Thursday, December 18, 2014

It's list season


I love this time of year.  Everybody releases their “Best/Worst of” for the year.  Everything from video games, movies, music, technology; you name it, they probably have a list for it.  I have already started going through the top albums and songs for the year from Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, Flavorwire, Yahoo Music and NPR.  There are so many more lists out there, but these are my favorite ones.  This gives me a chance to go over what I missed in the music world.  Don’t get me wrong, there are a ton of lists out there, but after a while they all start to have the same artists just in different rankings.  I get excited when I do see one of my purchases on a list.  I like to think that I made the extra yummy music choice when this does happen.  Yes, I said yummy music.

After I get all moved in and settled in my new home I will be spending time scouring my favorite sites again for new/old artists and the wish list will continue to grow.  I will be reviewing these new lists in the process as well.  I cannot wait to continue to my love of all music and to have back my long day at work just want to listen to some Crooners, musical Saturdays, hot bubble baths with Frankie and some candles, iPod update fests where I spend quite a bit of time combing through what I have, wiping my iPod clean and reloading it.  Feeling like I’ve rekindled an old love interest when I hear a cd that I haven’t heard in a long time.  And will post my own lists of my favorite top ten songs/albums/artists I think should be heard.  My calendar will once again be filled with new releases and my presence at a different Dimple store will be a regular occurrence.  It’s good to be back.  And Thank You music industry people for your lists.  They are greatly appreciated!

Saturday, November 15, 2014

Leap of Fatih


 

Earlier this year I sold my house and moved in with my fiancĂ©.  I’m a country girl, was raised in the country and would have loved to stay there.  But I moved to the suburbs and became a flatlander.  Unsure of how things would play out, I took that leap of faith to move forward with our relationship.  We had no problems adjusting to each other.  I had the problem adjusting to suburb life.  It’s loud, bright with street lights, no frogs to listen to, hardly any trees (mostly concrete jungle), crowded and the houses are pretty much piled on top of each other.

So the search began for a new place to call home.  80 houses were looked at in one form or another (internet, drive by or actual viewing).  I finally found a place to call home.  It’s across the street from creek bed, there are frogs to listen to, its a nice corner lot so I don’t feel claustrophobic as there is a nice sideyard to give space between the homes.  The backyard is a little small from what I am used to, but the creek makes up for it.  Escrow is scheduled to close in December so Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.  Have a new home, next year the wedding plans start.

Jersey Boys


 

 
Craig surprised me with an early birthday present to go see Jersey Boys live on stage.  It’s the story of Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons.  They were inducted into the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame back in 1990 and then one of the original members passed away not to long after.  I am a sucker for music back from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s.  They stood out due to the uniqueness of Frankie’s voice.  I learned a lot about the band and the origination of certain songs.  I loved every minute of it and would go see it again in a heartbeat. I will get the program and the ticket framed and it will go up on the wall.

Found 'em


 

 
I have my music wish list that I keep and have been slowly checking off cd’s when I find them. Most of them are out of print and take time finding.  But patience has paid off as I finally found 3 of them. 

Shirley Ellis, Devil Doll and The Pierces.  I have been looking for Shirley Ellis for 2 years.  She was finally found and has been added to my collection.  If you remember the Name Game song then you have heard Shirley Ellis.  She deserves a lot more credit for her career than just than one song.  She has an amazing voice and is talented beyond The Name Game song.   Devil Doll and The Pierces were discovered by listening to Pandora.   Devil Doll has a sultry smokey bluesy voice.  She’s  country/rockabilly and it was love at first listen.  Of course, her music was out of print as well.  But patience is a virtue and I finally found her on Amoeba records website and it was mine.  Now to find her other one.  The Pierces was discovered from Pandora as well.  Like Devil Doll it was love at first listen.  Upon some research they too were out of print, but I finally found them.  It didn’t take me as long to find Devil Doll and The Pierces like it did Shirley Ellis.  But it did take awhile.  I still bring out my list once in awhile to see what I can find.   I know one day I will have them all, but then again my list does keep growing.  In the meantime, I have very happy ears.

