One thing I haven't done recently is go to a concert. That used to be such a common thing for me -- I'd have shows lined up and tickets purchased months in advance. I'd be the first one on ticketmaster refreshing the screen until the sale came up and stressing about whether to grab the first seats I got or risk losing them for better seats. I had it down to a science - using multiple computers and even taking off work or school to concentrate on ticket purchases.
Now, I feel very old. Haha! I still love going to concerts, but now they are both expensive and inconvenient. When you have to pay $1000 to replace a broken fridge or $1500 to fix a wet basement, money gets put into perspective. Also, when you have 10 vacation days a year and want to both go on an actual vacation and also visit family, that doesn't leave any time to just take a day or two off for little things. The other people in my office don't have that issue because they all have plenty of vacation time, being that they've been here for years and also are exempt, rather than the lowly non-exempt position I'm in.
I just found out that Paul McCartney will be playing 5 minutes from my brother's apartment on October 15th. He lives 4 hours away from us, but, at any other time, I would have been buying tickets immediately. I already missed Paul's show in Philly this summer. But October 15th is a Thursday night...I'd have to take off at least a day and a half on order to do it right. And then we'd have to come back home on Friday and then travel to NYC on Saturday for a wedding. It's just too hard and too expensive. Also, I feel like nothing can top the experiences I had at Paul's shows back in 2001 and 2005. In 2001, I ended up with front row seats, and in 2005, I ended up with entry to Paul's soundcheck, as well as meeting the band and getting 4th row seats to the second night's show. Being that close to the stage is a completely different experience and makes any hassle well worth it. Being up in the cheap seats is still fun of course, but it does lose something, and it's just a different experience. Some day the timing will work out so I can make it to another show - whether it's Paul or Ringo, or thenewno2, or who knows who...but until then, I'm very grateful that I went to shows when I had the time and money to do it and that I had such awesome experiences when I did. Now I am focused on my family and my house, which is wonderful and seems perfectly appropriate for this stage in my life. :) Have a great day everyone!
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Monday, August 24, 2015
Monday Blogging
Well I'm back at work after a short, somewhat stressful, but overall really nice weekend. It was only stressful because the puppy was being frustrating the the mornings -- I'd take her out, she wouldn't go, she'd come in, and go inside. Yesterday morning, I took her out 4 times in the course of an hour and a half and every time, she was only interested in eating bugs and leaves and sticks, and then she'd still go to the bathroom inside. I know she knows the right thing to do, overall, she's been pretty good at housebreaking, but for some reason, this weekend, she was just not getting it. She seems better today - maybe because it's Monday and she's back in her routine.
Anyway, this weekend, we bought a refrigerator! That's something I never bought before! The fridge that came with our house was leaking when we moved in. We have a Home Warranty Service, who sent a contractor out to fix it - that was a huge pain. The contractor took at least a week to call, and they only come out Monday - Friday between the hours of 9 and 4 and give a 4 hour window -- not very helpful when we both work full time. My husband worked from home one day and they came out and told us they needed to order a part. The part took at least 3-4 weeks to come in and then we have to schedule them again. This time, my mom came on her day off to wait for the repair man. He ended up not installing the part -- saying it wasn't necessary -- and that our current part was actually better than the new one. He said that they just needed to order the part so the the home warranty service would pay for it. Shady!! My mom tried to insist that he install the new part since he had it anyway, but he refused. We were super disappointed with this, but the fridge seemed ok, so we dealt with it. Now, last week, it started leaking yet again. Honestly, it's not such a great fridge, and I want to eventually replace our appliances with stainless steel anyway, so we decided not to deal with the warranty and shade contractors anymore and just replace it. We shopped around a lot -- looking at Sears, Best Buy, Home Depot, and Lowes. Our main problem was finding fridges less than 68" tall -- most are around 70" now, but out space is only 68". We found about 4 to choose from and eventually went with a Kenmore model from Sears. It comes on Friday, so here's hoping it all works out!
