The Truth About House Hunting

My husband and I are currently house hunting. Before we "officially" started looking I always looked at homes on the internet. Pinning and dreaming about the day we can actually buy one of these homes. Well the time is here and let me tell you, I wish it would just end. Here is the truth about house hunting.

1. Every house needs work.

Yes even that seeming perfect home needs work. It's all a matter of what you are willing to fix, have the seller fix or just get over it. For us the rules are a tad more strict because we went with the VA loan, however we really had to get real with what is OK and what is not. Like Foundation issues are NOT okay but a cracked tile is fine. 

2. Don't fall in love until you have the keys.

Please, for the sake of your own heart, don't fall in love with a house until you have the keys! You will be let down. Things will fall though or the house may not be up to par. Try, try with your whole heart not to love a house until you are very much on the way to closing. I made this mistake. We put an offer on a home and the offer was accepted, YAY! NO don't celebrate. Put your poker face on and get down to business. Inspection, termite inspection, foundation inspection, electrical inspection and roof inspection. Yes we had all of those done and in the end the seller didn't want to fix the foundation so we walked. Just because the cards were dealt doesn't mean you have won the hand, yet. Keep that poker face on until the closing day, then grab some wine and chocolate.

3. Make a list and check it twice. 

If you are like us, picky, precise and stubborn, chances are you have a long list of wants and needs. Because of this it narrowed the inventory of which we could pull from. We lost track of which homes we liked and why and which homes we hated and why. Save your self trouble and make a list. Just jot down a few notes and a yes or no next to the address to save yourself the headache. 

4. Be very clear with your spouse about how high you're willing to go. 

On the way to view a home be sure to discuss pricing with your spouse. Something like this:

"If we like the home, how much are you willing to offer?". This helps get you thinking about money before you view it, so when the time comes to make the offer you both are somewhat on the same page and can make a quick discussion. In our area you have to make offers quick if you really want the house.  

5. Breathe, it will all be worth it. 

Just breathe, if your offer on a home was rejected for the fourth time well then it wasn't meant to be, and you WILL find something better. It just takes time, love and God's grace. 

Sneak Peek

Sneak Peek of what is to come in my shop!

Owls! I have to say, I am more of an elephant person myself, but I am loving the way these came out. Little Lotte Boutique

One thing I miss about shcool is...

I miss writing everyday.

My life is average

I don’t rescue people from burning buildings

or walk the catwalks of fashion, darlings.

Typing without looking is how I make my earnings.

I can type with my eyes closed,

I can type with a plugged nose,

I can even type while being composed.

“Can I take a message?” are my favorite words.

But sometime I rather stare at bluebirds.

But alas, I know that this story only short term

in that, everyday I am closer to my long term

In the mean time I will daydream, like a bookworm.

And that’s just fine by me,

As long as I have coffee,

my doggy and my dearie,

I’m content with being average.

Etsy Shop is finally open!

I finally did it! I opened shop!

You can find it here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LittleLotteBoutique

I focus mainly on jewelry right now but there will be more added to the shop eventually!

Case of the Mondays.

Good Morning!

Last week I hurt my foot playing basketball and have been a little down in the dumps since. I can't move! Lucky what they thought was a fracture was just some weird swollen mess...nothing broken. Still hurts, and can't put a lot of pressure on it but I can walk now! I made it my goal to use the feeling of "down in the dumps and self pity" as fuel to finally make one last push to get to my goal in fitness. I had a thought yesterday:

"The brain can accomplish anything once you stop conceiving it it can't."

Seems simple enough but I can't tell you how many times I tell myself I can't do something. Either because of money or because I don't have the energy. I always find something. Being healthy and staying fit is a lifestyle. One that has taken me a while to achieve but everyday I am working at it. At the doctors when they took my blood pressure and heart rate the nurse was impressed and actually asked if I was a runner :D. That gave me such a boost.

With that in mind I will be going for a lite run/walk with the pup today after work.

How are you meeting your fitness goals ?

Bliss

I Stumbled Upon ;) this video of this marvelous woman who knitted the tiny clothing for the movie Coroline. I find it so fascinating, she is amazing. What a blessing to do something she loves everyday?!

Pizza Dough and Squats

Pizza Dough and Squats, what has my life come too?

I finally made my own pizza dough and I am hooked! It is so easy and comes out perfect! I made two batches, used one for a pizza and the second I split and saved some for another day. Then all I had to do was come home take the dough out of the fridge and make the pizza, or in my case pizza roll ups :) I also made calazones with the same batch :)

I also started my Squat challenge yesterday. 30 Squats, not so hard. Just wait to see how my attitude changes when I get into the 100s! 

