0086 - I should be sleeping

I should be sleeping, but I had Horchata. It's a delicious drink made with rice, milk, cinnamon and sugar. I've seen recipes and wanted to try it - and lo and behold, there was a little store inside the local HEB selling drinks... and they had horchata. It was even better than I had imagined it would be. But it seems that I am horchata intolerant, so here I am, very gassy, regretful, and thankful that Mike is asleep. I've been pretty miserable for the last couple of hours, and hopefully it will run its course soon so I can go to sleep.

We were turned down for a loan, which is very disappointing. I'm not used to that. But we aren't quitters, we don't give up, we just find another way around the obstacle. I did some research, and since Mike would be a first-time homebuyer, an FHA loan seemed like a good option because it is more forgiving. As much as I would like to stay local, if I get turned down by a local lender, I'm going for the big guns, so we called Quicken Loans.

The lady we spoke to was so helpful that I'm glad we did it. She explained that what's hurting Mike's credit score is the fact that he doesn't have any... he has cards, but there are no balances on them and the only way a company can determine your credit worthiness is if they see that you charge to the card and make payments. All this time I thought adding him as an authorized use to my cards was helping boost his score, but I was wrong. So we broke out an unused card and put everything we bought today on it. It will get paid off, we don't intend to carry a balance, but we need to use the card to (here's the irony...) get credit for using credit. She also told us to apply for a new card in his name, she's seen people's scores go up 100 points in a month just for that. We've been intending to get some gas cards that offer discounted gas, so instead of applying in my name, we applied for one in his. So basically, instead of 3-6 months like the local lender told us, we can try again in 30 days. They also have a program to help you get your credit in shape for a loan, if it's free we may take them up on it, otherwise we'll do it on our own.

We don't know that this is the house for us, but we don't want to lose the opportunity to find out. That said... we are really hoping this is the house for us. The idea of a historic home with all the extras that come with it, in a town that we adore, is exciting and we are imagining all kinds of things we can do with it. It's time for something to work out for us.

People went to see our property today, not the ones who seem most excited about it, but still... one of the prospects. They were disappointed in the layout. I'm afraid that everyone else will be too, because I will admit it - I was. I think if someone is willing to terrace the slope and do some work to it, or just wants a hunting property, it will sell, but it's not something most people are going to look at and be able to envision life on. Our realtor also says there are about 20 other properties in the price range with better layouts and/or easier access to utilities. I hope we don't have to go down in price... we're already losing money on it. At the same time, we want to be rid of it. It's money that's tied up in land we don't want, that we could use as a downpayment on something we do want.

We're on the cusp of something better, just have to get through this last little bit of bad luck first... and then I hope that's the end of the bad luck for a while. We've done our time.

0085 - Cabin Fever

My ear still hurts, so I stayed in today... not that I leave the house much to explore anyway. I slept until around 11:30 so I felt like I wasted most of the day, but I got up and cooked lunch and spent some time with the cats. The little ones were driving me crazy. The only way to cook is to let them explore the pantry... they're happy, I'm happy. I like them best when they sleep. They really are very affectionate and cute, and Trouble isn't too bad... Cuddles is the one that gets into everything. Kittens... After cooking, there are dishes to do... yea. I love cooking, I don't necessarily mind dishes, but I don't always like to do them. To that end, I emptied the dishwasher so I could at least put the plates in there.

I decided to start painting. I picked the most difficult wall to start with, but not on purpose. I thought I was choosing the wall with the least surface area, but I didn't think about what the doors meant in terms of detail work, and I failed to notice that it was one of the taller walls, which made it harder to reach the ceiling. I got it done though. It looks pretty good. I'm not a big fan of purple anymore, not since I lived with a purple room for several years (thank you Prince...). I liked it at the time, but my tastes have changed since then. Laura, however, loves purple. If purple was a person, she'd marry it. So it's perfect for her, and it's her house. She's happy, so I feel good about it. :)

I even tackled one of the long walls later on, the one where the bed is. I wanted to see what it would do for the room, and it's not like I had anything else to do... trash was done, cats were fed, dinner was eaten... I caught up on my blob subscriptions last night. I know the blog thing doesn't sound life altering, but I was up to 750 unread emails and now I have none - and no, I didn't do that all last night, last night was just the culmination of it. Anyway, it makes the room look more cozy... a DEFINITE improvement from the white walls for sure.

Other than that... data entry... and daydreaming about the house in TN. I haven't heard back from the mortgage broker yet. I keep looking at it and I still like it a lot. Ideally we would have a home set back from the road, and surrounded by trees so that it wasn't visible from the road, but this is one of those quaint towns with the old-fashioned houses that aren't necessarily right on the road, but they aren't too far from it. Since it's not our permanent home, it doesn't bother me. It fits with the town.