Anyway, this weekend, we bought a refrigerator! That's something I never bought before! The fridge that came with our house was leaking when we moved in. We have a Home Warranty Service, who sent a contractor out to fix it - that was a huge pain. The contractor took at least a week to call, and they only come out Monday - Friday between the hours of 9 and 4 and give a 4 hour window -- not very helpful when we both work full time. My husband worked from home one day and they came out and told us they needed to order a part. The part took at least 3-4 weeks to come in and then we have to schedule them again. This time, my mom came on her day off to wait for the repair man. He ended up not installing the part -- saying it wasn't necessary -- and that our current part was actually better than the new one. He said that they just needed to order the part so the the home warranty service would pay for it. Shady!! My mom tried to insist that he install the new part since he had it anyway, but he refused. We were super disappointed with this, but the fridge seemed ok, so we dealt with it. Now, last week, it started leaking yet again. Honestly, it's not such a great fridge, and I want to eventually replace our appliances with stainless steel anyway, so we decided not to deal with the warranty and shade contractors anymore and just replace it. We shopped around a lot -- looking at Sears, Best Buy, Home Depot, and Lowes. Our main problem was finding fridges less than 68" tall -- most are around 70" now, but out space is only 68". We found about 4 to choose from and eventually went with a Kenmore model from Sears. It comes on Friday, so here's hoping it all works out!
Friday, August 21, 2015
Crazy Morning - What Being Tired Will do to You!
I'm so tired. I know this is just good practice for motherhood, but having a puppy is exhausting. I love it and I love her, but sometimes I feel like I'm going insane. I can't seem to get myself together lately. Just getting dressed and going to work is a huge chore - let alone trying to make coffee, haha. Last night, it was raining, which means Moxie was confused about going outside to go potty. She did number 1 outside, but number 2 was another story. So, this morning, we woke up to a present in her playpen. This happened about a half hour before my alarm goes off. In my sleepy state, I cleaned the pen and then sprayed it with bleach cleaner. I wiped it all up while my husband took her out, and then we put her back in. Cut to about 30 minutes later when she started retching -- presumably from bleach fumes. I took her downstairs to get some water, then brought her outside and got her some fresh air. That helped. But then I didn't want to put her back in the pen with the bleach, so I cleaned it again with our usual pet stain cleaner. Then of course, the normal routine of taking her out, playing, feeding, etc. We usually have a camera on her during the day so we can see her while we're at work. I forgot to set that up this morning.
So now I got to work, and turned the camera on and realized I didn't set it up. Dumb! I wanted to make sure she was ok! Then I googled bleach and found out that it really was a bad idea to use that in her pen. Then I googled the pet cleaning spray and tried to find out what was in that...and came across a warning that says "Do Not Mix with Bleach." So of course, I freaked. Luckily, I was able to run home and check on her and I re-cleaned the pen with simple soap and water and set up the camera correctly. Now I'm back at work. I just feel like I can't do anything right lately. Whatever I try to do gets all messed up somehow. And the more tired I get, the more I screw up. All I can say is this weekend cannot come fast enough. I am so glad we have no plans. I am so exhausted! I know it won't last forever and I want to enjoy her being a cute puppy while she is one, but sometimes it's so frustrating! Now -- I have no work to do at the moment so it is time for me to eat my yogurt and relax a bit. Oy vey!
So now I got to work, and turned the camera on and realized I didn't set it up. Dumb! I wanted to make sure she was ok! Then I googled bleach and found out that it really was a bad idea to use that in her pen. Then I googled the pet cleaning spray and tried to find out what was in that...and came across a warning that says "Do Not Mix with Bleach." So of course, I freaked. Luckily, I was able to run home and check on her and I re-cleaned the pen with simple soap and water and set up the camera correctly. Now I'm back at work. I just feel like I can't do anything right lately. Whatever I try to do gets all messed up somehow. And the more tired I get, the more I screw up. All I can say is this weekend cannot come fast enough. I am so glad we have no plans. I am so exhausted! I know it won't last forever and I want to enjoy her being a cute puppy while she is one, but sometimes it's so frustrating! Now -- I have no work to do at the moment so it is time for me to eat my yogurt and relax a bit. Oy vey!
