Where has the time gone?!?

I can't believe it has been so long since I wrote an entry. SO. MUCH. HAS. CHANGED! 

I had one entry in 2015 and it was in January. We are now in March of 2016. 

To recap 2015.... 

Matt and I waited and waited and waited and waited for the house in Latrobe. When we didn't have it in June, Matt go an idea in his head that we needed a camper to live in. So in June and July we looked and decided to make a trip on July 4th to Ohio to RV Wholesalers. Before we went we had found a model locally we both loved. They did not have that model in stock, naturally. We looked at so many options, of course Matt and I both liked different models. I figured if Matt and I were going to live in this thing it better be what I want! The model Matt wanted that day was too tiny. the 'entertainment center' was so shallow it wouldn't even hold a DVD case or a book (VERY important)!! The one I liked that day, I can admit now was too big! It had two whole bathrooms and a gigantic bunkhouse. As it turned out we decided to sleep on it for a few more days and ended up ordering the Keystone Sprinter that we fell in love with locally. We lucked out and RV Wholesalers had the model we wanted on order and it was scheduled to come in, in mid-August! We put a deposit on the model and waited. 
Our friends made the trip to Ohio with us initially, they also purchased a camper a few days after our initial visit. Their camper happened to be in stock (yah!!) and they scheduled to pick it up the last Friday in July. That Monday, Matt got an email from our salesman that our camper was in, early, and we needed to call to schedule our pick up!!!! We were so excited! We were able to schedule for that Friday and travel with Jon and April and H-man! 

We have had several adventures in the camper, joined a camping 'club' and are currently still living in it. More on all of this to come at a later date.......

Our days in the camper are limited! The end of October/beginning of November Matt was notified by the attorney handling the estate he would be getting a call to get the deed to the house. The call never came, BUT, a random Thursday I got the mail and there was the deed. After all that waiting, questioning, and anticipation came down to a random Thursday mail delivery..... oh the irony! 

Off to bed for now! I promise more to come soon and hopefully regularly! 

I can't believe it has been a year since I last wrote!

Wow. I know it a has been awhile, but I can't believe it has been a year and 5 days! SO. MUCH. HAS. HAPPENED. Which is why I guess I haven't had time to write.

2014. In Summary.

The husband took a job in Lake Zurich, Illinois. That sucked. In April we packed up all of his belongings, emptied all but the necessities for me out of the house and listed it on the Market. Our lease on the apartment we rented started May 1, 2014 and we got there on May 2, 2014.

May 5, 2014.
Matt's first day of work, the day we got an offer on our house in Pennsylvania, and the day his Grandfather passed away. M and his Pap were always close. His Pap practically raised him and although he never came out and said it, he did not support M's decision to move to Illinois and take the job. He wold always say things like "the grass isnt' always greener on that hill over there" but never that he wanted him to leave. Matt's new company was very supportive. He worked on Tuesday and they have him Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday off to come back to PA and be with family.

In the short time I was out there with Matt before heading back to PA, I hated it. Nothing against those that live out there, but it just wasn't for me. It was a densely populated area, we were living in an apartment and its just not for me!

Our offer on our house fell apart right around the day of the original closing so in July the house went back on the market. We received a second offer in July and we were set to close the first week of September. That didn't happen, it was delayed. However, about that same time Matt received a job offer, from a company he was contracted out to in his previous job. It was in PA. It was contingent upon his passing a physical and him starting in October. Our house was given the clear to close on a Monday. On Wednesday our realtor called and said they had retracted and there was an issue with the water and septic test. The mortgage company was saying they too old, not that there is anything wrong but that they were simply too old. I wasn't being mean to my realtor but  I told her, if it didn't close Friday, it wasn't closing and I was moving back in on Saturday. Its amazing what happens when Realtors realize their sale in in jeopardy. Amazingly the house closed on Friday. It was a disaster, but it closed. It was the first time I've ever gone into a closing without closing documents.

When all is said and done, I'm glad we sold.

Matt and I moved everything out of the apartment on a Friday night after he got off work, we drove about 1/2 way back to PA, stayed the night, and drove the rest of the way on Saturday. On Monday, he started his new job.