EMILY! You better be doing your squats! Today we are on 40! 

Pizza is the best cure for "The Mondays"

Pizza makes everything better, right? Even a case of the Mondays? I think so. 

Last night I tried my hand at some home-made dough. Now I get home around 6pm and I knew the husband was hungry because I was starving. So I made a bowl of lite butter/salt popcorn to hold us both off, because I knew this pizza was going to take a bit.

Yummy!

Okay, back to the pizza. When I jump into something I jump head first. So I made stuffed crust pizza...mmm. 

My Conclusion:

• Great recipe
• Simple
• Thick dough
• easy

The recipe is so simple and easy. 

3 cups flour

1 packet of dry active yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

2 table spoon olive oil

1 cup of warm water

a pinch of basil

Mix the dry stuff first then throw in the wet stuff. Mix it well then let it sit for 10 to 30 mins. I would suggest throwing it in the fridge for bit as well. Kneed the dough on a floured surface for 1 to 2 mins. Then spread onto floured pizza pan! I wrapped some mozzarella sticks into the ends to make it stuffed. I had to break the pieces in two to make them curve into a circle. I popped just the crust into the oven to let it set for 4 mins. After that, put your toppings on bake at 375 for 20 mins. 

Ta Da! Pizza!

During this time my husband comes over

"what's taking so long?" 

"I made my own dough." 

"and..."

"I made it.." 

"Like from scratch? Like flour, yeast and let it rest?"

"Yes" I couldn't help but start to laugh now...poor guy has to deal with me everyday. 

Two things I will do for next time: 

• Get cheese that will melt better, the cheese I used didn't want to melt... I used "Fancy" Mozzarella...ooh la la 
• Make the dough thinner/possibly let it set in the fridge longer. 

Good Morning! Positive Thought of the Week!

Hey there! So on my long ride to work this morning KSBJ was streaming though my speakers and their "Positive thought of the day" was:

Philippians 4:12-13

 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

I can do all things though him who strengthens me. 

They also went on to share a story of a pastor and life coach. The two the of them responded to people wanting to make positive changes in their lives. Their solution was to pick one word you wish to see  in yourself by the end of the year. The goal is to think about the word daily and apply it to your everyday life. This couldn't come at a better time for me. I was just thinking to myself last night that I need to think of one positive thought every morning to help kick start my day.

For me my biggest issue is Procrastination. 

So I looked up what the opposite of this word is

Do

Expedite

Carry out

Complete 

Continue

Finish

HMMM, they are all so good. For some reason Complete, Continue and Finish sound like a charm to me. Or maybe Continue to Finish. 

Continue to Finish and make it Complete.

That's it. 

Okay soo I picked three words...Gives me more limitations :) 

What about you guys? What is your word or phrase? 

Mistakes Happen...A lot.

I can't stop making Mistakes! It is going to happen, with any new job but MAN it is such a downer; especially when, at my old job I was THE IT person. I knew everything, did everything and was everywhere. It is difficult to start all over again. I can't stop obsessing over every mistake I make.

My husband helped with some much needed words of encouragement,"You'll get it down soon enough" 

I hope so. I don't like this feeling. 

Philippians 3:13 
Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. 

Do you tend to get caught up in all your mistakes instead of looking ahead? I sure do. 

Another mistake I have seen myself making a lot lately is this

I find I am so eager to be heard that I do not take the time to really hear others. Something to work on! 

Happy Monday!

Test Run!

Me this morning before my big test run. As my previous post stated I wanted to try riding my bike to work. A whole 18 miles one way! I wanted to prove to myself I could do it and I really enjoy riding. Well it turns out I am a little crazy! :) 

While I don't think I will make riding my bike to work a ritual, I am not completely ruling it out. I do plan to do it at least once a month or more. While I am talking about goals I want to list a few fitness goals. 

• Ride 10 mile at least once a week. 
• Ride to work at least once a month.
• No more fries, cheeseburgers or chips.

NOW let me tell you about my adventure :D 

First thing in the mooring I realized I forgot a few things so I went to the store to get them. I didn't get to leave my house til 9:40am. The ride there was great! Houston has a ton of great riding trails. Going north is problematic. The roads aren't exactly bike friendly so I had to cut through neighborhoods, which added more time. I made it to my work in 2 hours, and here is the proof!

My bike in front of my work! 

