Home Rentership

I've always known that life would be easier if I lived in an apartment complex.  Someone would take care of the lawn, there would be help immediately available for most issues, and I might even have a pool.

But I've always wanted the freedom of a home.  It is my absolute dream to find the perfect house and be able to do anything I'd like to it.

Today is one of those days that I hate having a yard.

My yard is HUGE out back, and I have an alley behind that the grass belongs to me, as well.  Not to mention the front yard.  It's a very large lot.  Last week, I kept trying to mow, but it rained every other day, and the grass was never dry.  Finally, it was getting so high in some spots, I was barely seeing my short little dog Basil from the door, so I knew I had to do something.

I got the lawnmower out of the garage (one the landlords leave here), and realized it had a crooked wheel.  I kept trying to kick it back in place, and barely made it through the front yard.  It was SO hard to push that way, and I have an odd slope that is very steep in the front.  I got to the back and the mower kept shutting off because the grass was so wet and tall, which also made it impossible for me to use the broken-wheeled mower.  I flipped the mower on its side and tried to fix it, but the metal is actually broken.  The wheel is dangling there like a loose tooth.  I could move it about 6 inches before it was putting more strain on the metal.  So I stopped mowing, and the next day it rained AGAIN.  It rained twice this week, and this weekend, one of my sweet friends graciously loaned me her mower.  I loaded it up in my SUV and drove the few blocks back to my house.

It works like a GEM.  I mowed most of the grass!  But some is a little too wet still, so I will wait until tomorrow.  I'm crossing my fingers for no more rain.

Yard work is not one of my favorite onederful activities when its this difficult and HOT.  But, I keep repeating, "I can do this.  I'm an independent, onederful woman."  Haha.  :)  But it sure would be helpful to have a husband or a roommate to share in the work!

Here is how the yard is looking now.

Still have some work to do, but it is MUCH better.  And I can see my dogs!  This picture gives a nice comparison of how it looked before, though. (And aren't the trees amazing?)

My other least favorite parts of living alone are:
-Doing the dishes
-Remembering to do things like unplug the blow dryer
-Feeling sorry for my dogs in the kennel all day
-Not being able to watch scary movies

My real favorite parts:
-Privacy
-Walking to my room in only a towel
-Stretching out on the couch whenever I want
-Having complete say in what goes on the walls, and everywhere else in the house
-If I want to leave the dishes for a day, I won't feel bad.

And here's me before the treacherous lawn mowing.  I woke up early to go with a friend to the farmer's market in the big city. ;)  Then we ate breakfast at a coffee shop, hit up Dillons and Lowes, and drove around looking at the most gorgeous homes in the town.  We can dream, right?

Nights Like This

On nights like this, only the dogs keep me company.

I watch "Peggy Sue Got Married" on instant Netflix because nothing else looks good, and give myself heartburn eating Doritos.

On nights like this, I become infuriated with every revved engine and squealed tire from the parking lot across the street where there are 10-30 hoodlums at any point of the night, you know, "hanging out."

I get extremely nostalgic and put myself through the pain of looking at all my photos from happy times with friends and family, then lament over the distance between us.  I remember that some of them are alone a lot, too, and get even madder that we are so far apart.

I get really angry with the small town I live in, where nothing is open late.  Even when I know I'm too tired to do anything anyway.  I just feel like I should be doing something.

On nights like this, I make half-hearted attempts at everything I do, so I can say, "I was being productive!" without feeling like it was a lie.

I curse money, because there's never enough of it so I can travel everywhere I want.

I furiously lint-roll the furniture to get the dog hair off and consider unpacking the rest of the boxes, but do the dishes instead.

I know I should value the time I have to "get things done," but on nights like this, I am just unsatisfied with nearly every experience.

And on nights like this, I know I'm being ridiculous.

Beautiful curls using a sock?

When I heard that, it sounded too good to be true.

BUT -- it was worth checking into.

I love to find ways to style my hair with no heat and little to no product.  Much friendlier to the environment AND my locks!

First, I watched the tutorial on curling your hair with no heat.  It is a method that uses a "sock bun."  Then, I had to watch the tutorial on the sock bun.  The girl who does the videos is annoyingly cute and foreign with gorgeous, long hair.  The videos were also lengthy, with a lot of slightly ditzy "umm, uhhh" filling up time.  If you can get through that, you're already doing well.  But again, the picture of the curls I saw seemed worth it.  I knew mine wouldn't turn out as good as her long and luxurious locks, but really wanted to try.