Thursday, August 20, 2015
No-Call No-Show
Good Morning! I have some extra time at the moment because I work in HR and our first interview today was a "No-Call, No-Show." It amazes me how often that happens. Our company has pretty high turnover, especially in our entry-level positions, and because of that we can have up to 8 or 9 interviews on a busy day. Generally, we have about 4-5 a day. Of those, I'd guess maybe 10% or more are no-call, no shows. It simply amazes me that people do that at all! I mean, I'm totally fine with it - it makes my day easier - but how do you do that when you have an interview for a job? Even if you got another job in the meantime or just decided the position isn't for you, wouldn't you call and cancel? Once you are a no-call, no-show, there is no going back....we mark that down and then if you apply again, you are automatically rejected. People don't realize they're burning a bridge that could be easily avoided by a quick phone call or email to cancel.
Something really amazing happened yesterday when one of the No-call, No-shows called me a week after her scheduled interview and explained she had a family emergency and would like to come back in. Who knows if the family emergency explanation was true, but even if it was, a phone call still takes less than a minute and an email, even faster! With communication so easy these days, she should have called when the emergency happened, or at least sooner than a week later!
Just an interesting little HR tidbit that I have learned working here for the past year and a half -- people do some crazy things and they have no idea how dumb they are being. I just had to get that off my chest because I'm still amazed every time it happens, and I'd say it happens at least once a week. So here's a tip if you're looking for a job -- don't be a No-Call, No-Show. If you need to cancel an interview, for ANY reason -- just email or call the person who scheduled it and let them know. It takes 2 seconds, and then if you're every interested in a position at that company in the future, you won't be automatically rejected!
Something really amazing happened yesterday when one of the No-call, No-shows called me a week after her scheduled interview and explained she had a family emergency and would like to come back in. Who knows if the family emergency explanation was true, but even if it was, a phone call still takes less than a minute and an email, even faster! With communication so easy these days, she should have called when the emergency happened, or at least sooner than a week later!
Just an interesting little HR tidbit that I have learned working here for the past year and a half -- people do some crazy things and they have no idea how dumb they are being. I just had to get that off my chest because I'm still amazed every time it happens, and I'd say it happens at least once a week. So here's a tip if you're looking for a job -- don't be a No-Call, No-Show. If you need to cancel an interview, for ANY reason -- just email or call the person who scheduled it and let them know. It takes 2 seconds, and then if you're every interested in a position at that company in the future, you won't be automatically rejected!
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Blog Experiment
So I decided I would try to write at least a little something each day here on my blog. I'm starting out now not knowing at all what I will write about, so who knows where it will take me. I'm very tired today so that may not help matters. I feel like I just don't have time to do things lately. I know that's a problem a lot of women face -- especially when you're working a full-time job. I've gotten more used to it, but sometimes I miss being able to schedule a day off in the middle of a week for no reason at all. My company only offers 10 vacation days a year....and that number doesn't go up until you're here 3 years. I know I should be grateful I get any vacation at all, but it's not easy to manage. I do have some sick time, but I try to save that in case of emergencies or snow in the winter (since my company never ever closes in the snow and doesn't allow me to work from home). We took a nice long summer vacation in June, and we are going to visit family out west in November, so after that I'm down to 0 days.
The main thing I feel like I'm missing is my daily exercise. When I wasn't working I did 3 workouts every weekday -- 30 minutes each. When I started working full time, I dropped down to 1 30 minute workout every weekday. Since our wedding, I have gotten in maybe 2-3 per week, and now that we have the puppy, I haven't done any at all. I know I would feel better if I did it again; however I can't seem to find the time. In the morning, I'm taking the dog out, feeding her, and getting myself ready for work. Then I go home at lunch to walk and play with her. Then, when I get home, I let her out again, get the mail, and cook dinner. By the time my husband gets home and dinner is done, I'm exhausted. We barely have time to watch a TV show since after dinner we mainly play with the puppy and have to let her out often. Of course I could get up earlier but I already get up at 6:30 -- whenever the dog wakes up at 5:30, I can't see actually waking up at that time. So, hopefully I will figure out a way to squeeze exercise back into my daily routine. I think once the puppy is a little older that will help since we won't have to keep an eye on her every minute she is out of her crate. We'll see! I hope everyone out in the world is having a great day!