We started to look for a house closer to his job in Washington, PA but we recently decided we are going to remodel and move into his Pap's house in Latrobe, PA. In a couple of years we can look for a second place for him to live in closer to his work.

Now, to tackle 2015...............

52 Week Challenge

Everyone is talking about the 52 week money challenge, on the blogs, Facebook, Pinterest, you name it, they are discussing it! Soooo...... I decided to join in again this year (Disclosure I started this last year but with renovations going on I felt the need to apply the money to the house! ) 

I'm adding my own twist though! You are supposed to put $1 in on week 1, $2 in on week 2 and so on and so forth. I was going to do it in reverse, but I think instead I'm going to do it randomly! For example, week 1, I had $5.00 in my wallet! So $5.00 went in!! I'm going to try to do the higher numbers first! I have a chart of 1-52 on the back of my bottle, and highlighting them as I deposit! I also have a chart of all the weeks, 1-52, for how much I deposited that week and a running total! 

Keep your to here crossed I make it! My day to deposit is Sunday!!! Week 1- DOWN! Week 2-approaching quickly! 

💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰

I just need to vent......

So, it's 2:00 in the morning an I'm wide awake, not by choice. A little after 1:00am our dog, Tucker, woke Matt up to let him outside. Matt opened the door and let him out, no leash and he didn't even go  out to watch him. Surprise, Surprise on the coldest night of the year the dog RUNS AWAY! So, what does my ever so charming husband do, come upstairs to yell at me before he goes to look for the dog, and gets another sweatshirt, because IT'S. THE. COLDEST. NIGHT. OF. THE. YEAR!!! We are talking -2 with the windchill right now, which is colder than Alaska! 

So we found the dog 2 yards down, heading towards home. Luckily his collar charms jingle and jangle so we can hear him when it's quiet out! So Matt starts yelling at the dog, but as far as I'm concerned its the husbands fault. He let Tucker out without putting him on the leash or watching him!! Tucker likes to wander, he has ever since we bought this house almost TWO years ago!! One would think Matt would remember that, after all be is be human here with memory function! 

So now it's 2:21 in the morning Matt's sound asleep the dog is depressed and keeps sighing because be know Matt's mad at him. (Matt will occasionally wake up and yell at Tucker- who at this point has no idea what he did wrong!!) And then there is the kitten who is wide awake attacking me because he was woken up through all this chaos! 

My Oh My..... I'm exhausted and just want to sleep (and Spring to arrive 💐)!!!! 

😴✌🐧❄⛄

~Until Next Time~

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Merry Christmas to everyone out there and Happy New Year! I can't believe Christmas is over and 2013 is over in just a few days!

I hope everyone had a great Holiday! This year has been full of ups and downs.

2013 has by far been the hardest year of my marriage. Somehow we survived and the year seems to be ending on a positive note!

A little recap of this year:

Work
I dove head first into the crazy world of small engine repair and outdoor power equipment sales. Although I technically started in 2012, I missed the busy season.
I started selling Tupperware. I LOVE Tupperware! At first I was skeptical about it- but I'm sold (and selling, hehe)!!!!

Friends
This has been such a great year! April, Lyndsey, Michelle (when around) and I have had so much fun locally!

I have t been able to spend as much time with Amy, Candy,& Julie this year but we have had our fair share of good times!! 

More to come later........ 

Bug

Well, we have expanded our family and added another 4-legged fur child. This adorable little kitten we call Bug. Matt wanted to call him, Bageria, but I shortened it to Bug. Look how precious, he's SOOOO tiny. Not sure exactly how old he is, but he's just a little guy. Not even two pounds! He came to us via my brother. His girlfriend brought the kitty to his house but he didn't want another animal, so I took him. The husband was not happy, but the little guy won him over. Our eldest fur child was not thrilled at first, but the two of them have adjusted quite nicely. As long as bug doesn't try to play with Tucker while he's sleeping, they are friends! 

  

Surprise!!

I've been so busy the last few days preparing for my best friends SURPRISE 30th Birthday Party!! April does everything for everyone and no one deserves this more than her!! 

We went with a country theme...... Sunflowers are her favorite and we built the theme from there! 

