house hunting is consuming my life

ok so here's the thing. Finding a house that is in our price range, that both of us like, that is near good schools, and a good driving distance to both of our jobs is virtually impossible. I mean I feel like I have searched every online home listing within 50 miles of where we live now with not even a twinkling of a glimpse of something that might work, which is why I find this an appropriate time to release my first single..... "ohhhh we're never gonna find a house, we're never gonna find a house, we're never never never never never gonna find a house." and that is just the chorus! haha I have been singing this to Gary for the past three days and I'm fairly certain he has decided I shouldn't release the single. Anyway, we are trying to stay positive about the home search and Gary is doing a much better job than I, but we are a little discouraged.

on a more optimistic note, I would like to make an announcement of yet another money saving breakthrough at the grocery store this week! I saved a grand total of $32.29 on our grocery bill this week. YES!! It is almost like stealing. I'm sure some of you not so savvy store goers are wondering... just how does she do it? So I'll tell you, it isn't even cool actually.. but I just make my list based on the store sales of the week. Seriously, I get the grocery store mail insert and make my list based off the sales, what we need, and good "cabinet stocking" items. My favorite sales are of course the 10/$10, but also when fruit like peaches and strawberries (which are normally kind of expensive) go on sale I snatch them up. Of course, as fall approaches, I see lots of chili and soups in our future so I stock up on canned tomatoes, black beans, kidney beans, etc. I am not a big coupon clipper, mostly because we don't get the paper, but sometimes the grocery store will have extra coupons that I do clip. It all adds up!! And as per the usual I have attached the living proof of such exquisite shopping!

until next time...

a job... what a relief!

Ever since we found out we would be moving to southern Maryland, I have had my eye on a small hospital in the area called Civista Medical Center. It is quite a bit smaller than the hospital I previously worked for in SC, but it is growing and about 15 minutes from our apartment. How about that for a commute!!! Anyway, I have been unsuccessful in my applications at this hospital for about 3 months. Needless to say my future there looked a bit bleak. But last week I decided to walk in and talk to the nurse recruiter about what they are looking for (which unfortunately is usually a years worth of experience). I left the office feeling good about the visit, the nurse recruiter seemed to like me, and told me she would get back with me within the next few days about an interview possibility... AN INTERVIEW! I couldn't believe it. I had been applying to this place for months, even since before I moved here, and I never even got a phone call or email for further information about my application/background/experience... anything. Even the prospect of a job was making my mouth water! But I didn't want to get my hopes up though.

So a few days later (as promised) I got a got to set up an interview for an ICU position. It just kept getting better. The interview wasn't for another week, so in the meantime I found it very appropriate to make sure I had the right attire... anything to buy new clothes right. Being the bargain shopper I am I have to stick in here that I found the perfect Nine West khaki suit in my exact size for $50... it was originally $150. I love that! plus Nine West is my favorite.. anyone who knows me well will tell you!! :)

I went in for the interview a few days ago and while it was long (got there at 10:30am and left at 1:30pm) I felt it went well. I interviewed with both the nurse manager of the unit I was interviewing for and the nurse recruiter who I had already met. The nurse manager was really nice, showed me around the unit, and introduced me to a few people. It was a little less scary meeting with the nurse recruiter since I had already met her before. I left with the nurse recruiter again promising to get back in touch quickly. I had no idea she would call me back that same afternoon. She offered me the job!! YAY!! I was kind of in shock...

I won't start until Sept 13th because that is when the next nursing orientation is, but I am so excited. I have a job... I have a job........ I really have a job...... still can't believe it!!! Most of all I want to thank all my family and friends who have been praying for my job search and supporting me through unemployment!!

DMV....ugh

Although we have been avoiding this task since we moved to MD, Gary and I went to the DMV bright and early this morning to get MD drivers licenses. It is the first in many DMV visits since we will also need to title and register our cars here.

Anyway, I went one day to try to get my license while Gary was at work, but it was a no go. Before this initial visit, I got online, made sure I had all the right paperwork, and got there early in the morning to avoid any long lines. super organized. Well I waited in line for about 15 minutes and right before the people in front of me were done (and it would be my turn) a guy walks in the door and creates a line on the other side of the desk. I thought it was weird but there were two ladies at the desk, so I wasn't too worried about it. When the people in front of me finish, I walk up to the lady, explain to her what I needed and she looks at me and says, " we are only taking people from that other line (pointing to the line this man had just created!!).... WHAT? Hello I had been waiting in that line for 15 minutes and you had clearly been taking care of everyone's business from that line. So she makes me go wait in line behind this guy that just walked in and just waves him up to the desk. I really couldn't believe it. Then the second lady calls me up after about 5 minutes and I proceed to explain again what I need. Only to find out that I cannot get my license unless Gary "signs for me" because there are no bills in my name so I only have 1 document proving residency. ugh..... I knew no matter how organized I could be that all trips to the DMV end up in multiple trips to the DMV.