Mike is still in New Mexico. It sounds like he is working another long day again. We haven't been able to talk much, he still can't make calls, but we IM and he was able to call me from his computer. Hopefully he'll be home this weekend.

Is it weird that this sounds tasty to me? http://www.thekitchn.com/african-peanut-stew-recipes-from-the-kitchn-175978 I'm going to the grocery store tomorrow so I'm browsing through recipes and deciding what next week holds. I found a recipe for roasted okra... which I hesitate to call a recipe BUT it's an interesting concept. I've never had roasted okra and I figure it cuts down on the gooeyness and probably intensifies the already slightly smoked flavor of it. I know roasted broccoli is definitely tasty, in fact Mike says after having it roasted, he doesn't really want it any other way. So I figure what the hell... we'll try roasted okra, too.

It's midnight, and I should be sleeping, but it's not like I have to get up at a certain time... but now I'm bored. It feels like I've been busy all day... and now that I should relax, I feel like I'm lacking something to do... Oh well. Guess I'll find something to interest me on the web, job hunting or something.

0084 - So tired

Mike's first day was a long, long day. He left the house around 9:30 Tuesday morning, and didn't come home until 3'ish the next morning. After a partial night's sleep, it was off to a remote part of New Mexico this morning. If I understand correctly, they pay mileage, and time starts when you leave the house until you either return home or get to the hotel if you're away from home. So yesterday's day was 15 hours or so, and mileage is going to add up nicely. Still... that's a long, grueling day. Thank goodness he's not climbing or it would be even more taxing.

My day was far less exciting... my time was spent cooking, cleaning, updating our budget, following up on loose ends, doing some data entry, and drooling over a house I found. It's an older home, the farm house style I love and it's on nine acres with a guest house, detached garage, and horse barn. They say it needs some TLC and a full restoration, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's out of the question. Remember that what we are looking for is a place to put our stuff, and something that we can renovate over time. At less than $500/mo with P+I+Escrow, it saves us about $120/mo on storage fees and puts all our stuff in one spot. Plus it gives us a project and we build equity and have a home so we can claim citizenship and start doing all that stuff. The guest house can be just that, or we can rent it out, or we can open the restaurant we keep threatening to open. At the start I think it would become a mancave/guesthouse. We're both really excited about it's potential, but yeah, we're cautiously optimistic.

Our realtors said once we qualify for a loan, they will take video for us and look around to give their impressions of the place. We're thinking that when we head to Florida to retrieve the RV (hopefully in the next week or two), we will stop by and look at the two houses ourselves. We learned from the property we purchased... we will not buy anything sight unseen ever again. Things can look great in pictures and not so great in person. We're not expecting perfection, we just need to know how labor intensive it's going to be. Is it just a matter of updating things, or is there a major overhaul required?

Apparently there are five interested parties for our land. One couple in particular seems to want to make an effort to go out and see it pretty quickly. We're hoping we can sell it soon and use a portion of that money as a downpayment, the rest would help us catch up a little. We have money tied up in several things right now, and any one of them working out would make our situation markedly better, all of them combined would be wonderful. All of them would probably be so overwhelming that I might faint.

I also lost 8 lbs since I weighed myself in Houston. I think a combo of eating home cooked meals and the medication I'm on is finally starting to work. Hopefully that loss continues and I can begin to see a real difference. Right now I feel like I'm imagining any improvements because I still look the same. My shorts were less snug yesterday, so that helps, but until I look in the mirror and see me again, I'm not jumping for joy.

Going to start painting tomorrow. I had an infection in my right ear that went away, but now my left one is infected and it is kind of painful... so I don't know how far I'll get before I'll need a nap. If it doesn't get better I'll try to find a Redi-Clinic, but I don't want to. Anyway, I'm aiming for half a wall a day... get the purple up, then go back and do the white. Should definitely change the look of the room for the better. I hate plain white walls, blech.

Anyway, it's nice to have a positive post for a change huh? I miss Mike, but other than than (and my earache) I can't complain. Things seem to be getting better and I'm going to believe that trend is going to continue. :)

0083 - Cooking

It's nice to have a kitchen again, even if it isn't mine. I pretty much expected Brian to have a can opener and a microwave, but  - probably thanks to Laura - he actually has a well-stocked kitchen. :)

We're tired of eating out. It's nice from time to time, but it's about all we've done for the last month (plus) and it gets old... pretty much the same stuff on the menus, half the time we're disappointed about something, it's not as healthy as home-cooked, and it costs more. The conundrum I have is that I often have a hard time sitting down and planning out a week's worth of meals. Unfortunately, that step is necessary for a successful trip to the grocery store. Even more unfortunately, I abhor grocery shopping because of all the other shoppers. So... in summary... I love to cook... but... I hate pretty everything I have to do in order to be able to cook.

