Holly

 I start posting and do a good job of it and then disappear again. I can't seem but get totally caught up in life and unpacking (yes, STILL) and kindergarten and errands and work (just signed a new client, so I am up to 3 now!) and everything. I feel like I am constantly busy but don't always get much accomplished, if that makes sense. 

Regardless, I am going to try to post more even if that means short, little posts and not long, thoughtful ramblings.

Hold me to it.

So... they offered Andy the job! In Scranton. Where we have been trying to get to for... years. And he finally got a job offer. It's almost unbelievable.

He got the soft offer the Monday after the interview. He had another interview for the state (so could potentially get contacted by other state agencies at any time) and then a meeting with the Dept. of Labor and Industry chief counsel, at which point they essentially made the hard offer. He doesn't have anything in writing yet but the chief counsel was talking about when Andy would start and wanting to send him to a conference, so... they're pretty much planning on him it seems like!

It's going to be a pay cut. A pretty significant one. And by that I mean, huge. But the cost of living will be lower and even though things will probably be pretty tight, we think it's going to be worth it. Worth it to get back to PA. Worth it to be back to a more rural area. Worth it to be closer to family. In a better school district.

The insurance is... complicated. Much like this interview process has been. But he'd start with 14 days vacation, which is better than we thought at first, and he's going to negotiate to see if he can get a better salary or a review for salary increase after a few months. Basically just to see if we can make the deal better for us since we're losing salary AND needing to relocate.

We're thinking we'd like to buy a house. That would probably be best for us financially when looking at house prices vs. renting but we'll have to see how all of that plays out.

But... yeah... looks like we should start packing!

- the ceiling light in the living room
- the microwave
- the water dispenser in the door of the fridge
- the ice maker in the freezer

Oh, and there is still a hole in the basement wall from when the basement flooded 2+ years ago and caused mold in the wall.

Our landlord is coming over tomorrow at noon. We'll see what he fixes. I'm going to guess... not much.

So annoying but we're month to month here now, so we're just riding it out until we're able to make a move. Not sure when that will be but we don't want to move multiple times or get caught up in another lease. Definitely not feeling the love for this house though.

Today I shampooed the steps down into the basement (Why, oh why are they carpeted when the basement is tiled and the area in front of the basement door is hardwood?) They were looking terrible because Benny loves to barf on the stairs. He's the sweetest. It was a pain to do but they look a ton better. Not perfect but way, way better.

It's interview day!

I am so stinking nervous! I think the likelihood that he gets an offer is pretty high but I am nervous about what they might offer him salary-wise. Please let it be enough!

Okay, so here is the first batch of stuff I have culled from my closet that is fit for resale.

Let me know if you're interested in anything and I will snap a photo for you. Feel free to make an offer!

Jewelry
- Sterling silver sun pendent (small) on an 18 inch chain
- White fan/shell earrings
- Pink rose earrings
- Clear, red and blue crystaled "silver" Playboy Bunny necklace (ball chain)
- Clear crystal (with blue crystal eye) "silver" Playboy Bunny earrings (never worn)
- "Silver" chain with sun charm and moon and star charm
- "Gold" dangle sun earrings
- "Silver" dot earrings
- Small gold shell earrings
- Small gold knot earrings

These next 2 would be good for a young girl, if you have a daughter or niece.
- mouse and mousetrap earrings (one side is the mouse and one side is the mousetrap)
- dalmatian and bone earrings (dalmatian on one side and bone on the other)

Sweaters
- Faded Glory, hot pink, turtle/cowl neck sweater, size M (worn 2-3 times)
- Tapemeasure, cream, lace-weight, hooded, v-neck sweater, small pockets on front, size L

Jeans
- Liz&Co., petite, stretch, dark wash, classic jean, size 8 (tags on)

Sweats
- U.S. Polo Assn., red sweatpants with gold stripe down the outside of either leg, number 3 on left hip, size L

