Goodbye

I am ending this blog and moving to another website. If you wish to follow me, email me and I'll let you know the URL.

Thanksgiving Weekend

We had a lovely Thanksgiving.  Matt and I went to my mom's for lunch, and then we went over to Mom & Dad Cuff's for dinner.  Trinity was home from grad school, and she brought her new boyfriend, Cody.  He was nice.

On Friday, I went to the Black Friday sale at Jo-Ann's, and since flannel was less than $2/yard, EVERYONEGETSPAJAMASFORCHRISTMAS!  It was pretty exciting!  I got roughly two-thirds of the Christmas gifts, so that was a raging success.

I don't think we are going to decorate with a tree this year.  We are decorating our windows, and I got some cinnamon pinecones, but other than that, eh.  I need all the space in the living room for ALL THE SEWING I am doing for the next four weeks.  Matt is washing all the fabric today.  What a nice husband!

On Saturday, Gina and I went to Ferndales to look at wedding dresses, and she found her dress.  Exciting!!  She looks fabulous in it, and she will be a gorgeous bride!

This week, not much is happening.  I'm hoping to really buckle down and get all these Christmas presents made!

Weekend Happenings

 Jocelyn and Me

Jocelyn

 

This weekend was quite relaxing!  On Friday night, we drove out to Riverside for a belated Halloween party.  We picked up Jocelyn and Jacob on the way.  Jocelyn was a medieval adventuress.  I reprised my Snow White costume.  It was very fun - we met a few new people and had some delightful conversations.

knitting my gauge test swatch

Matt had gaming on Saturday, so I spent the day learning how to knit in the round and listening to NPR.  Knitting on circular needles is more difficult than straight, because I hold my right needle under my arm, and I can't do that on circular needles. 

I'm finally using up all the fabric I have purchased and never used!  I sewed two skirts last week, and I have two skirts cut out and ready to assemble for this week.  I'll post pics in a day or two.

On Sunday, Matt and I spent most of the day lounging and watching HBO's John Adams (we've never seen it).  In the evening, we had our final new member class, plus evening church.  We are joining th echurch next Sunday, and I am really excited!  I have some fabric I've been holding onto for awhile, so I'll make a new dress for the occasion.

Halloween 2012

Matt and I went with Gina and Chris to Club Bang for 80's dancing. They had a $5 cover, so it was really cheap, which was awesome!

I was Snow White, and Matt was the huntsman (Disney version). I had a lot of the fabric already, so we didn't spend much on the costumes.

It was a really fun night! It was awesome to get out and have fun - haven't done it in awhile. :). It made me feel less "old and married" than I have been feeling lately.

Weekend Events

Eating Pie

On Saturday, Gina and I scrapbooked at my apartment.  I got afew random pics from 2008 – 2010 done, as well as apple picking 2011, Knotts2012, my bachelorette last November, the Renn faire from 2011, and applepicking from 2012.  I want to do our wedding photos, but first I need toprint them out, organize them, and actually find binders for it! 

We decided to go to an 80’s club in Downey, and we got pieat a Stox across the street from it.  But we did not stay at the clublong.  It was boring.  Matt was gaming all day on Saturday, and hegot home around 2 AM.

On Sunday, we went to church in the morning.  We havebeen attending Our Savior Lutheran in Arcadia.  We went to the churchinformation meeting on Sunday evening – you have to go through it to become anew member.  We learned how the Missouri Synod differs from the ELCA (theELCA believes that the Bible contains God’s word, but the Missouri Synodbelieves that the Bible is God’s word).  We also learned how thechurch views salvation – by faith alone. 

It was interesting – when I went to Gethsemane, I was taughtthat when we went to heaven, God would tell everyone everything you did, goodand bad.  So I was told, “Don’t do anything you wouldn’t want everyoneelse to know, because we will all know in heaven.”  But on Sunday, PastorSonnerberg explained that no, because of grace, only the things we did forJesus would be mentioned.  The umbrella of grace means that all the sinswe commit are forgotten.  That was actually very interesting.  Sidenote: this is why I do not like Sunday School very much – it is too easyfor people who do not know the Bible well to impress wrong information onchildren/teens. 