Whining aside. I did find some recipes to try out this week.

I stumbled upon an episode of Tyler's Ultimate on Food Network that featured pork chops which looked so delicious that I had to record it and let Mike see what the puddle of drool was all about. We both agreed that this was a meal that had to be made. Usually I'm not a pork chop girl, but all the flavors just seemed like they would be so perfect together. I guess I should explain that as I look at a recipe, I'm putting all the tastes together in my mouth, and odd as it sounds, I can usually get a feel for whether or not the final product is going to be good or not. I don't know if anyone else does that or not, but I do. And I suppose "good" is a subjective word...

So here's the recipe. My comments are as follows... It looks intimidating, but it's not bad. I didn't make the polenta ahead of time, and that's a crucial step. I also didn't use "polenta" as such. The HEB we went to was pretty stank, and they didn't have polenta so I used yellow cornmeal, people claim it's the same thing but I'm sure there is some slight, but important, difference. I would add more parmesan to the mixture next time, although after the flavors melded together the next day, Mike said it was better. I didn't have a grill or a griddle, so I tried frying the squares, which hadn't set yet... so, epic fail on that count. If I had another pan to bake with I would have put them in the oven, but I think that since they weren't set, it probably wouldn't have mattered. Also, my pork chops had a section of meat on each side of the bone... in hindsight, I should have created pockets on both and divided the proscuitto and fontina evenly. And lastly, I think the sauce needed to reduce a bit more. Overall though, the chops were delicious. Two things really made them pop... brining imparts so much flavor (I brined overnight), and drying the meat off to saute it and get a nice crust really concentrated that flavor and sealed in the juices.

I attempted Tom Ka Gai but that stank HEB didn't have several of the ingredients I needed (fish sauce, lemongrass, kefir leaves), so what I made was a decent attempt, but I'm not even going to judge the recipe yet because it's not fair to do so. It was edible, and maybe even a little impressive given what I had to work with, but I was disappointed because I've wanted to make it for a while... it's such a delicious soup and since we don't always know where we'll be, it would be nice to make it at home and have it taste like it does at the good Thai restaurants we've been to. I can't get the original recipe to post, but this one is similar if you're curious.

Another recipe that will go into rotation: Zucchini Fries. The woman who posted this didn't really post a recipe so much as an idea, so I kind of did my own thing. Basically I mixed flour with a bunch of seasoned salt and some garlic salt, because that's what I had on hand, and then I mixed some panko with shredded parmesan. I cut the zucchini into 1/4" strips lengthwise, then put them flat-side down and cut them into 1/8" strips, rolled them in the flour, dipped them in egg, and then into the breadcrumb mixture. I would probably cut them thinner next time, about half that size so they get even crunchier. Then again, I'm a thin fry girl, not a steak fry girl, so make it according to what you like. And I would do a 1:1 ration of panko to parmesan. I didn't have any marinara, or spaghetti sauce, nor did I have the ingredients to make my own, but I think that would have made them better. I'm a dipper... I love almost any food that gets dunked into something else. They were good as is though, nice and crisp, not soggy. And pretty healthy really.

I have some cauliflower and broccoli... I was going to make mashed cauliflower and roasted broccoli to serve with the steak fingers I'm making later this week, and I still might, but this is also tempting... I made it several times after I first saw the episode air and I love it. It's so tasty whether you make it as a salad, or eschew the spinach and just serve the veggies as a side with the lemony dressing. Steak fingers are from Pioneer Woman, haven't tried them but they look delicious.

You may have surmised that there's not much is going on outside of the kitchen. Mike takes the bike out in the mornings. I sleep in. The cats and kittens rule the house. To be able to cook, I have to let one of the kittens into the pantry and shut the door so the other lays outside the door and they play. I swear they're worse than toddlers, because toddlers have playpens. Otherwise they're all over the counters, and since they don't know the difference between a countertop, which is merely annoying, and the stove, which could be catastrophic, I figure it's a nice compromise. When Mike starts work, which will most likely be next week, I will start painting the bedroom; I'm saving that to keep my busy while he's gone and I'm lonely/bored. It's not our house, but it's our home for the time being, and it's nice to have a space of our own again without having to live out of a suitcase.

