I would consider doing- just because it's different and for once, something different can also be useful. You could stack a ton of guest towels and soap, etc .. here.

I'm going to HEB tonight to rake in the steals and deals!

Kah

Hurricane

A tropical storm/hurricane is coming!

They have shut down our offices for the day. I am still on the Hurricane Team - so I am at home with my laptop, ready for emergencies. I do have to get out early this morning ... I don't have much gas and Conrad isn't happy about that- so I am going to get out as soon as the sun comes up and get filled up ... also stop by the bank and get some cash and probably, if I have time before the rain hits, run by the store and get some quick supplies for food tonight in case it gets really windy and starts to flood ... just a frozen pizza or something ...

They are also calling for power outages in my area - but it's so weird because it's not even raining or cloudy over in my area at all. But I look on the news and they show the bands coming out this far and highest winds over near my area. For the first time EVER I am happy to have no trees right here in my immediate area. I think the rain is just now hitting Galveston which I think is about an hour away ... so I have about two hours to get my stuff done and get back home ...

They are saying to prepare for about a ten hour rain event- I love rain ... so I want to get out early this morning and then get right back home to monitor email, etc ...

Everyone be safe and happy today!

Kah

Saver

I am a super saver!

Conrad and I went to CVS last night so he could see me in action. I had printed off my list from Money Saving Mom, I had clipped coupons from the Sunday paper and we were ready.

We got to the check out and everything totalled $42.08 and after coupons, and buy one get one free's were applied - we walked out with $6.86 out of pocket. YES. I am a Jedi Master.

We got cereal, Pop Tarts, medicines like Excedrin and Aleve ... we got shampoo and deordorant, etc ... Conrad was CRAZY impressed.

My friend Sunny from Dallas called this morning. Her husband tried his luck with my system at Albertson's this weekend ... (they were matching the Kroger Mega Event) and his total was $179.00 and after coupons, etc ... he paid $80.00 out of pocket. $100 off- SUPER SCORE. He is so excited, he's going back tonight. I am so proud of them!

Doing this system is not quick- you have to take the time to print and clip coupons and organize your grocery list and go through the sale papers ... but it only takes about an hour. Well, you can see that Jeff saved $100 on one trip- effectively, he made $100/hr. ... and I'm SURE they picked up stuff they don't need RIGHT NOW, but they will ... for instance, Conrad and I have 5 bottles of shampoo at home. But they were free or less than $.50 a bottle (brand name stuff) so why not get it and have it on hand- donate it to the church or homeless shelter, give it away to friends and family. My point is you might as well pick it up ...

Happy Savings!

Kah

August 1st

Well the most important month of the year, August, has arrived ... my birthday month. If anyone cares to send some greetings (he he he) my birthday is August 12th. A day that shall always be a day of joy ... for my parents. HA!


Na - but I do get excited. It's my special day - all mine, all mine, all mine. I don't have to cook that day and we get a cake here at work and some balloons tied to my cubicle ... and it's always a fun day. I'm wondering at what age will it cease to be all that much fun and magical? To be honest, my WORST birthday (mentally) was 26. My mom was in town and we went to the circus and it was a wonderful DAY but the age 26 REALLY bothered me more than any other birthday. More than 30 or 31 ... so weird. So in twelve days I shall be 33.... and on that day I always miss my grandmother the most. She made it special.


Today's model home pic: hanging pictures by hooks and little chains in the ceiling. How modern! I actually like it very very much ... it's a neat concept and in my next house, I may do it. Very unexpected to walk in and see a picture hanging from the ceiling. Very "art gallery" ... I really am strangely attracted to it. I've taken some pics and I got a notebook and I'm just keeping things that I think are neat or different for my next house ... or even to spruce up this one for eventual resale. I think our current house has a LOT of potential and whoever does end up buying it will really be lucky. Conrad keeps it in tip-top shape and I've really made some things look nice ... and we're still working on that.

Happy Friday - happy and safe weekend.

Kah