Sunday, August 10, 2014

Debt Free Baby


Debt is that nasty 4 letter word that we all hate.  It’s so easy to use and get sucked up in, after all, spending money is fun.  Paying it back though is a complete bitch and takes forever.  I, like millions of others, had a blast getting into it.  But getting out of it brought a lot of tears, anger and frustrations.  A few of the happiest days of my life were making those pay off phone calls.  Like my student loan, my car payment and a couple credit cards.  I figured that since I didn’t have those payments anymore that I would just keep going the way I had been going and just deal with it later.   That was a mistake.  I got tired of living paycheck to paycheck, not being able to put anything into savings because it was going towards credit card payments.  When I was able to put a little something into savings, it got sucked right back out due to a smaller than usual paycheck and not having enough to cover my bills.
Although I always made sure that my cats and bills were taken care of, I would figure out how to put gas in my car and feed me somehow.  Lots of sleepless nights, tears and that sinking feeling in your stomach when you see how little you have left until you get paid again.  Well, I am excited to say, this will happen no more.  I have finally been able to pay off all of my debts and the only bills I have now are my monthly expenses like electric, garbage, water…you know the usual stuff.  I have vowed to myself that I will only use my credit cards for emergency only, will build back up my savings account because I can now and never ever again will I live paycheck to paycheck. 

I feel liberated, like I want to go out and celebrate with a shopping spree.  But will not as I already have everything that I need (it’s just in storage right now).  I will no longer stress about how I am going to be able to pay the unexpected vet bill or car repair.   It’s surreal to know that I don’t have to worry about certain things anymore.  My paychecks are mine to keep and turn over to Mr. Bill.  I plan on saving as much as I can as I do have a house to buy and a honeymoon to take.  I can finally take real vacations, go back to my spur of the moment road trips.  I cannot wait for those, they are long overdue.

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Catching Up


So I decided to sell my house so Craig and I could move on with our lives.  It was not an easy decision as I love where I live and it’s my first house.  But it’s just a house so it’s no biggie.  I will miss my back yard and the beautiful Manzanita bush, the horses, the cooler weather and a little bit cleaner air.  The smell of the pine and oak trees, less traffic…ah let’s face it I am really going to miss home and the country.   Where I am living now to me is city and it’s quite the adjustment.  It’s crowded, full of rude people, noisy and it’s not home.   This is all brand new to me as I have never dwelled with a boyfriend, but we are adjusting just fine.  I do feel like I’m invading his space, but he says otherwise.  He does acknowledge the huge sacrifices that have been made and makes sure I know he’s aware of it.  We are going to have a great life together.
The Selling Process and Moving
This is a process that I am so very glad it’s over with.   I was not keen on the idea of having complete strangers have full access to my house looking through everything while I was not home.  A couple of the realtors left my house unlocked, didn’t call to let me know they were showing my house like they were supposed to and one even locked my cats out of the house.  The only one who was completely respectful and left the house the way they entered it was Jim who originally sold me the house.  Jim was awesome, I really liked him. 

The house was only on the market for 2 ½ weeks before we got an offer. Which was great because I knew it wouldn’t take that long, but didn’t think it would be that quick either.  The gal was moving up from the Bay Area (transplant) and was paying cash.  So the whole process was rather quick.  She wanted a 21 day Escrow, but tried to shorten it a few times.  I told my realtor that it was just not possible; we were going to stick to the 21 days.  That was short enough it was getting really stressful. The home inspection was my breaking point and where Craig took over since I was done.  The inspector came back with things the things that needed to be fixed and the buyer came back with her list of things that she wanted me to fix. For example:  replacing the door hinges to actual gate hinges (uh…door hinges are not welded to brackets), re-label the breaker box, replace the gutters because they were rusted and in certain spots rusted through, replace the screens, repair certain parts of the firewall in the garage from past repairs that I did not do, along with a bunch of other items.  So we agreed to fix the hole in the gutter and replace the small spots of the fire wall (I hope she likes purple sheetrock).  OH and re-label the breaker box.
A storage unit was acquired and the packing mess began.  I went through at least one to two rooms a night and when a closet was emptied, it got a sticky.  When a room was done, it got a sticky too.  The house was fully of bright yellow stickies that said either Empty or Done.  They laughed at me, but a few thought it was a great idea.  All addresses were changed, utilities shut off and things shipped back.  Boxes were sorted Storage/Craig’s and small loads were taken before the big move day.  Craig cleaned out a bedroom for me and the furry children, the stage was set.  I took the furry children down before the big move day and that was a stressful ride for them.  Fabio hates his carrier as he gets so nervous he potties.  Bluka hates it too, but seems to tolerate it more than Fabio does.  This was the longest car ride of our lives.  Fabio clawed at the door so much he bloodied two of his claws and Bluka was meow crying pretty much the whole ride.  I felt so bad for both of them.  Finally get to Craig’s and I brought them both in the bathroom for a wet butt check.  Bluka was fine; Fabio got a bath which added to his unhappiness even more.  Once he was dried off he ran under the bed with Bluka.  
Moving day was interesting and hectic as moving days usually are.  Not only are we moving crap out of the house, but we are doing repairs in the process.   We started at 8:30am and everything was done and out by Noon.  First stop was the storage unit, then off to the new home.  My last night in my house was hard.  I sat outside for a few hours and enjoyed my backyard, my last commute up and down the hill was slow and I soaked it all in.  The cats enjoyed their last day and night of freedom to go in and out.  Bluka enjoyed lying in her favorite spot on the flowers while Fabio lay on the sidewalk with a very content look on his little face.  Now they are confined to the boring indoors getting used to their new surroundings and people.