Capris
- Gap khaki cargo capris, size 10
- George, bright green, blue and white striped capris, size 8, stretch
- Mudd jean capris, size 9, stretch (fit small)
- The Limited, Drew Fit, chocolate brown corduroy capris, wide legged, cuffed, size 6, fit large (worn 2-3 times)

Shorts
- l.e.i. jean shorts, button and drawstring, size 7

Tops
- I.C.E minty green with flower pattern cowl tank, gauzy/flowy, size M
- Victoria Secret - Moda International, crimson tank, spaghetti straps, lace/chiffon details, size S (never worn)
- a.n.a. dark paisley print tank, brown, red, teal, green, black, pleating detail, gauzy/flowy, size S, fits like a M or L (never worn)
- Attention lined linen "jacket" (not heavy), denim colored, short sleeved, button front with tie at waist, cute pocket and button details, size 10 (tags on)

Dresses
- Jordan, light pink, cocktail length bridesmaids dress (could be worn for any fancy occasion) can be worn with spaghetti straps or strapless, beading under bust, chiffon overlay, ruffled hemline, chiffon scarf, size 10 (never worn, tags on, originally $140)
- Dark blue "velvet" floor length dress, slits in both sides, glitter flower pattern along hemline and up to approximately knee height, spaghetti straps, form fitting, tags have been removed but I would guess it's about a size 8
- Alyn Paige black, floor length dress, spaghetti straps, flower embroidery in black and gray along left-hand side from bust to waist, chiffon overlay, somewhat form fitting, chiffon scarf, size 5/6 (worn 4-6 times)


Let me know if you have any questions or want to know more about anything!

Oh and I unlocked this post in case you know someone that might be interested.

I am in the process of adding a few new things to my etsy shop.

Here's a sneak preview!



( Larger photos under here! )

Remember - free shipping for my FL and friends of the people on my FL for the month of February!

Okay, because I had so many people on my friends list express interest - I'm totally going to make more dog collars!

Because you all have been so complimentary, I am willing to make each of these first collars a custom job - so that means you get to let me know what color and/or pattern you're interested in for your pup! Examples: bright pink, floral pattern; dark blue, star pattern; green, leaf pattern; red plaid. (Don't make it too hard for me though!) Right now I know I can find dog-themed fabrics (bone patterns, etc.) at Jo-ann. I know there are also holiday-themed fabrics, retro-patterned fabrics, and cutesy fabrics like cupcakes and cherries. Give me a first choice and second choice, just in case.

Here is what I have come up with!
Small - $12
approximately 7-11 inches long
3/4 in. wide

Medium - $14
approximately 10-15 inches long
1 in. wide

Large - $16
approximately 15-24 inches long
1 in. wide
(This is what Gage and Una were wearing.)

Extra-large - $18
approximately 19-30 inches long
1 1/2 in. wide

Black buckles, cast nickle D-ring.

If you need a size other than what is listed, let me know and I will see what I can do.

I will probably end up listing collars a little bit higher on my etsy, particularly for custom collars, but I wanted to give a bit of a discount to my first dog-collar customers. :)

Once I finish your pooch's collar, I'll list it on my etsy, reserved under your name and send you the link.

And now... time to work on some baby quilts.

I finally got our books up on our bookshelves. We still need more shelves but they are mostly all up there in some manner. There are still a couple of boxes of less important books that there aren't room for but oh well.

We have a very eclectic assortment of books.

A sample of our more unusual titles - " The Nympho and Other Maniacs," "Caesar and Christ," "The Laws of the Salian Franks," "Maritime New York in 19th Century Photographs," "No Bone Unturned," "The Complete Works of Williams Shakespeare," "Songs of Innocense and Experience," "Don't Count that Chicken 'til Your Fingers Need Lickin'," The Male Experience," "The Second Sex," "The Wisdom of Desmond Tutu" and "Who Moved My Cheese?"