*** I wrote this post the end of October/beginning of November, sorry for the late post! ***

OnLine Shopping

I LOVE Ebates! It is the best way to shop on-line! I mean they PAY you to shop like you normally do, do how can you go wrong? With the holidays coming up, make sure you SIGN UP HERE !!

'B' is Back

NEVER, and I do mean Never in a million years did our family think Brittany would ever be returned. However, by some miracle, Brittany, my brother's dog who was 'taken' in June is back.

This story is so far fetched, it really is hard to believe. On Friday, a dog was found in Youngwood and taken to a shelter there. The shelter posted her picture, I saw it, and my first thought was Brit! However, I thought she looked a little to gray to be Brit and she was on the chubby side. I didn't do anything, and now I regret it! Sunday morning my mom texted me to say the girl who had found Brittany the first time, and unknowingly handed her over to the wrong owner sent my brothers girlfriend a picture showing a dog and asked if it was Brit! Immediately everyone thought it possibly could be! Adam tried to reach the shelter all day Sunday, but they were not in. He spoke to them today, Monday, and him and my mom went up. They had to take photo proof and vet records.

Adam explained the who story to the lady and when she brought B out I guess she got so excited to see my brother. The lady was convinced it was her. However, my mom and Adam were still hesitant. B had a bare spot of skin on one of her elbows, and the hair was now long enough and covering it. Also, she is much darker brown. The lady at the kennel said that is probably because she was kept indoors and did not spend a lot of time outside. The true moment of truth came though when another couple walked in to look at dogs. The lady working at the kennel spelled out Brittany and asked the lady to call her name. Brit immediately responded and went to her. She remembered her name!!! :) That convinced everyone!

The lady working told my brother she had goose bumps for such a happy ending. Poor B! It seems like she was cared for, she got a little chubby, but she is in shock. She's just wondering around my brothers. Hopefully she gets comfortable and adjusts sooner rather than later. She also looks a lot more aged! She definitely has a lot more gray hair than she did in June.

My niece is so excited to go to her daddy's house to see B! It truly is a happy ending! Miracles do happen, especially when you least expect them!!

I've added another job title!

I work in a unique situation. I work for my brother who owns his own business. He sells tractors, outdoor power equipment, repairs small engines, and provides lawn care and landscaping services. Our retail location happens to be located inside Laurel Valley Hardware, the local hardware store. As part of their continued effort to bring more female clientele into the hardware store, a hardware store employee and myself will be starting a craft section to demonstrate what can be done with simple supplies from the hardware store! We will be setting up our area tomorrow and I'm so excited about it!! Once we have a few crafts made, we will be putting together crafting kits and selling them as well! :) I can't wait to see how well this works!! Wish us luck and stay tuned!!

30 Sucks.....

Or so they say! I'm not quite there yet, but so many I know are reaching 30! (I should note I only have 8 months left in my 20s- better start living them up!!) anyways, one of my best friends J threw a surprise 30th for her fiancé P. the party was great! He had NO idea! I made him a little gift card holder..... It turned out really cute!! Of course my inspiration came from Pinterest I just modified to make it work for me! Enjoy! 

Overall it was really easy! I used a small box, cut to size- filled it with spray foam, cut the expanding foam down to size, wrapped the box, an stick the lollipops in, 30 of the suckers are shoved in the box, along with a dowel rod holding an envelope containing the gift card. Such an easy gift! 

Now to figure out what to do for the rest of the 30th birthdays over the next year.... 

Suggestions are welcome! 

Update to 30X30

I'm not going to sugar coat it but I'm also not to dwell on it.... The last five months have been challenging!! 

However, I am happy to report my list is getting accomplished! 

1. This is HUGE!! I. HAVE. TRIM. My life is close to complete! The pic below shows the outside trim, but i have it inside also!! Now if I can just get the curtain rods hung up and curtains up.....

2. I was doing SO good with this, but then Matt's company went on strike and he didn't work for two weeks..... Ugh- so what little I had put away- we used to cover his loss in wages--- so now I'm trying to get my savings built back up to where it was... And grow it from there! 