Afterwards, we went to the cheap movie theater near ourhouse ($1.50/movie on Sundays!) and saw Expendables 2.  It wasn’tas good as the first one, but it was entertaining.

Easy Apple Cobbler

I have a few food posts coming up that I've been neglecting!

We made this about two weeks ago when Dave and Sharon came over. We used the last of the apples from apple picking. I sliced them, stuck them in a pan, and sprinkled chunks of butter on them. Then I mixed together 1 cup oats, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup white sugar, and 1/2 cup flour, mixed it together, and sprinkled it on top of the apples. I baked it at 350 for about 1 hour.

When it comes out, it looks like the topping isn't done, but it is! The apples are soft, and the topping is buttery and crumbly! Delicious!

Grocery Shopping

Grocery shopping took almost 4 hours, from the time I picked Matt up to when we finished putting away all the food. Correction - Matt is dividing up the meat, so it's technically not put away yet.

Since we have to pay Matt's traffic ticket from May, and our electric bill was about four times the normal amount, I didn't have a lot of money for food. I decided to get enough food for four weeks, since my next paycheck is going towards rent.

I had about $150 for one months worth of food for two people. That's not a lot. Normally we spend about $250 a month on food. (Matt is addicted to energy drinks, so that eats a lot into the budget.)

I got our basics - milk, eggs, sugar (we make Kool-Aid instead of buying soda or juice), 20 lbs potatoes (cheaper than pasta, and I hate rice), frozen veggies (on sale at Lucky for $0.88/lb), fruit, a few boxes of pasta, and cans of soup (Lucky had then on sale).

I know that meatless dinners save a lot of money. But Matt likes meat! Sausage (for homemade pizza) was on sale at Lucky for .88 cents, so I got 4 of those. Smart & Final had chicken breast on sale for $0.99/lb, so a pack of that was less than $5. They also had pork cushion on sale. It was my most pricy meat - about 10 lbs for $17. But it was boneless, so that's ok. But Superior had whole chickens for $0.69/lb, so we got 4 whole chicken for less than $9. Along with smoked sausages (lunches for Matt), and some more cheese, that pretty much rounded out our shopping trip.

I'm pretty stocked up on baking supplies, so that should last us a month. I will pick up some more milk, bread, ice cream, and fruit next payday anyway - less than $20.

Yes, Matt did get energy drinks, but at Big Lots, so they are cheap.

Anyway, I'm pretty happy we spent in our budget and got so much meat. Matt should not complain!!

Sharon and Dave are coming for dinner tomorrow. Guess what we are having? Roast whole chicken!

Quiet Weekend

I came down with an inner ear infection about two weeks ago, and it seemed to be going away (thanks to antibiotics).  But on Thursday and Friday night last week, I kept waking up with intense pain in my ear. 

 

So on Saturday morning, Matt took me to Urgent Care.  Turns out my infection went to my outer ear.  Ouch!  I got different antibiotics, ear drops, and pain meds.  I don’t like the ear drops – they make my ear super itchy.  But I love the pain meds!  It is hydrocodone with acetaminophen.  I get super drowsy, my arms get tingly, and everything is funny.  Oh – and there is no pain whatsoever.  Yay!

 

Other than that, things are pretty quiet.  We are waiting for the results of Matt’s apprenticeship examination.  If he passed, he should get an interview.  But the program doesn’t start til January, so we have awhile to wait, anyway.  Hopefully we will start getting unemployment money in a couple weeks. 

 

Both Beth and Gina are engaged, and it looks like their weddings will be about a week apart next October.  I’m so excited for both of them.  I made Julia a quilt for her wedding with her wedding colors.  Gina requested one with her wedding colors, and I think Beth would like one out of her wedding colors, so I need to start thinking about patterns.  I’d like to do a double wedding ring quilt (Example: http://www.paperpanache.com/ecart/pix/DWRgal/DaggetT9.jpg), but I have heard they are super difficult. 