The main thing I feel like I'm missing is my daily exercise. When I wasn't working I did 3 workouts every weekday -- 30 minutes each. When I started working full time, I dropped down to 1 30 minute workout every weekday. Since our wedding, I have gotten in maybe 2-3 per week, and now that we have the puppy, I haven't done any at all. I know I would feel better if I did it again; however I can't seem to find the time. In the morning, I'm taking the dog out, feeding her, and getting myself ready for work. Then I go home at lunch to walk and play with her. Then, when I get home, I let her out again, get the mail, and cook dinner. By the time my husband gets home and dinner is done, I'm exhausted. We barely have time to watch a TV show since after dinner we mainly play with the puppy and have to let her out often. Of course I could get up earlier but I already get up at 6:30 -- whenever the dog wakes up at 5:30, I can't see actually waking up at that time. So, hopefully I will figure out a way to squeeze exercise back into my daily routine. I think once the puppy is a little older that will help since we won't have to keep an eye on her every minute she is out of her crate. We'll see! I hope everyone out in the world is having a great day!
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
I'm back!
It's been a while! Over a year! Time has been going so fast lately it's incredible how quickly a year can just go by in a flash! Since I posted last August, we went on our honeymoon to France, bought a house, and adopted a super-cute puppy! Between working full-time and all of that, we've had some hectic times!
Since moving into our house, it's been so nice having space for everything we have accumulated in tiny apartments for the past 3+ years! And I've come to appreciate just how much work it is keeping a whole house clean and nice-looking. I try to avoid clutter as much as possible...which is now even harder with a puppy running around bringing in leaves and sticks from outside!! One thing I have enjoyed doing is making my own cleaning solutions! I've been on pinterest a lot looking up natural ways to clean just about everything in the house. Combine that with my new found obsession with essential oils has actually made keeping the house clean a fun chore! I love experimenting with the different smells and finding out how beneficial all the oils can actually be! I feel good knowing I'm not filling our new house with chemicals and unhealthy junk in the process as well! I'm hoping to blog more about the cleaning products I have made, but I'll share my favorite one that I use all the time. It is just 1 cup of distilled water, 1/2 cupof vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon of Dr. Bonner's liquid castille soap (I used the unscented one) and about 5-10 drops of either lemon or orange essential oil. I learned to make sure to mix these in glass bottles since oil can eat away at plastic containers. I use this cleaner mainly in the kitchen, but it's great to clean pretty much any surface. It is a little streaky on glass, but I have another concoction for that that I'll share soon!
I've also been using oils for random other things as well, such as on bug bites and simply to relax. My favorite oil by far is the peppermint oil because it smells absolutely fantastic. As far as brands of oil, I have really been switching between 2 brands - DoTerra and Native American Nutritionals, after doing a lot of research on top quality oils. I'll explain more on why I chose them later as well.
I've still been cooking and baking, though not as much as I used to with working full time and having a puppy to take care of. I'm hoping to get back into that more soon so that I can share some of the recipes I have made. I haven't done another Stitch Fix for a while -- that is mainly for monetary reasons. After moving in to the new house, we've been putting our resources into that -- a new sofa, decorations, a repair to our basement, etc. That has really eaten up a lot of money, but it's well worth it. I hope everyone out there on the Internet has been doing well over the past year!
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| Here is a photo of Moxie, our adorable 11-week old Puppy. She is a Cavachon (part Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and part Bichon Frise). |
I've also been using oils for random other things as well, such as on bug bites and simply to relax. My favorite oil by far is the peppermint oil because it smells absolutely fantastic. As far as brands of oil, I have really been switching between 2 brands - DoTerra and Native American Nutritionals, after doing a lot of research on top quality oils. I'll explain more on why I chose them later as well.
I've still been cooking and baking, though not as much as I used to with working full time and having a puppy to take care of. I'm hoping to get back into that more soon so that I can share some of the recipes I have made. I haven't done another Stitch Fix for a while -- that is mainly for monetary reasons. After moving in to the new house, we've been putting our resources into that -- a new sofa, decorations, a repair to our basement, etc. That has really eaten up a lot of money, but it's well worth it. I hope everyone out there on the Internet has been doing well over the past year!