So I did.  I cut the tip off of a sock, rolled it up like a doughnut, and went to town.  Instead of just dampening my hair, I showered and let it dry almost all the way, then blew dry the hair near my scalp.  Here are some pictures of the process:

This is my hair when it was first up in the  sock bun.  I'm not sure I did a great job, and seemed to have way less hair than cute, foreign girl.

When I woke up in the morning, it was only slightly disheveled!  

 This is what it looked like taken down.  Not really that curly...just some awesome waves.

I might look the same if I just didn't brush my hair.

And finally, I put on some mascara and chapstick, to see if that helped.

It was definitely a change from my normal, blow-dryed, straightened, or ponytail look.  I got many compliments, even though it seemed wild to me all day.

I'm going to try again tonight with hair less damp, and I'm going to try and sleep longer than 6 hours. :)  I will post again if anything changes!

*UPDATE*

Last night I did this again with hair less damp, and had it in for around 9 hours, and was SO EXCITED when I woke up and found my hair like this! (I also cut the sock in half so that it wouldn't be so thick.  If my hair was longer it might not be an issue, but I feel this helped, so my hair got wrapped more times around the doughnut shape of the sock).

All I had to do was brush my bangs, use a little hairspray, and then my usual routine of toothbrushing, blush, mascara, and chapstick.  It was so super easy that it might be my new go-to hair!

Holla!

For the love of chalk.

Ever since I discovered chalkboard paint, I have been dying to cover something with it!

A few months ago, pre-move, I found this amazing frame at goodwill for around $9.99.  That's usually more than I'm willing to pay for something thrifted, but I just knew it would make something magical!

Then, I thought I might need to show the frame to scale!  So in comes the broom.  

BUT THEN -- what if this was a small broom?  So I jumped in the picture.  For reference, I'm 5'5'', always pretending to be 5'6''.

For the paint, I used Krylon Chalkboard Paint, found at Hobby Lobby and other places for around 8 bucks, but I got it for $6.98 with a coupon a while back!  Gotta love coupons!  

I took the painting out of the frame (which proved difficult because the million little "staple" things holding it in, and the parchment paper on back), and took it outside to paint.  I put some wrinkled wrapping paper I couldn't use underneath to protect the grass, and got to work!  You have to apply two coats, so that the chalkboard appearance will happen.  

I couldn't have asked for a better day to be outside -- it was only around 85 degrees!  The worst part was the ants crawling all over my toes.  I will wear shoes next time.  Some ants and bugs also tried to crawl on the paint, but met untimely deaths.  I tried to blow them off before the toxins reached their bodies, but some are just too intent on crawling all over the place.  Between coats, I brushed dust and grass particles from the Kansas wind off with a paper towel, ever-so gently, as not to mess the paint.

I brought it in, and putting the board back in the frame was even more work than taking it out, but ta-da! This is the finished product (up close and further back):

It is also my goal to make a new cushion for that chair...

I have to wait 24 hours for the paint to draw before I can use my chalk.  The bottle of paint says to stay away from clay-based chalk, so I will have to check on that, but I'm excited!  I can just see messages to dinner guests, holiday quotes, and favorite poems, displayed nicely on the board!

My favorite, and excerpt from "The Welcome," by Thomas Osborne Davis:

So come in the evening, or come in the morning;
Come when you ’re looked for, or come without warning:
Kisses and welcome you ’ll find here before you,
And the oftener you come here the more I ’ll adore you!

*UPDATE*

I added the words (8-9-11)

It takes a little work to get the chalk off, and it's interesting to write on a slightly textured surface -- but otherwise awesome!  Don't you just love it? :D

Ah, I love to create!

When it's hot, go thrifting.

I just had to share my most recent thrifting finds!  They made me a happy lady before yesterday's blubbering, and I'm oh-so-happy again when I think about the bargain I got.  It almost makes me want to identify with extreme couponers.  Almost.

First, I found some things I can use in my classroom (always on the lookout!)  I got the most adorable little pushup puppets representing countries all over the world.

They are like a push-pop.  Fun with fine motor skills!

I also got some window clings (the kids love to peel and stick) for the fall season, and some more tiny pumpkins for fine motor.  We have to do ten minutes a day of intentional fine motor at LEAST.  It is such an important skill to build.