 

We are enjoying going to Our Savior Lutheran in Arcadia.  The pastor is very friendly, and I enjoy his sermons.  He does a small children’s sermon before the main sermon, and it is always amusing and thought provoking.  The congregation sings hymns, and this past Sunday, they used hymns I did not know!!  I couldn’t believe it!  We are going to continue going for another month or so, and then if we still like it, we will consider becoming members. 

 

Pre-Kids Bucket List

I have a list of things I want to get done before we have kids. 

 

·         Purchase a second car (something cheap for Matt to putt around town in). 

·         Purchase a washer/dryer (this one doesn’t need a vent: http://www.homedepot.com/buy/lg-electronics-36-cu-ft-doe-high-efficiency-all-in-one-washer-and-electric-dryer-in-white-wm3987hw.html).  

·         Scrapbook our wedding pictures, plus all our other pictures too. 

·         Find a second couch, more chests and shelves (and finally get all our stuff out of boxes), and a new bed.

·         Paint our bedroom.

·         Get a shower curtain and get rid of that awful sliding door.

·         Hang curtains, sew couch throw pillows.

·         Purchase a television (least important).

 

The italicized stuff is what I won’t do until January, when we find out if we are staying in North Hollywood or moving elsewhere.  We won’t know until we know if Matt gets into the sheet metal apprenticeship program.  He had an interview at Harbor Freight earlier this week, and the manager liked him, but we won’t know for a week or so if he got a job there.  It’s only part time, but it’s something.

 

Tomorrow, Matt is gaming, so I am determined to sew the throw pillows, at the very least.  I’ve had the fabric since, oh, March, but I just haven’t sewn them.  I also have some emerald taffeta that I want to sew into a circle skirt.  Along with laundry and other cleaning, it should be a busy day for me!

 

 

 

 

What I Baked: chocolate glazed cake

We had Jocelyn over for dinner, and I made a yellow cake with chocolate glaze. I got the glaze from Rachel at www.heart-of-light.blogspot.com.

It's really easy. I used 3 oz of semi sweet chocolate chips, 3 oz butter, and 3 tablespoons powdered sugar. I microwaved it until melted, then whisked it together, then poured it onto the cake. It was delicious!!!

Apple Picking

On Saturday, my family went apple picking in Oak Glen. Mom and I split a half bushel of apples - we have a lot now!!

Tomorrow, Matt has an interview at Harbor Freight for a clerk position. Then his sheet metal apprenticeship exam is on the 14th. I am praying he aces it! It would mean a better life for us, for sure.

What I Made: Circle Skirt

I used Simplicity 1812 to make this cute circle skirt. I had to make the yoke smaller, because it went straight down instead of flaring out, creating an awkward line. Other than that, really simple to make and fun to wear!

http://www.simplicity.com/p-7510-misses-plus-size-skirts-and-knit-top.aspx

Happenings in Mouse World

This is the first post I've actually typed on a computer in a long time.  Usually, I send the post remotely via email.  So this will be a really long post.

FYI - I have to add a picture of me, since Facebook is posting a maternity pic from below, and everyone will think I'm pregnant!  I'm not!

Currently, I'm battling a cold. But I slept practically all day, so I can't sleep now.  Sad!!

Which is bad, because I'm supposed to take my basal temperature at 4:15, and its midnight.  Oh well - probably won't be that accurate. 

Basal temperature?  What? 

Hmmm.... well I got my IUD taken out on Thursday, and so I'm charting my temperatures to determine when I'm fertile and when I'm not.  I had to get the IUD taken out because I was having some unpleasant side effects, and anyway, we are hoping to get pregnant in the late autumn or early winter.

YAY!!!!

Matt is having trouble adjusting to the emotional aspect of becoming a father.  So we are waiting until he is more comfortable with the idea.  Me - I've been waiting for this for almost seven years.  A lot of mistakes in my life were made because I tried to rush this.  But I'm ready - so ready.  Financially, we are okay.  We would be better if Matt got into the apprenticeship this January, but even if he doesn't, we will be okay.  Emotionally, I am SOOO there.  I want more than anything for next year, when we go applepicking with Mom and Dad, to bring along Baby Cubical Mouse.  And I really want to have a baby before Beth and Gina have their weddings.  I'd rather not be ready to pop at their weddings.  

