Suburban People Problem

Snow in October? What?!?!?

Okay, the picture isn't from today but it parts of where I lived didn't look too differently from that this morning... Maybe not so much snow on the trees.

What's awesome on the first day of snow? Heat! Guess what we didn't have... Yup, heat! Thankfully, with the help of a YouTube video Michael was able to fix it. While I was freezing my butt off thoughts of having to write a large check to a heating guy haunted me. I'm thankful that's not the case but it's probably a good idea to call someone to do some maintenance work on the furnace and the water heater; I heard you're supposed to do that on a yearly basis. Man, having a house is expensive.

Well, I guess it's a good thing that I've been working all these extra over time (again!). I haven't had a day off in... approaching 12 days now I think... Yeah, I'm tired. I wish I could say that this has resulted in some hefty boost to our savings account but it hasn't really. This month, this month is when we're going to get our savings back on track. Never mind that I say that every month...

On the good news my laptop is back to functioning normally. This poses a problem... Should I not get a new laptop on Cyber Monday? But what if I pass up a good deal then, have my laptop die on me a month later, and be forced to pay more for a new laptop? I heard a new term on the radio yesterday, "SPP" which stands for Suburban People Problem.

It's the Little Things that Keeps Me Going

When thrifting I often find myself going through racks and racks and racks of discarded Target, Old Navy, and Forever 21 shirts to find nothing. I read blogs where thrifters show off all their vintage owls and bar carts and mid century furnitures and wonder where in the world do these people live? What kind of fairy tale thrift stores are they visiting? But, every once in awhile, I'll stop inside a thrift store on a whim and find magic, like this!


Cute on it's own, yes, yes. Does it make me shallow that I think this is an extra awesome score because it's a vintage apron from Saks Fifth Avenue that I got for $3? Hmmm... Probably... Well, is shallow really the word I'm looking for though?

I also found this whole set for just $14!


I appreciate the fact that they kept the set together. A greedier thrift store would have sold the pieces individually (and made more money doing so).

Book Mark Clean Out!

It's funny how things start to work a little better once you threaten to replace them. It's like they know. My lap top is still a pain to start but I only have to restart it like five or six times now, which is an improvement.

Michael got a job that requires him to wake up very early in the morning. He's been going to bed between 9 and 10 pm, which is just crazy to me but it's started to rub off on me and it's rare that I'm up past midnight now. Getting more sleep is definitely a good thing. I'm no longer struggling to stay awake as I drive home from work and I'm slightly more productive. The days seem longer and I feel like I have more time. Huh.

While I mop up the kitchen floor (before going in to work, OMG!) here are some articles you can read!

Designing Your Death Dossier- This is something Michael and I should tackle soon, though thinking about death kind of freaks him out. It's not exactly a pleasant topic of discussion for me as well.

Skirt Steak with Bloody Mary Tomato Salad- I haven't really cooked in over a month so I'm trying to get back into it. This seems like an easy recipe to get me started again.

Harm Yourself with These 5 Dangerous but Useful Cleaning Products- I found the comments more interesting than the article itself. Everyone just pretty much confirmed that I made the wrong decision in killing Mother Nature with Drano, especially since I have PVC pipes. Oops. I took Jamie's advice and got a drain cover in my shower.

DIY Idea: High Impact, Low Cost Wall Art!- It looks nice and it's probably easy to do. I can think of a many places in my house where I'd like to do something like that... But... All those those holes! If I ever decide to take it down (or if I mess it up) those holes are going to be a bitch to cover up.

Antique Store Wisdom: A Frank Look at Numbers- Yeah, it's not worth it for me to go into antique re-selling. Maybe I'll just hoard now and make it a side income job when I retire.

The DIY Stain Removal Infographic is a Quick Reference for Removing Common Stains- I love doing the laundry but I've never really gotten into stain removal. I just dump everything into the machine and hope it all comes out. If it doesn't, oh well, try and try again. If it really doesn't come out than it becomes a sleep shirt/trash.

