Happy birthday to the most amazing woman!! I love you so much momma, thanks for everything you do! instagr.am/p/VEwmeFMLW1/

— Hanna Joslin (@hannajoslin) January 29, 2013

House Hunters #3

After looking at two houses that were obviously not "me", we drove to house number three. It was pretty much just like I saw it online. Nice front yard. Minimal landscaping (read: easy to maintain). From the outside, it all seemed very symmetrical (which I like); long windows on either side of the front door that allow great natural light to come in.

When I walked in, it smelled fine (which is a big deal--even though it's been empty a little while, it didn't smell musty at all). I liked the tile in the entry way (it reminded me of the tile I had in a former house, so it was instantly "home"y to me).

The house is laid out in a big walk around square type pattern. If you don't understand that, it's OK. I do. Turning to the right from the entry, then left to start the second side of the "square", there's a room on the right that could be a bedroom, perhaps, but there is no closet, so it'd be perfect for my office. That room also has carpet almost identical to a carpet I've used before. And there's another full-length window. I'm loving the windows in this house!

Next to the office is the downstairs (master) bath. Countertops. cabinets and paint are all very reminiscent of a former house of mine. Nice size. No linen closet, but I don't have one now, either! But, it's updated and I like it.

Master bedroom is average size with an average size closet with another great window. Very simple.

From the master, you make your way around to square side #3 which brings us to the eat-in kitchen. The kitchen has been updated with new stainless appliances, white cabinets and nice neutral countertops. I wish there was a little more drawer space, but there are lots more cabinets and countertops than what I have now and I could make it work. I wish there was a window in front of my kitchen sink, but, again--compromise. There's a good sized area to put my table and chairs, and another wall area I can put a cabinet or shelf for all my stoneware. There's a French door that goes out onto the carport (so I can bring in groceries without getting rained on).

The fourth side of the "square" is the living room. Thirty feet long, 16 feet wide. Hardwoods, fireplace, two full-length windows. LOVE it!

Upstairs are two more bedrooms (one would be a guest bedroom, and the other would be a... I don't want to say "junk" room, but--that's where I'd keep arts/crafts, scrapbooking, photo stuff. The bathroom upstairs is nearly the same as the bath downstairs.

There's a nice size backyard with fence along the back and a great little patio area.

I am IN LOVE with this house. I WANT THIS HOUSE! So badly, in fact, that I've become rather obsessed... I find myself driving by at odd times, just to see what it looks like, or that's it still there and more importantly, that it's still for sale.

I have begun the pre-approval process to make an offer on the house, but it's going to take time. I need to eliminate quite a bit of my credit card debt (duh!). Big Joz has to remove me from the mortgage and HELOC that we formerly shared. And unfortunately, it's not as easy as just saying "take her name off". So, please say a prayer and send lots of good vibes. This house feels like home to me and I want out of my tiny little apartment so badly! I just need to get all my ducks in a row and pray that Big Joz does too.

So, as you can probably figure out, I "chose" House #3... actually, I think it has chosen me!

Moving forward from there,

House Hunters #2

After we left House #1 with the "vintage" kitchen, great storage and lots of potential, we headed downtown to House #2, a great little Victorian, built around 1900. Now, I've never pictured myself in a house that old, but let me tell you--the curb appeal had me hooked!

When we walked in, I loved the wall colors, the custom window coverings. They were just gorgeous! Very rich! Beautiful hardwoods. I loved the house! Then I began to realize that my furniture wouldn't look right AT ALL in the house. Yes, I want to acquire new furniture sometime in the future, but I'm not sure I'm an "antique" person. I've begun to appreciate them, living here with all the antebellum homes and such and some pieces really fascinate me. But I'm not sure it's me. The kitchen, while more updated than the previous home, still needed pretty much an entire redo to make it to my standards. Outside, there was a great yard with a wonderful deck. Maybe I could do this after all. Bedrooms and bathrooms were nice. The house felt "sturdy", well-built, especially to be as old as it is. There's no garage or carport and I'd really like to have a place to park my car! I started weighing the pros and cons. However, once I found out the price, I knew, AGAIN, it was over my budget (although I don't even really know what a practical number for my "budget" is... even as I type this!).

We started to leave and the realtor told me he thought he had a pretty good sense of what I was looking for and said that he had another house in mind that he thought might appeal to me. He told me the street name and I instantly recognized it as the location of a house I had seen online and really liked. What are the chances it was the house I had been wanting to see all along? Well, the realtor was right... he had figured out what I wanted! So, off we went to see House #3, leaving behind the Victorian with the gorgeous draperies and the great curb appeal.