I did manage to drag myself out of bed around noon.  We ran to a couple thrift stores.  Matt needs work clothes, and we're not going to pay a ton of money for clothes that will get ruined by oil.  While we were shopping, I found a two pairs of jeans and a pair of capris that fit my legs perfectly, but are too small in the waist.  (That is my perpetual problem with jeans - my butt is a size bigger than my thighs.)  They will be perfect to convert to maternity jeans!!  I found a couple tutorials, but I think my best option is to get some jersey from Joann's, take the waistband off the jeans, and convert them to very high waisted maternity jeans, like these at Motherhood Maternity.  I'll add an elastic band at the top, too.  

Speaking of maternity clothes, I've been searching all over the internet for tutorials.  Unlike about ten years or so ago, maternity patterns are not available in plus sizes, and actual maternity clothes are very rare and very expensive.  So far, the cutest (and best) ones I've found are:

This rouched shirt tutorial from Homemade by Jill:

I love this countdown shirt from DIY Maternity:

I'm a huge fan of this empire dress that uses a T shirt for the top, from Do it Yourself Divas, but I would make it shorter, since I'm not a fan of maxi dresses:

This one is almost the same, but uses a woven shirt and jersey fabric for the skirt (opposite from the one above), from Versus:

I like this tutorial, but it uses a men's shirt, so I would have to get, like, a 3XL men's shirt for it to work! (From DIY Maternity)

I'm not a huge fan of maternity skirts, mostly because they slip all over the place, but this one from DIY Maternity could work!

So that is what I have found.  I'm not going to actually make anything until it's time, but I'm glad all these other ladies before me have figured out the DIY clothes!!

Happy Birthday Mr. Cubical Mouse!

I saw one of my favorite bloggers at work last week.  I was fairly certain she worked here, but until I saw her last week, I wasn’t certain.  I wanted to go say hi, and that I love her blog, but I wasn’t sure how she would take it.  So I didn’t say anything.

 

I think Matt and are going to focus our apartment finding efforts on Hollywood and Palms.  Hollywood 2 bedroom apartments are around 1300 – 1400, and we’ll be lucky to find something in Palms for 1500.  I really want hardwood floors and lots of natural light.  Hollywood/Koreatown apartments tend to have hardwood floors.  I really want a short commute to work, especially when we have little Cubical Mousies.  I don’t want them to languish in day care anymore than is necessary. 

 

Matt’s birthday is today.  He is 26.  A very handsome 26!  J

 

 

Weekend & Other Thoughts

On Saturday, we celebrated Matt’s 26^th birthday.  We were to have a beach bonfire, but apparently you have to get there at 5 AM to get a pit.  Oh well!  We had it at my parent’s house instead.  I got him a teal button up shirt, a new wallet, and fabric for two pairs of pajama shorts.  I need to wash them and sew them this week.

 

It was so hot yesterday!  We just lay around and didn’t do anything.  Our air conditioners make it a little bearable, but I would kill for central air.  In our next apartment, that is a must! 

 

Speaking of new apartments, I’ve been scouring Rent.com for potential new apartments.  We want this next apartment to be our last before we buy a house (we have a 5 year savings plan for a down payment), so we need a two bedroom apartment for any little Cubical Mousies that come along. 

 

We were thinking we would want a washer/dryer with the apartment, or at least hookups, but we found this washer/dryer combo at Home Depot.  It’s $1600, but the dryer doesn’t need a vent, so you can just hook it up to the kitchen sink and run it.  A less expensive option would be to get a portable washer and dryer separately, but this takes up less space. 

 

http://www.homedepot.com/buy/appliances/laundry/lg-electronics/4-2-cu-ft-iec-capacity-front-load-washer-dryer-combo-24371.html

 

Honestly, I really want it now!!!!  J 

 

 

Bad Mousie!

I didn’t realize my last blog was weeks ago!!!  Bad, bad Cubical Mouse!