New Life
Never ever in my life did I think I would be in the place where I am at.  I had always kept hope that this would all happen, but was okay if it never did.  I had my crazy cat lady plan to fall back on.  This is still surreal and none of it has fully sunk in yet.   I don’t yet know if I am fully ready for  this next phase in my life, but I am going to give it my best and if all else fails, I know that I am not afraid to be alone and can handle anything that life throws at me. So now starts the next phase in our life.  We find out how much we qualify for and start looking for a new place to call home.  I feel like I’m in transition as my life is in storage and I hate this part.  But I know it’s only temporary and everything is going to work out as it should.  But the way I look at all of this I’m getting another house J

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Becs Bits


I used to be really good at this.  Blogged faithfully almost every day and now I suck at this blog thing.  But when I do it, it’s because I have a lot to say and things have happened.  So I like to break it up into little sections so it’s not a bunch of different blog posts.  So here we go.

Discouraged
I’ve been getting really discouraged lately by a lot of things.  I do have a good life.  I have a job, own my home, bills are current, have a great guy who loves me, support of friends and family and a reliable car.  But it’s a bunch of little annoying things that are happening that are discouraging.  For example:  Craig and I are engaged and you would think that we would be living together at this point in our relationship.  Sadly, no.  We are still apart and only see each other on weekends which really truly sucks.  He’s usually in bed by the time I get off of work which makes it even harder.  And then add in my impatience for the projects getting done around the house and it just makes it that much worse as I want to move on to the next phase in our relationship but cannot.  I’m trying really hard to be patient but it’s getting thin.

House Projects
YAY my list is getting smaller.  It’s so nice to have a new HVAC system, not to thrilled about the bill that came with it, but it needed to be done.  Old dishwasher has been ripped out and the new one is on it’s way and will be installed on the 23rd.  Mike was so kind as to rip the stump out of the ground AND he fixed my ceiling fan and switch in the dining room.  Next two projects are big ones.  The repainting of the house and replacing the shower/tub in the master bath.  Mike is my hero as he’s been helping me when he can and will be helping me once again with the bathroom come June.  I don’t know what I would do besides hire somebody to get this stuff done.

Changing Habits
I’ve made the decision that I’m tired of being tired.  I am not getting any younger and have the Portuguese genetics to be really hippy.  Sitting all day at work doesn’t much help the situation at all either.  I’ve gained quite a bit of weight and am generally not happy when I look in the mirror.  Craig says he loves me just the way I am but I am not.  So, I’ve changed my eating habits and am still working on that as I do slip still and have gone back to the gym.  I get really angry at myself for letting me go like this.  I’ve always said that I didn’t want to look like my mother.  Meaning, I didn’t want to get out of shape and overweight.  Well….I did.  So I’m on a mission to fix it.  I do not know how much I weigh as I have not done that yet.  And I have not taken before pictures either but I will and date them.  See how long it takes me to get to my goal.  I have been looking at marathons to work towards but I want them fun so those are my target ones.  And yes I will be taking my nieces with me as they love to do those things too.