House Hunters #1

Do you ever watch that show on HGTV? I love it. And I felt like I was in an episode recently. There's a house that's been for sale for a while that I drive by quite often. I noticed "Must See Inside" and "Great Buy" on the sign about three weeks ago. On a whim, I called the realtor's number. He didn't answer, but he did call me back... and boy did he talk and carry on (while I was up in the Krogers trying to buy my groceries!). We ended the conversation with an appointment for two days later.

Rosario went with me (more on her later) and since Bud and his friend were at my office when the appointment time came, I asked them to come along as well. The location wasn't super great, but it wasn't bad either. There's an apartment complext close by that I was a little concerned about, but there was also a park, so--the first trade-off. I entered the front door and was welcomed by a large living room with GREAT hardwood floors, a fire place with a couple of built-ins. The dining room was also really nice, with the same hardwoods.

The kitchen... well, it was a kitchen--and the appliances stayed with the house! It had the orginal 1957 vent hood. If the stove wasn't original, it was definitely true to the time period... as were the white metal cabinets. Now, these things in and of themselves aren't necessarily turn offs, mind you. The huge white cast iron sink was actually pretty cool, but needed resurfacing; it had a few large rust spots. This kitchen was just all wrong for me. A stackable washer/dryer? No thank you. I'm living with one of those jewels right now.

The house was choppy, but boy did it have storage!! LOTS and LOTS of storage! The space, the yard and the storage were definitely the bright spots in the house. And the hardwoods. The original bedrooms had the original glass door knobs that were really cool, too.

The room at the back of the house was an addition, probably in the 70s. Yukky wood paneling, a newer tile floor (that sweat so bad--the floor was very slippery and dangerous). BUT... it had great storage also. The previous owners had used it as a family room, but it could be considered a bedroom because of the closets. However, to get to it, you had to go through another bedroom. That was weird.

There was a nice little space to the side of the dining room that I would have used for my office. It had a door leading to the patio area. Previous owners had used it for a nursery since the master bath and bed were next to it.

Master--another addition, but hard to tell when. Maybe the 80s? BLACK tub, shower and toilet. In my opinion? Weird. I think the thought must have been that it looked elegant, but that just doesn't work for me. I'm too practical. Soap scum and water spots would show ALL the time.

Bedroom was two steps down and again, a tile floor. The floor looked like a bathroom. Nice size room, but it just felt weird. Closet was nice though.

The house actually has two front doors. The first one you come to from the driveway is simply an entryway room. Really non-functioning for anything. The garage door has been sealed shut and the room turned into another bedroom (probably in the 70s in my guess). Yuk. But--great storage!

The front yard was nice; the back yard was really big and fenced. Storage shed, patio... lots of space for a dog to run. And, there was an outbuilding that had AWESOME potential... if it wasn't caving in.

All in all, I knew this house was first, out of my price range. Second, even if the price was $100,000 less, there's still WAY too much work for me to deal with. Big Joz and I remodeled an entire house in 2003, but this would have been too much for us to tackle. Given that he's not on my "team" anymore, a huge remodel just doesn't sound appealing... I'm not a huge DIYer myself.

So, I thanked the realtor for allowing me to see it. He understood that it wasn't for me, but... he had another one he'd like to show me. So, off we headed downtown.

I want to hear from YOU!

Usually whenever I think about updating this blog, I'm not near a computer. Or I don't have time to post something really clever... or thoughtful... or thought provoking. I have a lot to say... whether you want to hear it or know it or not. BUT... does anyone really care? Does anyone actually read this? I'd love to hear from you! Leave me a comment, send me an email or post to my Facebook. Tell me what you'd like for me to share and/or discuss here.

Ashes, Ashes...

No, we aren't falling down. Today is Ash Wednesday. The beginning of Lent. Lent is a period of 40 days that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter Sunday. It is a time of prayer and preparation for Christians. During this season, many believers choose to either fast or give up some luxury as a form of penitence.

Instead of "giving up" something for Lent and being in prayer during that time, I'm going to "add to"... I've decided to do random acts of kindness each day and use this opportunity to grow closer to God.

I know these acts could simply be holding the door open for someone or letting someone pull out in front of me in traffic. Those are easy. Those are also things I try to do in my daily life. I want to do something more. I want to have to make a concerted effort and do something more substantial.

Today, I've shared containers of homemade lasagna with four older members of our congregation. You may be thinking "Leftover? That's no so great." Well, it's not fresh out of the oven, no. But... these four people aren't going to have to worry about cooking a meal tonight. AND... the lasagna was really good!!