 

Things are fine.  Matt started a new job last Wednesday.  Yay!

 

Recently, we have helped Gina move back to her parent’s house.  My uncle Bob got re-married, and Matt went to the Renaissance Festival in San Luis Obispo.

 

I have so many things I want to post pictures of, but until I get a new iPhone, I can’t.  I promise – as soon as I get an iPhone, I’ll start posting regularly again. 

 

 

Cubical Life

There are good and bad things going on now.  Matt’s and my relationship is doing awesome.  Like, seriously so much better than we were during months 2 – 5 of our marriage.  Our 7 month anniversary is coming up, so collectively we have had 4 bad months and 3 good months.  I really hope the rest of the year goes smoothly!!!

 

But Matt is looking for a job – any job, right now.  We are hoping he will start a sheet metal apprenticeship in January, but until then, he needs a job, since he was denied unemployment.    

 

Since we are cutting out most unnecessary spending, we are coming up with lots of fun, free things to do.  It’s summer, so there are a lot of movies or Shakespeare plays in parks.  It makes this a little easier. 

 

Tonight we are going to see Sunset Boulevard in Pasadena.  It’s a free screening, and Andrew is coming with us.  I love this movie.  It should be really fun!

I Will Probably Not Die Earlier Because I'm Fat

According to a new study (link below), excluding persons with diabetes and hypertension, persons with a BMI >35 do not have increased mortality due to obesity.  

 

Conclusions: Obesity-associated mortality risk was lower than estimated in studies employing older BMI data. Only severe obesity (but not milder obesity or overweight) was associated with increased mortality, an association accounted for by coexisting diabetes and hypertension. Mortality in diabetes was lower among obese versus normal weight individuals.

Hah!  I knew it!  I knew so many obese people at church that lived a really, really long time.  And my grandpa is 88, and he has eaten just horribly over his whole life.  Since diabetes and hypertension don’t run in my family (what the heck is hypertension, anyway?), I think my mortality rate is probably normal, compared to everyone else in the USA.

 

Link to the study:

 

http://www.jabfm.org/content/25/4/422.full  

 

 

 

 

 

What I Made

I’ve been wanting a bikini for some time, but plus size bikini’s tend to be quite expensive. 

 

I had some cherry fabric, and I remembered this playsuit from Bettie Page.  It’s super cute.

(http://www.bettiepageclothing.com/separates/what-catch-skirt)

 

I got a McCalls shorts pattern (below), and I altered a dress bodice pattern to make a cute bikini top. 

 

Then I made the shorts a little more high waisted, and I whipped those up.

 

Not pictured is a matching button up skirt to go over the shorts. 

 

Unfortunately, I got a horrible sunburn on my back!  Ouchie!

 

Here is the pattern for the shorts:  http://mccallpattern.mccall.com/m2447-products-705.php?page_id=103

 

 

Birthday

My birthday was a few weeks ago.  We went to Bottega Louie in downtown LA, then to the lounge at the Bonaventure.

 

This is the dress I made.  I used Simplicity 1873, made the back a scoop back, and added petal sleeves.  The dress was really simple to make.  I think Matt’s vest actually took longer!

 

I made Matt’s vest with navy brocade and a navy lining fabric.  I used gold buttons, and I got him a gold tie in the fashion district. 

 

 

Here is the link for the dress:  http://www.simplicity.com/p-7446-misses-miss-petite-dresses-cynthia-rowley-collection.aspx

 

Here is the link for the vest:  http://mccallpattern.mccall.com/m2447-products-705.php?page_id=103

 

 

Thin is a Scam

Awesome blog post about NOT losing weight for your wedding… I love this part about how being thin is a scam!

…I've got no plans to lose weight [for my wedding]. My reasons aren't terribly interesting; they mostly amount to "stupid WIC is stupid". Why should I look unnaturally perfect on my wedding day? Does anyone expect [my fiancé] to be preternaturally beautiful, and do up his hair, and whiten his teeth, and to have been working out seven days a week for the six months preceding his wedding? No, they do not. And I always object to societal standards which require me to do more work than dudes.