Oil Pulling
My Aunt had posted something about this on Facebook not too long ago.  Here is the definition:

Oil pulling or oil swishing, in alternative medicine, is a procedure in which the practitioner rinses their mouth with approximately one tablespoon of ordinary cooking oil for 3-20 minutes, and then spits it out. This procedure is typically performed daily”

You can use sunflower, sesame or coconut oil.  The more unrefined the better.  It helps to detox your body, naturally whiten your teeth and helps heal all of kinds of ailments.  My oil of choice is coconut.  I do this in the morning after I give the cats their breakfast and swish away while getting ready for work.  Pop has been doing something similar to this, but he doesn’t swish, he’s just eating a tablespoon of it along with drinking fruit juice with 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar mixed in.  He swears by this as his joints really don’t hurt anymore and his blood work came back excellent.  He’s going to be 70 next month and his doctor is quite impressed with him.  He goes to the gym 3 times a week as well.

DO NOT spit this down your drain.  It will clog up your pipes since it is oil.  I spit it out in a sandwich bag before I brush my teeth and it leaves my mouth all tingly and I like the taste of coconut.  So I figured I would start doing this and see what happens in a few weeks.  If anything I will get whiter teeth out of it right?   Also, don’t forget to drink your water since  it’s really good for you and keeps your kidney’s happy.

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Stress relief

These last few weeks I've been feeling pretty stressed and haven't really been able to sleep.  Work has been a little stressful, but short weeks are always a little extra hectic.  Don't know why that it is, it just is.  On top of everything else that has to do with the house and getting it ready for renting.  Friday when I left work my anxiety had kicked in and there was no sign of it going away.  Normally I take a hot bath and do my best to forget about.  But since we are in a severe drought, my hot bath nights are limited.   So I have find other ways to get rid of it.  Went to the movies with Roxie, Mike and Tamara to go see The Lego Movie and it did me good to laugh and spend time with the family. 

Craig came up this weekend to help me out with some of the cause of my stress.  Mike and Roxane are so awesome to help out as well.  Mike took down one of the ceiling fans that has been giving me issues and is going to see if he can get it to work properly.  Craig brought his truck up and we took out the old dishwasher and loaded it in his truck.  He also took the old BBQ and the rest of a pool liner that was sitting in my side yard.  So now I am on the hunt for a new dishwasher and am also going to be replacing the shower/tub in the master bath.  That project will be blogged when it is started.  I'm a little nervous as to what will be found once we pull it out.

The tree that Mike had cut down last year is now in stump removal stage.  Doug brought over a pick ax and a sawsall to help cut the thick roots.  I had started digging it out..well kind of.  Then Craig got a hold of the pick ax and the sawsall and now it's game on.  I figure I will work on little bits of it when I get home from work. It will be great stress relief.  And it will be less work for Mike when he comes up to remove the rest of it.  Now I just need to be able to sleep through the night.


No plumbers crack.  So proud of him.

Just need to clean it up and get it ready for the new appliance

Working on it.  This will be fun!

Friday, January 31, 2014

Dimple Care Kit

Also known as the EAP kit, the Happiness kit or the Insanity kit
All You Need is Love is a Beatles Song
Love Rocks because I love Rock


April and I went to Staples on our lunch break and did our usual browse around and buy stuff that we don’t really need but can’t live without.  While browsing we saw the bag that screamed “I’m perfect for Dimple Records” so I had to get one.  Then as we were browsing through Staples we saw these nice journals and started the oh that would be perfect to keep the music wish list in, write down artists to check out, songs heard that were liked, lyrics of songs heard, moods of when certain songs were heard and all kinds of other stuff that comes along with keeping a music journal.  I never ask for a bag when I leave Dimple, I just take my handful of goods and leave.  But now I have my very own dedicated bag and can cross them off in my new found journals.

Monday, January 20, 2014

Two quickies


New life
I admit I am a little freaked out about getting married.  I have been on my own for so long that I am accustomed to doing a majority of life by myself.  It’s hard for me to let go of certain things and let somebody help me.   That is going to be really hard for me to do.  I have never lived with a boyfriend before, only roommates I have ever had have been my sisters.  But I just have to keep telling myself that everything will be fine and to stop over thinking it.  It’s not the big scary thing that I am making it out to be.  I’m excited for the change and change it good.  Change is needed to keep us on our toes right?   The thought of bringing somebody into my mad little world or combining my mad little world with theirs is enough to rattle anybody. But after you get used to each other its smooth sailing.  Right?

