Desperate House-Husbands...

Mostly all of you know that Steve has been laid off since November from his mill shutting down. I'm so proud that he is taking his Nurse's Entrance Exam (NET) next week. I'm sure he'll do great. He should be going into the program with a 4.0 and the registrar said he should have no problem getting accepted into the Spring Program next year (He has to take 4 more pre-req's this summer and fall) I know he'll have to study hard, and it's just amazing how resilliant he is. While he's been off he's been taking classes, and slowly but surely getting addicted to internet shopping. Ebay and Craigslist are his fav's. He really has found some pretty amazing deals.

One for example are the couch and loveseat set that was listed and only 6 blocks away for $150:


We got them yesterday and they work perfectly in our living room. Only 2 years old from Art Van and rarely used. I also got a pretty sweet collection of vinyls and an LP player for cheap. All for my office! I can't wait to get started on it.

When we went to Mexico, on the way home our luggage was lost (and NOT recovered). One of Steve's favorite things purchased was this abalone fish. So he searched online and found some pretty similar on Ebay. So he bid and over the course of a day won THREE of them. Which are now displayed in our half bath, that is 90% finished!



It's a good thing he's frugal and picky, or he'd be online shopping us out of house and home! I can't complain too much!

He and the neighbors have become friends and I call them the "Desperate House-Husbands" It seems on our block and close vicinity there are 5 or 6 men that are all laid off and hang out while the wives are at work! They go around helping each other with small projects around their homes. It's actually pretty nice. We now have a new workbench in the basement. I wonder what they'll think of next to keep busy! lol...

Make it Blue!

So I don't know how many of you read this or how many of you know this but when Steve and I bought the house last August we were in LOVE with the way it was decorated. It was very classic and traditional with crazy unique moldings and very clean lines. Well in the last 6 months of living there I have become increasingly Bored with it. It was fine for a woman in her late sixties, but all the neutral tones and blahze yellows were starting to drive me buggy. I mean every wall, EVERY WALL in the house is some form of yellow! I am a fan of yellow, but I'm also a fan of other colors too! The whole house has the same decorating throughout (which is great) but I finally was at the end of my yellow rope and decided "YELLOW BE DAMNED" I'm painting the powder room BLUE! That's right BLUE! A pretty color I found in the Better Homes and Gardens magazine called Glacier, although we had a gift card for Home Depot (Thanks DAD & Bert)so we bought the Behr brand equivalent called "River's Edge." My friend Traci called it "Tiffany Blue" and I have to admit it's pretty close, although that's not what I was going for.

Either way here is a picture of what the bathroom looked like before:



And this is what is looks like half done:





All the trim will be white and the mirror will be repainted all white. We're doing a clean beach theme. I'm hoping to pick up some cute stuff while we're in Florida, but I think we found a couple cute things the other day at Home Goods. I also have a picture I took and want to frame from Point Pelee (where we got engaged) that April has doctored up for me:



I am also in process of decorating my office. It's going to have a Music/Rock theme. I'm taking several of my vinyls and making a collage on the wall of them with L brackets (so I can still easily take them down and listen to them) We brought over my desk. Now I need a nice office chair and filing cabinet.

Glutton for Punishment

So this is the last week of winter semester. Finals are at hand. I am so looking forward to the break and of course have my time planned wisely. Monday- Watch shows I've DVR'd and haven't had a chance to watch in the last 10 weeks. Tuesday - repeat. Of course I'll still be working, but the ability to go home and not detour to Allen Park is not something I have treasured so much as the end of this semester. It could have to do with the fact that I suckered myself into 16 credit hours, and of course am doing the same AGAIN in the Spring semester. I am almost to the point where the light at the end of the Bachelor's Degree tunnel is in sight. At this point I'm actually considering continuing for my MASTER's. I can't believe it myself. But with the economy, and Steve's uncertain future (medical programs are such a bitch to get into!) it would be good to keep going to secure a better position. Dual income is nice, but with Steve trying to get into nursing school, I'll need the degree to have a better position at my current job so I'll be able to afford us while he is diligently finishing.

I am also counting down the weeks to our summer ROAD TRIP. It's going to be great to see the Tadlock's and Collier's and their new additions. Cale & Jackie had their baby girl yesterday morning (HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARSON), and Candie's due with her twin girls at the end of April. Steve and I have secured a rental car and we'll be driving down for our visit. Hitting the gorgeous beaches and boardwalks. We've decided to leave a day or 2 early and take our time coming home by stopping at Mammouth Cave, Nashville and whatever else grabs our fancy.

Loving the new stimulus, we are also able to accept the Cobra that was offered when Steve was laid off. Now that we have to only pay 35% of it, I'll be able to go back to my RE and schedule the surgery! I'll update when that will be since I'm not sure yet.

Also thanking my darling husband because he is the best and bought me the Kindle 2!! I am thoroughly in love with it already.It's an amazing little thing. So by way of book reading I've gone green!

I'll end with a Beast photo! (it's a bit dated, but I've been lazy about uploading, and he's still just as cute)