I also object to the idea that the less of me there is, the better it looks. Fat and beauty aren't mutually exclusive. Beauty shouldn't be an obligation.

Having said all that, I admit I'm not totally content with my body—who is? Body hatred almost seems like a condition of femininity. I've come out of this particular round of Society vs. Women relatively unscathed, if only because I had the good luck to more or less fall into the narrow bracket of permitted sizes in my culture. I've never been thin by that culture's standards, though—except for once, and that just reinforced the fact that it's all bullshit…

…The privilege of being thin changed the way I thought and acted, in ways that surprised me. For the first time I understood Kate Moss's inexplicable line that "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." I mean, I still believe she said it 'cos she's probably never had chilli pan mee, but—unlike Kate Moss I hadn't made a career out of being conventionally attractive, and yet I found myself checking myself when I was eating because I didn't want to lose the ground I'd gained.

I knew it was all a scam, is the thing. The job of the patriarchy is to plant brainweasels in your head, yeah? The brainweasels are to distract you so you're too busy worrying about stupid things like your waistline to object when dudes keep hogging all the money and power. Thinness is a total con job. It's an impossible goal—you want to be thin because you want to feel beautiful, but as Meg [Keene] points out in [A Practical Wedding], pretty is not an emotion. And it's a dumb reward. Being thinner didn't make me better at anything except wearing size S clothes. It didn't make me kinder to people, or more diligent about writing. It didn't make anyone love me more.

And yet it made a difference. A completely fictitious, societally enforced, brainweasel-based difference—but a difference nonetheless. How freaky is that?

…I'm gonna be "fat" for my wedding. It will make no difference whatsoever.

Because it won't. Strive to lose weight if that's what floats your boat, but remind yourself, when you're being bombarded by evil brainweasels bearing body image angst: it won't make you smarter. It won't make you kinder. It won't make anyone love you more.

Read more: http://apracticalwedding.com/2012/06/being-fat-for-my-wedding

Body image and bikinis

I came across this awesome blog post the other day.  The link is at the bottom.

Summer’s arrival makes me realize how much most women I’m surrounded by (who mostly happened to be big like me) dread wearing a bathing suit. They probably would have an easier time going to a battle ground in Afghanistan than wearing a bathing suit in public. And you don’t have to tell me the list of reasons for such fear/hate/dislike/no-way-in-hell type of thinking. I could say chances are if you’re a fat girl, you know the ordeal of how terrifying that moment can be. But unfortunately stepping out in your bathing suit seems to be a terrifying ordeal all across the board for women of all sizes (thank you dear media/Hollywood/fashion world!).

When you take those covers off and everything is out there for the world to see, people at the beach often don’t hesitate to stare, almost as if to say “how dare do you think you can be happy with THAT body?”. It’s a sad but true fact and not unlikely to happen.

But that’s what I do. I get to the beach; I take my clothes off and enjoy the sun quite comfortably (SPF30 all the way!) in my bikinis, go for a swim, a walk, catch up with my friends and enjoy my family. I suppose I’m that type who really couldn’t care less about the stares at the sight of my size 18 frame, flaunting all my roundness in my collection of 2 piece bikinis. Yes, you read correctly. I have 2 full drawers of bikinis. I’m quite ok with letting all hang out under the sun, without the hang ups about it. Why shouldn’t I?..

…If I had limited myself to do the things I’ve always wanted due to other’s opinion in regards of my body size, I would have not achieved most things I have in my life so far.  And to me that’s just absurd, senseless and flat out unacceptable. Mind you I had a pretty hefty list of things I would not achieve according to others rules. And without even trying, I’ve far surpassed that list.

People will always have their own opinions about things. Most of the times those opinions aren’t the nicest either. Especially when it comes to other peoples looks.  If you’re tall, you’re too tall, if you are short, you’re too short; if your butt is too big you’re fat, if it’s too small if you’re not curvy enough, if you have small boobs you look like a boy but if you have too much you should have a breast reduction. Let’s not even go into cellulites, stretch marks and hair texture. There’s no ending to that list until you say so. I often think that the ones working hard to insert so many insecurities inside women’s minds are often the most bitter and unhappy ones to begin with. After all, misery loves company.