Here are a few more shots from my ride: 

When I arrived I stopped at a Starbucks to refuel with some lunch! 

I rested for about an hour. When I ride to work in the future I will rest for around 8 hours instead of 1 so the ride home was rough. not to mention my left pedal was coming lose, not lose like the pedal lose but lose like the part connected to bike; that makes it crank. Yep, I couldn't go 2 mins with out stopping and tightened the bolt down... took me an hour just to find an auto zone to fix it. I tried to keep my spirits high :) I still consider the ride to be a great one :D 36 miles total! 

Remember a few post ago, I entered a book I made into a crafting contest. Well I got 5th! I am happy I placed, however I am little bummed. I spent a lot of time on it....ah well next time! 

Happy Crafting and Happy Fitness! 

Finances On Friday!

Finances on Friday! An idea from Rebecca and her blog Renaissance!

Okay Finances, This week I am *ahem* rolling in money. It is a very happy change from how broke we were. So here is how I have saved and what I will spend. I am spending mainly to "catch up" on the things that I couldn't buy or pay during our broke time.

First! The Saving!

1. I made my husband a sandwich out of the heels instead of throwing them away. One of his co-workers noticed and said "that's messed up" and he responded "it's just bread, it doesn't bother me none..." AND that is why I love him :) 
2. Tuesday morning instead of going to Starbucks for a coffee I made my own latte...using my espresso machine to it's fullest potential! 
3. I have been bringing my lunch, rice and soup and steamed veggies!
4. I used my Kroger gas points to fill up my car.
5. I am making my husband a homemade anniversary present :) I only have 25 days...hmm
6. I am putting some serious thought into buying a bike and riding my bike 18 miles to work, now before you spit out your drink and yell "YOU'RE CRAZY!" let me explain. Driving to work in the morning takes around 40 mins driving home in the evening takes 50 mins to an hour and 10 mins. Time completely wasted just sitting in a car. It would take me around an hour and 20 mins to ride a bike to work. That is almost the same amount of time coming home! I would save in two ways:
• Save gas money
• Save on a gym membership-I was looking at one; it will be $80 to start up and $26 a month.
• I could be totally crazy but I plan to do a test run tomorrow morning :D 
• Not to mention I would get 3 hours of working out everyday. Win!

Now for the Spending/Saving....

1. Pay $50 or more towards my credit card.
2. Bump up my car note payments by $20.00
3. Put $100 into saving...I need to revive that baby, she has flat lined. 
4. A bike, to save on Gas and a Gym membership.
5. I need sitting chairs for our dining room, we have no where for guest to sit. My budget for those is $300
6. I was going to get my hair done, I was going to splurge and spend around 200 for a full treatment....HOWever I know it's a waste. So I am going to sally's on my way home to pick up my own...it will be around $10. :)

My scenic view here at my new job :) 

Happy Saving!

Thursday, the day of forgiveness...and embarrassment.

Good Morning Readers! 

I tend to get down in a ditch very easily when I feel I have done something wrong. Sometimes it is personal or at work it doesn't matter. I have to remind myself God forgives us, he knows we are not perfect but sinful creatures. I found these to help lift my spirits!

1 John  1:9 
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Isaiah 1:18 
"Come now, let us reason together," says the Lord. "Though your sing like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they red as crimson, they shall be like wool.

Hebrews 10:17
Then he adds: "their sins and lawless acts will remember no more."

Daniel 9:9 
The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him.

SO many, all excellent! 

In other news, my job is a blessing, the only complaint  down side is the drive. In the morning it is peaceful and relaxed because I am driving out of the city, however at 5 it is a mess and can take me up to 40 mins to get home.

AND THIS is so Embarrassing!

My boss came to my office to talk about pricing and asked me to show him what a tenth of a cent was and I couldn't...I sat there so red and embarrassed. He had to tell me :( after he wrote it all out for me, of course it made sense. He seemed to understand....

Day Four

Today is day four of new job. I can't help but want to jump head first into everything I do, which sometimes means MISTAKES are made! It happens. I try to be graceful about it but I don't want to look like I can't do the job. *sigh* It's OKAY....I am doing fine. :) The boss man already said I am awesome and such good help; it's funny how easy it is to ignore the good stuff when you make a mistake.

On the that note the GREAT ICE STORM yesterday, never happened. YES it was ridiculously cold and we had a little frozen rain but it wasn't that bad, as in the roads weren't frozen. NOW IT was cold... I haven't seen Frozen yet but I thought this picture was just perfect:

I really really want to watch this movie. Any one see it yet? What are your thoughts?

