We got a dog!

i think that i have posted the multiple times when either my house or my car has been vadalized and/or broken into and/or stolen. House twice, car three times. Last week, someone broke into an empty house on the block. They did no damage and the police came right away, but the house next to mine is also empty and i do not want a third break in.

We found her on Wednesday and got her on Saturday!

i will post more about her later, but we are experienceing some attitude from some neighbors which is very unpleasant and really upsets me. These are good neighbors who have been good friends and yet they do not seem to understand that two single women plus a baby living together might want a little more protection. That baffles me a bit. i think things will all work out in the end, but for now it is unpleasant.

But hey! We got a dog!!! And she is so sweet ...i think she went through a lot of hardship and/or abuse before the Animal Rescue League found her but we are glad to have her and will nurse her back to complete health (she has some skin issues....).

Honestly, it does make me feel better. i even took her with me to the store today and felt better about coming back to the car and it still being there! LOL. It is a good thing...a very good thing.

The neighbors and their roaches.

i have lived in my city home for 8 years and though i see the occasional roach and/or mouse, i truly hardly see any bugs in my home. One reason could be that i am a clean freak, the other reason is that i have laid down roach traps every once in a while as a precaution and my cats take care of any mice...plus two winters ago, i plugged up every hole in my basement (100 yr old house...basement walls are brick with plaster and there are some gaps in some of the bricks...or used to be!)

So i really have not had a problem....until recently.

Enter my neighbors. i am connected to that house on one full wall...every room. They were very dirty, they fried chicken all the time, kept their trash (tons of baby diapers) on the back porch, once had a dead possum in their house for days and days (the mother was running from the constables and had left the house...the possum got in through a back window that was always hanging open and could not get out...and died...and stank). They were notorious for their drug dealing, and i even believe she was running a small prostitution ring, would spit and throw up on the sidewalk and piss out of their windows.

This is in the historic district of my city.

Almost every week one of my other neighbors, or myself, would call city codes and complain. We called the police, we fought with them and daily i prayed that God would remove them. They did not know how to use an inside voice and used the "f" word every third word spoken. i am no prude by any imagination, but it was more than i could handle. The stress and strife and tension on the block was felt by all. i believe they were the ones who broke into my house and maybe the houses of some others. Long story a bit shorter....they were horrible.

They moved about one month ago. Skipped rent and moved. The owner came by looking for rent and i told them they had moved. i also told them we had seen mice running around inside their house and outside as well.

And the roaches.....

Apparently, they had tons of them. The other day, i saw three in one night and i about died. Then i saw three more early this week and was ready to burn down the house. i cannot stand roaches. They are from hell. i hate them.

So.....i have armed myself with bleach, roach bait, Borax, diatomaceous earth, paper towels, and grim determination that this house will NOT become infested. i have caulked places where there were gaps in the kitchen, i have scrubbed and cleaned and you could seriously eat off of my kitchen floor (just got done mopping it...the water wasn't even dirty). i moved the fridge today and cleaned, i clean under the cupboards and stove....i am telling you, i think i might be going crazy.

i have threatened to have the house sprinkled with holy water and will get a Pastor all up in here and then let's see what scurries around this house. i have declared war on them...and i will win. (cause if not, i am moving!)

But i must say, though these two weeks have been a pain in the neck dealing with the roaches, i am more than glad that those people moved away. Now am just hoping and praying for nice, clean, quiet people.

Do you think that could be possible????

They laughed at me...!

Today was rainy and cold and i wanted to take the day off and just stay in bed to read...which i did. Not depression related at all, just reading. That lasted until about noon and then i had a lot of things to get done. It did feel like i had the morning off because i was able to just relax.

When i mentioned this to my mother and sister, they broke out in peals of laughter. Apparently when one is unemployed, one has every day off.

hmphf! i disagree...every day i am cleaning or running errands or applying for jobs...

So grrrrrr to them. Homemakers can have time off too!

Keeping busy

Despite the month of darkness, i actually did get a number of things accomplished. One of those being fall house cleaning. i threw out a bunch of stuff, gave a ton of things to Goodwill (even some beloved books!!!), washed almost all my windows, and have done almost all the curtains. Today, i did my bedroom curtains and though they were not gross and terribly dirty, it sure smells amazing when they are fresh and clean and the breeze is blowing through them.

i also patched my roof numerous times (oh yay), fixed my gutter on the side of the house (will need to replace it in the Spring) and painted and put up a border in my entry way. Those things make a difference in how the house looks and feels. Also helps with a good mood.