It seems that even though we’re all different and very aware of that, we struggle quite a lot to live with the differences w/o been so bashful and a bitter critic of one another. Everybody is desperately trying to shove themselves inside a uniform mold, like sheep in a heard, lacking the ability to lead for themselves, or have some courage to say “hey, I’m going to be ME and if you don’t like, look the other way”.

I couldn’t have said it better.

 

Next summer – bikini.  No matter what size I am.

 

http://fluvialacerda.blog.com/2011/06/22/summer-time-letting-all-hang-out-without-the-hang-ups/

 

SIX MONTHS

Longest six months of my life.   Best and the worst.

Marraige is a lot harder than I thought it would be.

But at the end of the day, Matthew is still the love of my life.  And that's what matters most.

Money

Matt doesn’t want me to get a second job, but I really, really want to.

Right now, I get off work at 3:30 PM, and I have to wait for him to pick me up from work (can't take public transportation - the system in LA is super horrible, and the shortest commute is 2 hours anyway, and we can't move until our lease is up in 5 months).  Usually he picks me up about 5 - 5:15. 

I keep thinking, if I got a second job, maybe 20 hours a week, he could just pick me up later.  And the $400-500 extra could go towards saving for a second car, paying my student loans, and me getting my own spending money.  I really miss having my own money.  Having to justify every expense, not being able to buy a latte or lunch when I want to... It sucks.  It makes me really angry.

But he doesn't want me to get a second job.  Because then I'll be tired.  Well I'm tired anyway when we get home at 6:30, so I don't see how getting home at 9:30 after working a 4-5 hour shift will be THAT much worse! 

I don’t know what to do, but I’m tired of waiting, bored, for nearly two hours, just so he can pick me up.  And I’d love to be able to save for my own car.  I’d really like to have money in my wallet, instead of being hungry, unable to buy food because dear husband didn’t feel like he needed to give me any spending money.

I hate this dependency.  I’m angry, and frustrated.  I keep thinking I’d be better off single. 

To be honest, what I would really rather do is split the bills 50/50.  Cuz you know what?  I’d have $1000 spending money each month.  (Not that I’d spend it all.  I really would like my own car.)  If we did that, though, Matt’s salary would barely be able to cover his portion of the bills.

Maybe if I gave him part of my paycheck, it would work.  Like an allowance.

Yeah he wouldn’t go for that either. 

But this…this is just not working at all. 

 

Thursday Reflections

I read the best post on A Practical Wedding today.  In it, Meg says:

… I found it so hilarious when I was asked a question by a young 20-something in the Co-Lab workshop that went vaguely like this: "How do you balance work and play in your 20s? Because I want to really LIVE in my twenties, before life's all over." And I laughed and blinked, and then realized "Oh, that was a real question, because that's actually what we're taught." And then told her, "I'm 32. Trust me, the living doesn't stop after your twenties. And honestly, it mostly gets way better as you get older."

This gives me so much hope.  Life doesn’t stop at 30!

See, I’ve been reading about fertility after age 35, and how it gets much harder to have babies.  And I was freaking out, because I want babies so very much.  But Matt hasn’t gotten his act together yet with his career.  So by the time he does get his act together, and we save up enough money to buy a house, we’ll be, oh, maybe 35 or so?  You know, when having babies becomes impossible? 

No, no, Stephanie.  Having babies is not impossible after 35.  Besides, my insurance covers fertility treatments.  And my legal insurance covers adoption.  So I can calm down and enjoy and live the heck out of my 20’s, and stop worrying about future babies, houses, and husbands with careers not figured out. 

Tonight we are seeing Lindsay and the All Nighters at the Edison downtown.  I’m going to wear a cute little red dress and really, really enjoy myself.  I’m going to enjoy being young and 24 and not together yet, and have a fabulous night with my husband and my friends. 