5 Clever Uses for Toothpaste Secret- My mom taught me to polish silver with toothpaste.

Homophobic, Racist Craigslist Advertiser Bans Undesirables from Yard Sale- This crazy lady is from my town!

How Do I Sharpen a Kitchen Knife- You can get your knives sharpened for free during the month of October at Sur la Table. I got mine sharpened recently and OMG, I had forgotten how awesome sharp knives can be.

Before and After Shots of Joggers- Do French women not tie their hair while jogging?

Before & After: Hutch Makeover- I have a very um... wooden hutch that was gifted to me. I don't know where to put it because it looks very um... yeah. Anyway, something like this is a really cool idea though I don't know that I have the dedication needed to pull of a project like this. It's a lot of sanding and painting.

Grass-Fed Beef Better for You than Grain-Fed- So, recently, Michael and I decided to go to a very fancy butcher shop in Middleburg. We decided to buy a nice piece of organic, grain fed, locally raised, blah blah blah steak and have it for dinner. Yeah... $42 a lb! I kept staring at that sign like... I have to be seeing it it wrong... There's no way... Needless to say, we did not have steak that night.

How to Deal with Your Crazy Boss- I had a crazy boss once. She wasn't my direct manager but she made my job way harder than it had to be. I can't believe I stayed in that job as long as I did.

How to Get Rid of Drain Flies- Gross!!! First heard of them this year from a co-worker because we had these tiny flies flying around. We don't use the down stair bathroom very often but I make sure Michael runs the water in the shower for a few minutes every month and we've never had a problem with them... until recently. My sister came over with her kids and, while here, she was complaining having tiny flies around the house. I swear they smuggled some over because now I see them in my house.

Limted Qualities, It's Going to Go FAST!

Well, it's official, I need a new lap top. Black Friday is coming up and I'm sure I can snag a good deal. If I budget $500-$600 for a new laptop that's what... about a hundred dollars a month that I need to save up...

Yeah... not sure if that's going to happen, especially since The Holiday's are coming up and I am currently obsessed with QVC and HSN. Yes, the Home Shopping Network and whatever QVC stands for, I am obsessed with those channels. I haven't actually bought anything off those channels but I want to. I think it would be fun. I can call in, place an order, and maybe even talk to the host!

Hello! My name is Jin and I just bought the Echo of the Dreamer Purple Garden Party Butterfly Ring and I AB.SO.LUTE.LY LOOOOOOOOO~VE it!!!


It's going to go soooooo well with my Echo of the Dreamer Zoe Cluster Ring!!!


Then the host and I can chit-chat about our shared love of simulated semi-precious gem stones and how gold overlay are the best thing ever because it allows normal folks like me to still enjoy "couture" inspired jewelry, with gold prices being sooo high and all now, you know?

When my obsession first started I told myself that I just like watching it for the train wreck merchandise that appear. I would sit there and think, "OMG, who would wear that?!?!" but I've come to admit that I am slowly starting to actually like the stuff that appears on the show. I think it's grossly over priced but there are some stuff there I wouldn't mind getting for Christmas...

I swear, on the inside, I am a 65 year old retired women who just wants to stay home, bake, knit, and watch shopping networks... while petting a cat. That actually sounds really fun.

Back to my laptop need...

While I haven't actually bought anything off these shopping channels, watching them have instilled a very hyper-inflated value on everything. On these channels they talk about how every single characteristic is like the most amazing thing and the reason that you must buy buy buy it now! It's all going to be so life changing! It will go with everything! You will get so many compliments on it! That kind of thinking starts to carry over to everything I see and it's creating a dangerous shopping habit. I haven't gone on any crazy shopping sprees but I have bought more than I probably should have... especially since Michael and I have some pretty big financial mile stones we are trying to meet.

The smart thing to do would be to turn it off, go outside, and appreciate free things like nature and love and stuff. But you know, the Holidays are coming up...