I want to think outside the box, outside my comfort zone. I have some ideas in mind... but I'm looking for others also.

Things I Love

Aside from the obvious "My Children"... some things I love:

* The color turquoise
* Happy surprise handwritten notes in my mailbox
* A really tender beef roast
* Massages
* Big closets
* My Mimi's mashed potatoes
* Eating at a Japanese Hibachi grill
* Coconut Rum
* Pedicures
* The smell of rain
* Naps
* My black yoga pants from Lady Foot Locker
* The Pioneer Woman
* A really full toothbrush
* Cooking for those I love
* Hearing a baby's giggle
* Reminiscing
* Road trips
* Bacon
* The smell of coffee brewing
* Wintergreen Lifesavers that have turned soft
* New friends that feel like old friends
* A bargain
* Hugs
* The smell of men's cologne
* Breakfast at Cracker Barrel
* "Found" money
* Knowing all my bills are current
* My black Frye boots
* Christmas shopping trips with Kim-Kim, my Asian lover
* Savannah, Charleston and Beaufort
* Being a woman
* Personalized and monogrammed stuff

Best Roast Ever. Period.

I had a woman inbox me on Facebook this week about placing an order for Pampered Chef. She came to my office to pay me for her order (Food Chopper and Deep Covered Baker). Then she told me about the way she makes roast in the Baker and swears it's the best roast ever. I love a good roast. But for the life of me, I've never been able to make what I consider to be a really good one. What makes a really good roast? Tender, salty and beefy. Period. Good beef doesn't need much "extra" flavor. I think my main problem over the years has been trying to rush it and get the roast cooked rather quickly because I haven't planned ahead too well.

I earned a Deep Covered Baker for submitting at least $1,250 in my first 30 days of business. As luck would have it, I received my Baker this week, so I planned ahead and decided to make the roast for supper tonight. OH. MY. GOSH. It really IS the best roast ever.

Chuck Roast
1 pkg. dry au jus mix

Place roast in Pampered Chef Deep Covered Baker. Sprinkle dry mix over roast. Place lid on baker. Bake 6-8 hours at 225°.

So tender, juicy and flavorful! Thank you Pam Galloway... for the order and the recipe!

Sopapilla Cheesecake

Night before last, I wanted something sweet after dinner. Not just a little sweet, but super ooey gooey decadent deliciousness. I was thinking chocolate. Nothing specific was coming to mind, so the cookbook perusing began. I found the recipe below. I had never heard of it before, which is unusual for me. It's not chocolate, but boy did it hit the spot! Last night, a friend came over and I offered her some dessert. Because of some severe food allergies she has, she asked what was in it. I told her the ingredients and she replied that sure she'd love some. Then she asked me if it was "Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars". I laughed and told her it was and she told me she LOVED it! She suggested warming it a bit and drizzling with honey before serving. Oh yeah... that made it even better!

Sopapilla Cheesecake

2 cans crescent rolls
2 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
½ c. cinnamon-sugar
1 stick melted butter

Spread 1 can crescent rolls into 9x13 baking dish. Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spread creamed mixture over crust. Top with 2nd can of crescent rolls. Drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes. Let cool. Refrigerate overnight. Cut into squares or bars.

May also reheat in microwave and drizzle with honey before serving.

I'm 42... Elvis died at 42.

I do my best thinking in the shower. This morning I was thinking about today being my Grandpa's birthday. And then I thought about him being gone and what I remember about him. Then... it dawned on me--Elvis was 42 when he died; the same age I am now! He was an icon; a legend! Look at all he accomplished in his lifetime, the name he made for himself. "What name have I made for myself?", I wondered.

How will I be remembered? Simply, I want to be remembered as a GOOD person.

* a GOOD daughter who, more often than not, doesn't have the patience for her mother but delights in sharing crazy (but true) stories about her.

* a GOOD daughter who lovingly and patiently cared for her father when he was so ill--a man she had never been close to growing up, but longed for his attention.

* a GOOD granddaughter who feels that she owes so much to the two people she could always count on for unconditional love... she'll never be able to show them the love she was always given.

* a GOOD mother who, despite trying her best, mostly feels like a failure.

* a GOOD wife, whose husband no longer wants to be married to her.

Who am I? What will my legacy truly be? Will I be remembered as a selfish, spoiled bitch... really? I've tried to be a GOOD person; I really have. But so often, I feel as if I've fallen short too many times.