3. I just finished my fourth book of the week! I'm at 6!! Only 24 more to go....

4. See #2 and the small set back......spending is shut off for now! 

5. I'm working on this-- I've gotten rid of SOOO much so far- I've probably cleared out 1/2 my clothing, 1/4 of my jewelry, 1/2 the yarn that I had and SOOOO MUCH MORE!! 

6. Right now I have 48 auctions up- I don't know if I will ever clear $100/month- but I'm trying!! I think at this point if I clear $50 one month I will consider myself a success!! 🏆

**** I did it!!!! Free and clear- after all fees $100+++ 

7. As I mentioned earlier I substituted jewelry with Tupperware! I must say- its been good to me so far! :) I just earned an IPad!! I can't wait for it to come in! Yeah me!! 

8. I definitely haven't stared a Facebook page yet, and I definitely haven't crafted any thing recently. I really need to get back to crocheting! Winters coming and I have 'orders' to fulfill!! 

9. Blog posts- I clouding this one I'm up to 11! 

10. I'm hoping in November to take a Saturday trip to Ohio. September is over and October is Upon us and just tooo busy, So November it is!! 

11.Niagara Falls is just a dream--- I tried to plan a weekend trip here but Matt said 'No'. 😥 Anyone want to go with me?!?!?

 

12. Matt's Grad Party 🎓was August 24- and we had such a good turn out!! So much of his family and mine were able to make it!

13. Landscaping is started!! Matt borrowed my dads tractor and destroyed the yard, but definitely got a lot done!! He landscaped in front of the front porch and out by the road, along the driveway! It's coming along..... 

14. The addition fund is lacking.. See #2- and how Cleveland Brothers got in the way!! 

15. I've had some interest in a Pinterest Party--- def need to get that planned-- SOON! Maybe in November with a thanksgiving or Snowman craft! 

16. I'm pretty sure I could get at least 5--- I just need to get on the ball and planning!! 

17. I still didn't order a Pens Jersey- less than a month until Hockey games start.... I can't wait!! The Pens have already reported for training camp!! LGP!!

18. My sister in law Liz and I had a yard sale in July. We did really good!! I made over $100! We are having another sale this coming weekend, so if I make another $100 I will be SOOOOO satisfied!! But first I need to clear out some more 'treasures' to sell! 

19. Accomplished!! Plus FIVE!!

20. I really want someone to follow my Blog. Soon, I can feel it- a couple more posts and I will take off!! 😋

21. Still need to try this! 

22. Ugh- every time I pick up yarn and crochet hooks I get distracted and just can't work on anything. We are heading to Florida in October and I will try to finish up some projects on the way! After all, I have 14 hours in the truck! 

23. It will be three years on October 15 since my Granny's death. I need to get these done, yet I can't bring myself to finish them! The boxes are all laid out, they just need the items attached! Soon, very soon, I WILL finish them! 

24. I found the command light hooks on clearance at Walmart yesterday!! So now I really have no excuses!! 

25. Christmas Party- I really want to host but we shall see- it may just be a small gathering of friends! 

26. I now own TWO pink Elephant Vera pieces! I bought a purse on EBay and a duffel bag off of my friends sister in law! Yeah for social media and reselling sites! They have the best deals! 

27. I'm such a procrastinator and I really need to get on this! But it's pumpkin season..... I need to get my will power in check and start restraining before I gain another 15 pounds!! 

28. Well the garden didn't do so hot this year. I tried to keep up with the crab grass but it kicked my butt! We did get zucchini, watermelons, kohlrabi, onions, beets, and some beans! 

29. Again, because of the strain of the strike this is slightly delayed! I'm hoping soon! I'm not getting any younger and I don't want to be an 'OLD' parent, NOTHING against that- it's just not what I want!! 

30. So far I've been trying to have as much fun as possible! Taking life to seriously is for the birds these days! You have to live life to the fullest for the last year of my 20s! 

✌💗💋

~Amanda

"B"

Last week while my mom and I were on vacation my brother's two dogs got out of his yard and went on an adventure. Daisy, the younger of the two, returned without her older counterpart Brittany. We feared the worst as Brittany is known to attack anything that crosses her path (she has had more than one run in with a porcupine and snakes and well a chicken)! We feared she may have met her match. However, two days (Wednesday) after Daisy returned there was hope as one of my brother's friends saw a picture of B on Facebook with a posting from a girl who had found her.