In organizing our books, I also came across some that we had duplicates of or that we weren't that interested in keeping. Below the cut is the list of those such books, if you're interested in one of them, make an offer! They are all used but in decent condition. I can't imagine that shipping on them would be more than $2.

( List of books for sale! )

My allergies are killing me tonight. I keep sneezing and blowing my nose. Hate.

Last night I finished washing down the walls of the living room with a half and half warm water and vinegar mix. I don't know whether or not it worked better than, worse than or the same as a commercail cleaner like Mr. Clean. Part of that problem is, I think, that the 3 walls that are painted with a matte paint, which doesn't wash well as you can just scrub the paint right off (gloss, satin, semi-gloss paints are much easier to clean). The wallpaper on the accent wall is in decent condition. The border around the top of the room is in decent condition. It looks good from the floor but up close you can see that it is pulling away from the wall a little. That is fine by me as, ideally, I'd like to remove the border. But I would like to remove the border without removing the wallpaper. The wallpaper seems much sturdier than the border, so it might be possible. If not and I have to take down the wallpaper, I will and I won't be too upset. The other three walls need to be primed (because the former tenants were smokers and I don't want any remaining grime coming through the new paint) and then painted. The trim should also be painted but there are a lot of layers of paint on the trim around the floor. It might need to be stripped and then painted. I don't know how much work that is though. My mom says that there are so many layers of paint on there that just adding another layer won't make it look any better. I am thinking I would like to paint the walls a cream (as the wallpaper on the accent wall is deep jewel tones, so it needs to be something bright and clean to offset that and not clash with the wallpaper or stained glass windows), so I suppose that the trim should also be cream. Though I think trim is generally painted an enamel. Though Andy shampooed the carpets before we moveed in the carpet in the living room is pretty dirty. I think if I get down on my hands and knees and physically scrub the crap out of it, I might be able to make it look nicer and not so grimy. Anyway, as I have straightened up and vacuumed tonight the living room, it is almost ready for my parent's to come this weekend.

Both bathrooms are also ready.

There is nothing good to say about work so I won't say much. The dread I feel each night for the next day's work is increasing and the anxiety I feel while at work is also increasing. I am not happy there. I am trying not to focus on it but I spend 10 hours of every weekday on my way to or from or at or around work. It's a huge part of my current existence. I haven't been sleeping very well. I am exhausted. I am waiting anxiously to hear from Gannett Fleming. I am so scared I won't get the job.

Thank you to everyone who offered suggestions as to where we could find window treatments. We needed curtains or shades for the guest bedroom as my parents are coming down this weekend and currently the windows are bare. I don't figure either mom or Budd wants to disrobe in front of the whole neighborhood. The window in that room is a bay window, so whatever we looked at for it, we needed three of. We checked out Walmart, Kmart. Target., Ross and TJMaxx but to no avail. We could not find anything we liked in the right size and colors for a price we could afford. We ended up ordering fabric shades from the JCPenney website summer clearance. These shades in particular in linen (which is pictured) for the guest room. I chose such a neutral shade as that room has a bright red carpet. The walls in there desperately need to be painted as they are a mess (the former owners pulled down wallpaper and then... stopped there... I think we're also going to paint the guest room a cream or an ivory as the carpet is red... I don't know what else would not either clash or be overwhelming) but that will have to wait. We also bought those shades in sage for doors in the mud room/laundry room. The price for those 5 curtains even with express shipping (which was expensive as all get out) was cheaper than the cotton tie-up shades at Walmart that only come in primary colors or neutrals. Check out the outlet at jcpenney.com if you need curtains they have some really nice ones for great prices!

Andy's first days of law school have gone well. He's enthused and working hard already. I know he's going to do great.

EDIT: I just opened a $222.36 refund check from our former cable company! Woo! Holy crap, that is so needed right now. I am stupidly excited and delighted by this.

Not being able to find my suit pants really inhibits the hemming and wearing of said pants.

ETA: Found them!