I also got a bag full of rick-rack and some other odds and ends craft supplies, which you will see later. I also got a few things for myself, one being this delicious, wide, RED mug!  I can't get enough of mugs!

I also got another red-hot item -- this large clutch that will look so good with the navy-blue blazer I am coveting.  

Finally, here is a picture of all the items together, with my MOST FAVORITE item being the adorable hostess apron I got for the bargain price of 99 cents!  Those are usually around 20 dollars, and I'm not talented enough to make one, so I am pumped about this purchase!

How much was all of this, you say?

Dolls -- $1.99

Window Clings -- $0.99

Mini-Pumpkins -- $0.49

Bag of craft items -- $1.49

Mug -- $0.49

Purse -- $0.99

Apron -- $0.99 (still in disbelief!)

All for a grand total of $7.43, and with my Goodwill discount card -- $6.03!  I still don't know how it equated to that with a 15% discount, but I gladly paid the amount!

I'm sure there will be some baking to come in that glorious apron.  I'll keep you updated.

Go thrift!

Mo' Moving, Mo' Problems

I have moved four times in less than a year.  It's about to be five.  I am so ready for this phase of my life to be over.  Moving is a nightmare.  Especially when it's hot.  Especially when you have bronchitis.  Especially when there is sloshy snow on the ground.  Especially when you have to decide what to keep for the summer and what to put in storage.  I feel I've experienced it all.

I'm ready to slow, and to settle down.

To do this, I've got to know what is ahead for me.  I would love to be wild and free-spirited, but no one ever tells you how much planning that actually takes.

I want to find a place that's affordable, will let me have Basil (fenced-in yard preferred), has a big enough kitchen for me to cook in, and room for my furniture that fit in my old house.  Hopefully two bedrooms.  I can live with one bathroom, but I MUST have a place to craft and have guests.  And an old place, full of character would be nice.  That's not too much to ask, is it? If I'm paying for it, I want to like it.

Maybe someday I'll just sell everything I have and move to a big city.

But I wonder -- all the great experiences a big city provides -- do they mean anything if you can't share them with the people you love?

And now...a tribute to my former houses, that I loved.  Sigh.

Dog Days of Summer

Besides basic emotional turmoil of all single twenty-something women, my life, in the words of the Fresh Prince, has been "flipped turned upside-down."  By a small dog who goes by the name of Basil.  Half dachshund, half shar-pei.  Cute as anything, crazy as all get-out.  Apparently, abandoned dogs sometimes suffer from separation-anxiety, and Basil's is severe.  That, and some other factors, have brought me to the decision to stay home this summer and take care of her, and take care of my dad after he has back surgery.  I think it will also be nice to stay home and catch up on reading, Spanish, crafting, and of course, tap-dancing.  I'll just need to live a little more thriftily.  You'll hear about that here.

I've spent this weekend at garage sales, the public library, and the farmer's market.  At the library, I got Mark Bitttman's The Food Matters Cook Book, which is companion to his book that I love so much, and changed my views of food completely.  I'm looking forward to cooking from it!

At the garage sales and antique store(with the help of Molly and Jess), I got some awesome deals!  I spent less that 25 dollars and got two dinosaurs, wood blocks, three movies, two books, pipe cleaners, four spools of ribbon (for my classroom), a NEW game of Catch Phrase, a gift for dad, a picture of Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, four pairs of earrings, a feather boa, and two vintage maps to use for a project!  I am so happy with the results.  Garage sales are a teacher's best friend.

I also got this FABULOUS trunk for ten dollars!  I look for a trunk everywhere I go, because I've been dreaming of turning one into a coffee table.  They are usually somewhere from 150-300 dollars, which is obviously too expensive.  When I saw this one for TEN DOLLARS, I flipped!  It needs a lot of work and I know I don't have anywhere to put it right now, but I couldn't pass that deal up.  And I'm so looking forward to the fun of re-finishing it and making it my own!

Finally, this morning, I went to the downtown farmer's market at First and Mosley.  It was delightful!  There were people abound, live music, and local food and produce to die for!  I ended up with a package of Thai Basil and three tomatoes (for bruschetta this week!) and a package of fresh flowers. Heaven. :)

I really wanted some fresh eggs, but they sell out quickly, I was told!  I'll have to go earlier next weekend.  I miss Salina because I got fresh, free-range eggs from a co-worker. :(

Enjoy the bounty of summer, my friends!