Since the DMV closes at 4:30pm everyday, the only day that Gary and I could go together would be on Saturdays when they are open from 8:30am to 12pm. Before I left that fateful day, they did tell me that the line is out the door on Saturdays, which made me even happier. So, we set out today early in the morning to get our licenses. Because we were warned about the large line, we arrived at the DMV 45minutes prior to open (again thinking we were soooo organized). Nope, the line was already about 50 people long... it really couldn't have been worse. Because I have the best husband in the world though, Gary left to get us some chick-fil-a biscuits for breakfast!! I will say once we got in there, they were on top of things. This Saturday visit was much more organized than the weekday trip. Long story short, we are officially MD drivers, organ donors, and registered voters to boot!

dinner party

Last night Gary and I had dinner with some of his friends from work. We had such a great time, but before I start telling you about that, I would be remiss in my blogging if I did not mention how my radiator hose busted just as I was pulling up to their house. What a way to make an entrance, boiling hot water bursting from beneath the hood of my jeep. sheesh.... I can't get a break with this thing. Fortunately the three engineers came to the rescue and fixed it so I could still drive it home! Now to tell you about the actual event. First off, great dinner! We had fresh caught Mahi Mahi, fried up just right with mac&cheese, and green beans!! delicious!! Second... the entertainment... which ended up being all of us. We played Beatles rock band, which I had never played before. This is not the type of thing I usually get into, but I have to admit it was fun. We had a guitarist, a vocalist, and a drummer. Needless to say it was a crazy time, and I even sang a little and tried my hand at the drums! Gary always sees these people, but it was great for me to get out and hang out with some people our age.

the weekend

Gary and I were very busy this weekend. Mostly with car work, but I also began a new "apartment beautification" project. We will start with the very beginning.. a very good place to start...

Friday:
I used a new recipe to create Friday night's dinner. We had one of my favorites.... Salmon!! I used to work at this delicious restaurant and we made a Salmon with a bourbon glaze, so I decided I would try to recreate the glaze to spice up plain salmon. I really liked this recipe, but it made A LOT of glaze. I would recommend quartering the recipe for just two people. 1/2 the recipe would be good for a larger crowd. The recipe is really easy to follow and the ingredients are some commonly stored kitchen items, so you won't have to make a special trip to the store to make it. Here is the recipe and some pictures to show you how it turns out.

Bourbon Glaze
1c. bourbon (we chose jim beam)
1/2 c. brown sugar
1c. ketchup
2 tsp Worcestershire
1/4c. white vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice (we used the juice of 1/2 of one lemon)
1/2 tsp garlic (we substituted for garlic powder)
*in the recipe we found they did not "cook" the glaze, but we
heated the glaze to a simmer for about 5-10min.

After the glaze was created, we just poured some over the salmon and then broiled it (about 10min/inch of thickness). I chose to broil it because that is how we did it in the restaurant, and also because broiling kind of caramelizes the sugar in the sauce. We added some more of the glaze when it was done cooking and it was delicious!! For the rice, I just cooked brown rice per box instructions and then added chopped carrots, red and orange peppers as it was steaming so they became tender.









Saturday:
This day was full of car work. First we needed a special tool, so we went to sears (Gary's favorite store) and got a star tool... Gary calls it a torx bit. :) When we got home the real work began. First we hit my front brakes. Having done my rear brakes a few years ago, we were feeling like veterans. It still took a long time, but we cut our time from 4hrs to do the rear to just 2hrs to do the front! We worked so hard that we decided to save the second project until Sunday. We went to the pool the rest of the day, which is probably a good thing because I got a terrible tan line from working on the car all day. :/



Sunday:
Back to the automotive grind. A few weeks prior to moving to MD, Gary and I found out that my left front swaybar end link was sheared off. This doesn't make the car immovable, but it does make it more prone to sway in strong winds or hitting a pot hole or something. We went to work and luckily this repair didn't take all day. We removed the bad part, slapped on the new, and we were done. Since this repair only took about 30 minutes (way less than we were figuring), I decided to take on a new "home beautification" project. The couches we just bought came with some pillows. Not ugly ones, but definitely not cute. Our living room needed more color and I was not about to let it suffer. So Gary and I both went to the fabric store and picked out a fabric to cover the old pillows with. I am proud to say we agreed on the same one!! Now, I don't have a sewing machine, so I am sewing all the pillows by hand. This takes a while, especially because you want to make the stitches as close together and as equal as possible to ensure a tight stitch and a clean finished product. I will say I am quite proud of the pillows.


p.s. I AM wearing my swimsuit in this picture although it may not look like it.

After/Before

And lastly, today (Monday) is my grocery store day when I stock up for the week. I am very excited to announce that I have reached my highest bonus card savings of all time. Please review my receipt to take part in my rejoicing!!

yay!!

until next time....

gryffindor scarf

So, I know I just posted about my Gryffindor scarf, but in honor of FINISHING it I thought I should post the final product. I have been very excited about this project because I have done two things that I have never done before in my knitting projects. The first being that this is the first stripe I have attempted, so you will notice that some are a bit unequal. Also, I made my own tassels! I think it is the tassels that give it the authentic look. I am very excited to wear it, even though it will be a few months until it gets cold! Don't forget to keep looking out for more of my fall knitting projects.

riding bikes

Today when Gary got home from work, we headed out for a bike ride. We like to get out in the neighborhood and see what is around us. We live in a pretty busy area, but luckily there are a lot of hiker/biker trails for us to ride. This way we aren't out on the road. Gary has pretty good skills on a bike, but I am mostly just good at riding. :) And in case you were wondering what it was like to be married to an engineer; I will tell you. The other day my blow dryer broke, being the good wife that I am, I decided to keep it for Gary to play with instead of throwing it away. Gary likes to take things apart to see how they work, so I thought this would be a great opportunity. Well, I bring it to him and instead of being really excited that he can destroy it, he looks at me and says, "hey I can fix that." What a husband!! After shearing off the plastic wrapping of the cord, cutting the wires, and reconnecting them with some electrical tape. ta-da I have a new hair dryer. Without Gary, I would have just head out to the store to buy a new one. What savings!! Here is some of his work in action.