OH! and decorated for the fall. i surely love my fall decorations, the vibrant hues....they will stay up until Thanksgiving and then will start to decorate for Christmas. Those things always make me happy as well. Not terribly life changing but lighten the mood...the spirit...and it makes my house look pretty too.

When i came home from doing laundry today, my first thought when i walked in the house was ...OHHH how pretty. (i cleaned big time last night) And that is such a very, very nice thought to have of one.s house, is it not? To enjoy coming home. Truth be told, i have some rooms that look horrible, because they need some repair or total remodel (after all the houes was built 100 yrs ago), but the cleanness and decorations are something the soothes..and invites..and relaxes me.

So come on over for a cup of coffee or tea...

It has been an entire month...

...since i last posted. Good grief, where did the time go? ohhh, i know...i was depressed and under the covers most of October. So that could be part of it. meh.

i am not usually a depressed kind of person, i mean, everyone has down days but October was just hard on me this year and i don't know why. Today is the first Monday in more than a month where i did not sleep till 10am and then spend the rest of the day on the couch. How pathetic is that?

But here we are, in a new month and with some determination, God's grace and strength and a new schedule (and a good glass of wine or two) it is going to be a great month, indeed.

Also, in the month of October, i found Mrs. Meyers Clean Day products and instantly fell in love. That helps to make the house spic and span which will also lift one's spirits...AND i did incredibly well with coupons and sale items last month for grocery shopping. my sister and i saved over $100 and had a good bit of money left over for the rest of the month. So it wasn't all a bust...

So here's to a new month, kids.

Lists

So last night, when i could not sleep and it was oh...three o'clock in the morning, i was thinking about: College scholarships, the things i need to get done before winter and so much more. Of course now i cannot remember 1/2 of those things but whilst in the thick of the brain wave, it was amazing all that i was going to accomplish.

Being a list girl i am going to post what i need to get done through the month of October. Hopefully this will keep me on track and help me accmplish ALOT!

1. Leak in roof must be addressed....even if i nail a stupid tarp over the area (HAHAHAHA...)
2. Decorate entryway...
3. touch up trim in living room
4. Keep working on my quilt
5. fix broken window on third floor
6. buy and install two new window locks
7. price/buy/install new kitchen facuet
8. Fix pantry so that it is actually useable for canned goods and boxed items

that should keep me busy, right?

Also, last night i had a couple of conversations with my SIL which set my mind to whirling...namely saving money through the smart use of coupons and smart shopping. This opened my mind to doing things in a whole different light and being a bit more agressive. She bought over $200 worth of groceries the other week and paid $93 just by using the sale items and then couponing those sale items. Not everything in her cart was sale items but the majority, thus cutting way down on expenses. She also, like many i know...and even myself in some things, have started a stockpile of food and items, buying now while she and my brother have jobs and things are good....in case either the economy goes completely bust or they lost jobs, etc. This is a very smart thing to do because if you purchase mulitple things while they are on sale, rotate the groceries and household items and replenish those things, you are really being smart with your money and also have extra to share for some who might have a true need (or you just feel like giving stuff away).

i have started some of that with canned goods...not a lot though, but will probably pick that back up in the very near future....t0liet paper and paper towels are also a great thing to stockpile.

Much more to say, but i hear there is a good sale at AC Moore and Bath and Body Works and i want to go check them out. Also, its raining and grey and i need to get more candles!

Happy Monday!

Two things

Only two things today.

1. i showed my niece the DoReMi part of Sound of Music this morning. She was, to my complete delight, mesmerized with eyes as wide in wonder as saucers. That made my day completely as Sound of Music is by far my favorite movie ever. Yes, i said ever. i know...i know..

2. i have started making a quilt totally by hand...no machine. i am finding that my stitches are not too bad...need to get them a wee bit smaller but that they are relatively straight. The quilt is not going to be very big as it is my first endeavor...and it will probably look very rustic and homemade by a three yr old but it is a start. i'm actually really excited about it...disaster or not.