Friday, August 22, 2014
Stitch Fix #3
I must say, I am really enjoying Stitch Fix -- so much so that I finally decided to go for it and sign up for monthly Fixes. It's been so much fun getting boxes of random clothes every month and even more fun when I try it on and actually like the things that were selected for me! It makes it so much easier to get ready for work each morning knowing that I have things in my closet that I actually want to wear! It may get to be expensive, but if I start doing it monthly and shop just for the basics myself, I may end up saving money in the long run.
This month, I received some really fun pieces that I can wear both to work and on my honeymoon next month! Here is what I got:
The Adrina Short-Sleeve Button-Up Blouse:
This came with a white camisole that I tried on with it. The camisole was short though and didn't look good because it cut my torso in an awkward place. Instead, I paired it with my own longer camisole and it worked perfectly! I'm so glad it works with my cami because the shirt is great! It's simple and pairs well with pretty much anything! Actually, I paired it with my Square Stone Collar Necklace that came with my 2nd Fix!
The Kaci Multi Abstract Print Swing Skirt:
This may be my favorite full outfit that I have put together from a Stitch Fix item. The skirt is so much fun to wear and I had fun trying it on with different tops. Here I paired it with a blouse from Nordstrom and a belt and black Nine West pumps from DSW.
The Landers Lattice Crochet Detail Tank:
I wasn't sure about this one just because I don't wear Navy that often, but when I paired it with these beige pants from Norstrom, and new brown Mary Janes, I knew I had to keep it. The lighting on this picture is bad, but I really like the crochet detail at the top, and it's so comfy too!
Downing Striped Knit Shirt:
This is the kind of shirt I will throw on when I don't know what to wear. I can wear it on Casual Fridays at work. I'm not crazy about this picture of me and I decided to opt out of wearing it with that necklace, but the shirt itself is great. It's comfortable and works well with jeans.
Ileen Abstract Floral Print Dress:
I didn't take a picture of myself in this one yet, but this is the one I'm most excited about wearing on vacation. The back is surprisingly open, which I wasn't sure about, but luckily it covers my bra and it's something different! At $58, this was a bargain! It's totally something I would wear but I don't know if I would have picked it out to try on in a store. So excited to wear this!
And there you have it -- Stitch Fix #3! If you'd like to try it, please use my referral link here: http://stitchfix.com/sign_up?referrer_id=3590198. It's definitely a fun little surprise and I'm excited to start getting them more often!
This month, I received some really fun pieces that I can wear both to work and on my honeymoon next month! Here is what I got:
The Adrina Short-Sleeve Button-Up Blouse:
This came with a white camisole that I tried on with it. The camisole was short though and didn't look good because it cut my torso in an awkward place. Instead, I paired it with my own longer camisole and it worked perfectly! I'm so glad it works with my cami because the shirt is great! It's simple and pairs well with pretty much anything! Actually, I paired it with my Square Stone Collar Necklace that came with my 2nd Fix!
The Kaci Multi Abstract Print Swing Skirt:
This may be my favorite full outfit that I have put together from a Stitch Fix item. The skirt is so much fun to wear and I had fun trying it on with different tops. Here I paired it with a blouse from Nordstrom and a belt and black Nine West pumps from DSW.
The Landers Lattice Crochet Detail Tank:
I wasn't sure about this one just because I don't wear Navy that often, but when I paired it with these beige pants from Norstrom, and new brown Mary Janes, I knew I had to keep it. The lighting on this picture is bad, but I really like the crochet detail at the top, and it's so comfy too!
Downing Striped Knit Shirt:
This is the kind of shirt I will throw on when I don't know what to wear. I can wear it on Casual Fridays at work. I'm not crazy about this picture of me and I decided to opt out of wearing it with that necklace, but the shirt itself is great. It's comfortable and works well with jeans.
Ileen Abstract Floral Print Dress:
I didn't take a picture of myself in this one yet, but this is the one I'm most excited about wearing on vacation. The back is surprisingly open, which I wasn't sure about, but luckily it covers my bra and it's something different! At $58, this was a bargain! It's totally something I would wear but I don't know if I would have picked it out to try on in a store. So excited to wear this!
And there you have it -- Stitch Fix #3! If you'd like to try it, please use my referral link here: http://stitchfix.com/sign_up?referrer_id=3590198. It's definitely a fun little surprise and I'm excited to start getting them more often!
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