Read more: http://apracticalwedding.com/#ixzz1xmhamaMA

 

 

12 Days

I’m turning 25 in 12 days.  I feel a little apprehensive, and I know I’m being silly.  I can’t help it!  I’m officially in my mid-twenties.  I’m about to have a meltdown!  It’s entirely selfish, I know.  25 is in no way old.  Another 20-something whining about her birthday.  Big deal.

 

Today I’ve been thinking back on the past five years of my life.  As I closed out my teens, I was on the “right track” – in college, working part time, keeping things together.  But when I turned 20, everything suddenly went off track.  I left CBU, dated a MUCH older man, went back to CBU, went through a few years of financial worry and stress, moved in with a new boyfriend (that claimed he was a hit man?  What the heck, Steph!?!  What were you thinking?!?), and then – at 23 ½,  I met Matt.  Matt changed everything.  I settled down, mostly.  I attached to him as if he was the last drop of water in Death Valley.  So now things are getting back on track, which is, in a word, bliss.  Life now is so much better than it ever has been. 

 

And that makes me excited to turn 25, to see what’s around the corner in the next 5 years.  So I will just keep this in my head for the next 12 days, and enjoy my birthday.  I will revel in the fact that I have survived 25 years, when so many do not.  I will be somber, realizing that I may not be able to enjoy the next 25 years, for my life may end in 10 years, or in 10 days.  And I will relax, stop reminding my husband to buy me flowers, and let this celebration carry me over into another year of happiness, sorrow, and contentment. 

 

 

Meebo Messenger

I’ve used Meebo Messenger for a good four years.  It was awesome, because I could sign into all my IM accounts, and I didn’t have to download anything.  Plus, it’s never blocked by work.  ;)

 

Well, Google bought Meebo, so they are getting rid of Meebo Messenger.  Meaning I have to find an alternative.  So far, www.trillian.im seems like it will work well.  I can access all my IM accounts.  I’m trying it out today.  Hopefully it goes smoothly!

 

 

Bella's Wedding Dress

Hey guys!

 

Butterick is now selling the pattern for Bella’s wedding dress from Twilight.  I knew they had the Royal wedding dress, but I guess now they have Bella’s.

 

The link to Bella’s is here:  http://butterick.mccall.com/b5779-products-22951.php?page_id=153

 

The Royal wedding dress is here:  http://butterick.mccall.com/b5731-products-14907.php?page_id=153

 

And Pippa Middleton’s pattern is here:  http://butterick.mccall.com/b5710-products-14906.php?page_id=153

 

I kind of want to make the Royal wedding dress for a fun photoshoot with Matt.  I think it would be a blast!

 

Chores

What happens when two messy and stubborn people move in together?

 

A pigsty, lovingly referred to as “our house”.

 

I’m starting to finally organize our home.  This week, I’m going through all our boxes and getting rid of things we don’t need.  I’ve had curtains waiting to be hung since February, so I think my husband is going to hang them this week.  We have fabric for a slipcover for the couch waiting to be sewn, as well as lots of fabric for pillows, just sitting there.

 

My biggest concern is all the clothes I have that are just a LITTLE too small.  I’m hoping I can fit into them this fall.  But what to do with them now?  I guess just box them up?

 

And then, once that is done, we are implementing a chore list.  Ideally, we should have done this before we got married.  But we were busy, and lazy, and didn’t feel like it. 

 

Here’s our chore list.  For the daily chores, BOLD means evening chores, non bold means morning chores 

 

Chore List

 

Daily Chores

 

Stephanie

 

Make Bed

Hang Towels to Dry

Cook Dinner

Unload Dishwasher

Sweep Kitchen

 

Matt

 

Make Breakfast

Fix Lunches

Start Dishwasher

Wipe Down Kitchen Counters

Take Out Trash

 

 

Weekly Chores

 

Monday: Laundry

Saturday – Matt: Vacuum & Dust

Saturday – Steph: Clean Bathroom & Mop Kitchen

 

We shall see how this works.  But I know we really need to discipline ourselves when it comes to cleaning.  If we don’t do it now, then life will be so much harder once we have kids.  (Which isn’t for awhile, but I’m thinking ahead!)