New habits
They say it takes 3 weeks for form a new habit.  That is 3 weeks of dedication to this new habit.  Whatever you do, don’t stray from the new habit.  Easier said than done.  I’m trying to get back into the gym habit and am eating better than I did.  I finally kicked my Doritos habit but do resort back to once in a great while.  I know I feel so much better after I leave the gym and it helps me sleep better.  But it’s so easy to make excuses after work and not go.  But then I kick myself in the ass when I don’t go.  I have no excuse really.  I don’t have kids of my own, I have no real commitments after work except for when I make plans or have errands to do.  It’s not like I have to rush home and cook dinner for anybody (yet).  So why don’t I do it?  Because I got lazy.  That’s the only reason..lazy.  So I will be joining the New Year Resolutioners and get my ass back in shape.  I have attempted to do my aerobic stuff at home and get so disgusted with myself that I let me go this far.  But I have not resorted to the Doritos that I love so much. Will save that for when I’m really depressed…it’s my go to comfort food.  I can’t help it J

Refrigerator House


My house is fantastic in the summer.  It holds at a nice 85 in the summer, which for some is still too hot, but when its 100 degrees outside it’s wonderful in the house.  The winter time is a different story.  It gets really freaking cold.  The HVAC system wasn’t the greatest when I moved in, but it worked.  I scheduled the tune ups and only ran it when needed.  The house can get down to 54 degrees in the morning and sometimes when I got home from work it would warm up to 59. The flooring is hardwood except for the bedrooms.  So it’s a bit colder than in my sister’s house that has carpet in most of the house.  Doesn’t help that I have a concrete slab foundation either.  So I have just bundled up and wore slippers.  Craig says that you can hang meat in the house it’s so cold.  I do have to say that my wine collection likes this environment though.

Well the time came replace it as it was too dangerous to turn on per Gilmore Heating.  So I started to get estimates and choked at the cost, cried and stressed about having to replace the system.  I had 4 estimates done and finally decided on Bell Brothers.  They came in middle of the road and could not beat the financing.  I still have anxiety over it, but it will be much warmer anxiety instead of cold anxiety.

Pieces of the old unit

 
New Unit

Old unit being lifted out for recycle.  Goodbye old faithful
That was so cool to watch
New Unit being lifted into position
 


Home Projects


So with Craig and I both moving, we have decided to make my house into a rental.  UGH!!  The thought of a complete stranger moving into my home that I worked so hard for really stressed me out.  I don’t want to the renter’s mentality of “it’s not mine why do I care” and trash my home.  So on top of the HVAC anxiety, I have rental anxiety.  But it kicks me in the ass to finally get done the things that have needed to be done.  Like replace the grout behind the kitchen sink, replace the older mortar on the bricks in the front yard, get a new dishwasher and replace the master shower/tub.  Once this is all done, life will be good and it’s nice to know that I have people who are willing to help me or teach me how to do these things. I keep telling myself to take it one project at a time.  Which is easy in reality, in my head not so much.

Engaged


Holy crap it finally happened.  I met the man I am going to marry.  April and I used to joke around about finding a halfass decent guy sober, get him drunk then go up to Tahoe and get married.  Well, both of us didn’t want to settle.  So she married her Prince Charming back in 2007, I still hung out and did my own thing.  Come that fateful day in August 2012 and I met Craig.  You know when they say “you just know”.  Even  though he scared me at first, I just knew he was different and I that I had finally found my nice guy that had almost everything I require in a guy.  He can fix cars, do handyman stuff, cook (we make a great pair in the kitchen), hold open doors, is great with kids (important for the nieces), has manners and is totally laid back.  He has a great sense of humor too.  I just love him.  He’s not perfect, but he’s perfect for me.

Since we were going to his sisters for Christmas Day, we decided to exchange presents on Christmas Eve.  When it came to me opening mine I had laughed at the whimsical garden birds that he had picked out.  They are so cute.  I wasn’t paying attention to the yellow one, just the green one.  He had told me to take a look at the yellow one and there was a ring taped to it.  I gasped and quick looked at him, he took the ring off, held it up and all he said was “Well what do you think future Mrs. Brownfield” I hugged him so tight and of course said yes.  His family is so excited to have me as the newest addition.  My family is too and the girls are excited to have another uncle.  We are not going to make any wedding plans yet.  Still have logistics to work out as I’m not moving to where he is and he’s not moving where I’m at.  We both have decided on a happy middle so now it’s going to be finding a house.  So this year is going to be a new year of change for both of us and I cannot wait for the next chapter in life.

I am waiting to put these outside until Craig and I have our house.