The rejoicing didn't last long. When the girl was contacted, she said the dog had been claimed the day prior (Tuesday). The girl said a man  had called her from a blocked number, said he lived in Youngwood, and that the dog was his. He made arrangements to meet her at her work that day and he came and took Brittany. The girl knew very little about him, other than he drove a green car, said he lived in Youngwood, PA, and was probably in his mid thirties. He called the dog 'April'. The girl did say that B growled at him and did NOT want to go with him. Proof that dogs really can sense awful human beings when they encounter them! Poor B.

We have been told two theories. One she was taken and used to train pit bulls for dog fighting, in which case I hope that the dog they are training one day turns on the vicious excuse for human beings training them and they get everything they have coming to them. The second is people are snatching dogs and waiting for reward money to be offered and then collecting the money. Either theory is sick and twisted and the person responsible deserves every bit of bad unfortunate luck that is thrown their way.

Regardless of what happened to B, I just hope she did not have to suffer, and I can only hope she first turned on the poor excuse of a man that stole her from my brother and my four year old niece, because frankly, explaining to a four year old that her dog 'ran away' and you don't think shes coming back isn't easy. Especially when *Sparkles* my niece dreams B came back out of the woods every night and she gives her dog treats and puts her back in her pen, but B always escapes by morning and Sparkles gets sad all over again.

Beach Therapy

My mom and I are heading to Rehoboth Beach Delaware on June 16 for 4 days!! I can't wait!! I'm long overdue for some beach therapy!! 

Although I had some amazing vacations and experiences last year throughout Europe, none of them involved me laying on a beach soaking up harmful sun rays!! 

Progress......

I'm working on my 30x30 goals. So far I haven't made that much progress.... But I did make some (along with some modifications also!!)

2. I put my last check directly into savings!! My goal for one check a month!

3. I've read 1.5 books. Although it wasn't a paperback book that I finished, I did read a book I had waiting on my Kindle. Only 13.5 more books to go!!! I promise, the next 13 will be actual print books, not the electronic kindle books!

7. I decided to sign up with Tupperware for now! My sister in law Liz wanted to do it so we signed up together. It was a win, win situation for us! It only cost $30 to sign up and as long as we have $900 in sales by July 15, we owe nothing else! I already have 2 parties booked from my friends and Liz has been collecting orders from the hospital! Although I really like jewelry, I will probably stick to Tupperware for now, and maybe add jewelery in the future!

9. This will be my 3rd blog post since my goals were laid out! Only 27 more to go!!

12. I started to get a list together of people to invite to Matt's graduation party. I'm trying to talk my mother into hosting at her house, but she doesn't seem to be biting the bait!

13. I started to build a rock wall, to do something with all the rocks, but so far that is the extent of where we have made it.

17. I still didn't get myself a Jersey, but I did get a James Neal shirt since they made it to the second round of the playoffs (and now the third!!! 4 more wins to the cup finals!!) Its a black and gold Eastern Conference Finals! Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Boston Bruins. GOOOO PENS!

26. This is huge!! I FINALLY won and EBAY auction for a BRAND NEW VERA BRADLEY PINK ELEPHANTS PURSE!!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! I'm so excited!!!

28. The garden is planted and starting to grow. Here's hoping it continues!!


Matt found out I made a 30X30 list and he now wants to make one. HA! He doesn't even have time to go to dinner, let alone make a goal list and complete it! I can't wait until August when he is done with school! Maybe we can actually spend some time together and have a life again!

Until Next time~
Amanda

One Stepping Stone at a time...

$66.30... That's what I need to earn by May 31 to put myself on target with my 2013 goals of earning an additional $50/month for the first 6 months of the year, and then upping it to $75/month the last 6. I had a great week last week on eBay, almost everything sold. Now I just need to get some more auctions started.

I must disclose also that if I hadn't bought as much as I have this year off of eBay I wouldn't be so short of my goal. Oh well, you learn and keep going forward!