Okay, bare with me while I change my blog a few times. I can never seem to get the layout just the way I want it. 

In other news, Randy received his "official" job offer letter. YAY! I am very happy about the new job for him, I think I will be even more happy when he goes in for orientation. He has been trying to get a job there since June...with some false hope along the way I am still a little skeptical. I don't think I am looking forward to him being away either... :( 

I had a revaluation this morning as well. I have tried to pretend that this condo is GREAT and awesome and I love my kitchen and such but this morning it's just "not right". I think it is like 560 sp ft one bedroom place. It's newly remodeled and nice in that sense but man it is tiny and man we are close to our neighbors and man it's just too city. I can't seem to get into a "normal flow" of life since we moved here. It's odd. Maybe it's the cold weather. I think it might be all this change ALL at once. It has thrown me for a loop. 

Monday, Monday, Monday

Good Morning!

This weekend I was struck by a bug and spent the whole day Sunday resting and sleeping. While being sick made the day uncomfortable it made me realize I need to just sleep on the couch all day :) Though I am not feeling 100% today I am very firm on not calling in sick to work unless I am completely unable to walk. So I am here; and all is well. I am getting my new desk organized and brought homemade crumble banana muffins to win over my co-workers. I say it is a very successful day ;)

There is another "winter storm" alert for tomorrow which means more ice. Here is another picture of the ice we experienced last week. 

This was my windshield, It looked like a solid block of ice. 

I thought I might try to roll down my window...

A little more....

All the way down! As you can see the ice is broken on the right and top, I was punching it out and letting my defrost melt it. I didn't think the ice would have stayed by itself but it did! 

I hope it is not like this tomorrow morning... 

Finances on Friday

Here is my Finances on Friday inspired by Rebecca at Renaissance!

I know it's Saturday, however due to my first day at the new job yesterday I didn't have time for much. Finances for this week:

• I went to goodwill, instead of the mall, to pick up a cute skirt to wear to work, actually I purchased two skirts :)
• Tried to eat in as much as possible, however we have been splurging a bit due to the fact we are not completely broke.
• Making my husbands lunch everyday
• Used my shell/kroger points to get a discount with gas :)
• We had major Ice Friday Morning, I didn't have a scraper so I used a credit card...I was really tempted to go buy one but my logical mind won...HOW often does it really ice here? Not often.
• Made a cheese cake for my old job. (I was a little sad to go)

Things I know I need to work on for this up coming week: 

• Stop spending just because I can.
• Continue to make lunch, AND my my own lunch.
• I need to go though my clothes an make a big donation pile...before I buy any new clothes.
• When I get my first paycheck from the new job I need to dust the cob webs off my savings account...

Happy Weekend!!

Finances On Friday

I haven't posted in a while but Rebecca from Renaissance has inspired me!

Here is my Finances on Friday!

Mid year last year my husband and I hit some tough times, he had a part time job and I had my current job which doesn't provide much for the amount of headache it is. Some of the other tough times included my husband hitting a deer with my car, an unexpected trip to IN and having to move. God really blessed us this year. I want to shout "Finally!" however, I realize I am not deserving of it. When times were tough I turned from him, complained, cussed and over all hated life, instead of realizing this will pass and I just need to believe it will get better. In order to thank God for this blessing I will make a goal this year to share his blessing.

The blessing I am referring to is a new job, making $400 more a month. On top of my job my husband also got a new job this month in the Oil and Gas field with great pay. The gremlin on my shoulder is telling me to spend, spend spend because I have gone so long (not really that long...only a year) since I have had extra money.

SO here is what I am going to do, set some goals for 2014.

1.Pay off my credit card
2. Put at least $100 into savings each month(we are saving for a house!)
3. With our Tax return we plan to get the hubby a new car
4. Possibly trade my car in(this isn't a necessity, more of a want)
5. Help the hubby with bills.
6.Share God's Blessings!

NOW for Finances for the week:
1. I am in a crafting Games thing with a group call Amtgard, the games are similar to the hunger games and each month we must submit a themed craft using a set amount of money. This month it was $10 so I dug into my sewing box and grabbed some paper and I am now making an embroidered book cover! I will post pics when that is done.
2. Sams Club...enough said.
3.I save money by doing all my dogs grooming myself, cutting his nails, his hair.
 I don't have another one...I really need to work on saving money and thinking smart. I am awful. Like today was pay day and I bought starbucks for $7.00 when I could have just had coffee at work. :(