This year is all about goals for me. I have set goal after goal after goal for myself to accomplish. Here's to hoping I make it through some of them sooner rather than later!

Let the playoffs begin.....

LETS GO PENS!!!

Adoption

Many people don't Know that I'm *mildly* obsessed with the idea of adoption. Matt and I want a family. No if, ands, or buts about it, we want a family. However, the 'traditional' methods of starting a family are not working out for us. To put it bluntly, We had not been preventing pregnancy for OVER five years. (And if you do the math, yes, that is longer than we have been married!) While its not something either of us like to talk about, its become such a part of our lives and we have been dealing with for many years. I've always thought Adoption would be in my future, however, I never thought it would be our first step.

I've come to realize there are a lot of people out there that do not support adoption. I'm not sure why, but at the same time I'm sure they don't understand why I DO support adoption. 

A vast majority of people have never dealt with infertility and they don't realize what it's like. There is a HUGE difference between choosing not to have children and not being able to. 

I've had so many people recently try to talk me into fertility treatments, but I must say- for me that's not the route I want to take. I don't believe taking a pill will 'fix' our problem when the do toes can't tell is what our problem is to begin with. 

I want nothing more than to be able to conceive a child , carry the child, and five birth, however, it doesn't seem like this will be in the cards for me. Trust me when I say this has tested my faith. I don't claim to be a devout follower but I believe in God and all he stands for, however, my trust in him has been questioned. I often wonder if because I doubted him while he tested us if that's why we can't conceive or if in the end we can't conceive because we are to open out hearts and home to others. 

If I ever figure it out, I will be sure to pass it on! But for now, I save to cover the high cost of adoption, and pray for a miracle in between. 

Every Penny counts, and I save them all!! 

Until Next Time--

Amanda 

30X30

I turned 29 on April 11 and I've been having some issues with it...... I can't believe THIRTY is right around the corner!!! Oh My Goodness! To me that is crazy! So, I've decided to create myself a 30X30 list..... please help me hold myself accountable....

1.   Install Trim in house.
2.   Build up XXXXX into Savings (Sorry I'm not going THAT into depth!)
3.   Read AT LEAST 15 books before I turn 30! ( I only have about 100 sitting around un-read)
4.   Sign up for Pittsburgh Penguins Season Tickets Waiting List
5.   De-Clutter Home
6.   Earning $100/month on Ebay *Net Profit*
7.   Start selling Jewelry, and host at leaset 2 parties a month. All funds go to pay principal on car.
8.   Start selling Crafts. Start a facebook page to sell them.
9.   Have at least 30 more blog posts before April 11, 2014
10. Go to Ohio Amish County Wineries.
11. Visit Niagria Falls.
12. Throw Matt a massive Graduation Party-He should graduate in August 2013!!
13. Landscape around the house.
14. Start a 'House Addition Fund'.
15. Host a Craft Day/Pinterest Party.
16. Get at least 5 people to attend my Pinterest Party.
17. Get a Penguins Jersey.
18. Have a MASSIVE Yard Sale. (Make at least $200)
19. Get at least 200 Followers on Pinterest (Currently at 167)
20. Get at least one other follower on my blog, come on, someone follow me?!?!? Please?!?!?!?
21. Make Sangria. Candy- can I have your recipe??
22. Finish some Unfinished Crochet Projects.
23. Finish the Shadow Boxes for my Great-Grandmother.
24. Decorate Outside for Christmas. I mean I have to do it one year, right?!?
25. Host a Christmas Party! December 21- Mark your calenders!
26. Get a Vera Bradly Pink Elephants Purse.
27. Say Goodbye to 15 pounds I'm not attached to!
28. Fresh Veggies from my garden (co-op Garden at Mom's House)
29. Start an Adoption Fund.
30. Have FUN!!!

The above is my quirky take on how I want the next 11.5 months to go....... lets see how it plays out!

~Amanda

My New Subaru

I finally convinced Matt a new Subaru was the way to go! Yeah for me! Check it out below!





Yeah for having a reliable car, but BOO HOO for having car payments for the next 5 years..... to begin the cycle again!