0082 - Settling in for a bit

Back in Georgetown. I'll be housesitting for about three weeks while we wait for our RV to be finished. I'm kind of excited because Brian hates painting, and I miss having home improvement projects, so I get to paint the master suite. It makes me feel useful. And it gets rid of the sad white walls.

The drive wasn't half bad (for me), it was even nice to be back behind the wheel for a little while, and once I got my iPod hooked up (kept forgetting to do it while I was stopped) I was bebopping my way down 290. No traffic snarls = smiley happy Kristy. Gracie gets all bent out of shape and nervous just before a trip, so she had some poo issues that required her to stay in her cage for the duration of the trip... suffice it to say that Mike didn't have as nice a drive as I did (says the queen of understatements). Not that he had all the fun... I did have to deal with a portion of it that I'd just as soon forget. Thank goodness cats are self-cleaning.

Mike seems to be making a lot of good contacts lately. He's always been good at networking, but this line of work seems to be overflowing with people who can give you a job lead. I think that's great, and we both hope there are opportunities for quick advancement. We're hoping to get more information about all of the possibilities so that we can make the best choice for us. Hopefully by the end of the week we'll have a plan.

Speaking of which... this whole rant is not directed at anyone in particular, it's just that after this weekend I need to vent, because I have a swarm of thoughts in my head.

It seems like everyone questions why we want to be in Tennessee and tries to offer us options that will keep us in Texas. I don't know how to explain it to them when they ask. If what I say doesn't make sense... if what I say doesn't sink in, I feel like there's no way to make them understand. The most basic answer I can give is that it's what we want. We researched it, we visited, we made a decision, we got excited. Just because the land we bought didn't work out doesn't mean we've given up, it just means we didn't know what our needs were yet and jumped the gun on that particular plot. Given all the obstacles we've had, and how hard we continue to fight, it should be obvious by now that this is our path and we're not going to waver.

I'm tired of feeling guilty for wanting to live my life and advance toward a future that we are both excited about, I'm tired of having to tell people we're not interested in a house in the suburbs, or a house in the hill country, or that if Mike doesn't like working in an office and tower climbing was his idea, and if we are in one place for a while I will find a job, or if I have to do it to pay the bills I will find a job, but I'm supposed to be taking some time off and relaxing for a little while, work was supposed to be an option for me, and if we move around a lot, the idea was that I travel. In the future, when we have the RV back, I hope to find temporary jobs in the parks we stay at, but traveling isn't conducive to most jobs, even the ones that allow you to telecommute.

Coming home for a visit was actually a difficult thing because I no longer like being there. Perfect example - bumper to bumper traffic at three o'clock in the afternoon... it drove me nuts. Everywhere we went there were crowds. I hated it before we left, I hate it even more that we've been separated from it for a while. It was great to see friends and family, I enjoyed eating familiar foods, we got a few things accomplished along the way... it's not that it wasn't fun, it was just rushed. I felt pulled in a million directions and I'm not sure anyone was happy. I also wonder if we will always be expected to come to Houston if we want to see our friends and family, or if how many of them will be willing to meet us somewhere else? Not necessarily TN, but wherever we may be. Like a vacation.

I'm looking forward to settling into one place for a few weeks after all the traveling we've done in the last month. But don't misunderstand... In the RV I don't mind moving around. I don't particularly like packing it in, but you get used to it. The thing about life without the RV is that we live out of suitcases and we live in someone else's space - which is exactly what we wanted to avoid. So for a few weeks I don't have to do that. And I have a little time to myself where I don't have any plans. I can do things at my leisure. But I want our home back. With our stuff. With our space.

I guess I'm just ready to have our life back. And I'm ready to move forward. I've had a lot of fun, but it's also been stressful and I'm ready for the stress to end and the relaxation to actually begin.

0081 - Houston

My life centers around the bathroom. I think all the fourteen hour trips we took to Mississippi when I was younger left a psychological scar... They always took place around a holiday, and this was before the days of the 24/7/365 McDonalds and gas stations. Back then... aside from walking uphill in the snow both ways to school... we had to use rest areas, and the closer we got to Mississippi, the fewer and farther between they became because it was a more rural area, and it was also later in the evening. Sometimes I thought I was going to pee my pants because I either tried not to say anything, or we couldn't find anywhere to stop. So I joke now that I don't have a small bladder - I have very efficient kidneys. I hate it. I hate having to ask anyone to pull over... but there comes a point when it has to be done.

On the trip from Houston to Austin there is a large gas complex just past the Travis County Line where I would stop every time. It was clean, it was just past a light on the correct side of the road, it was about at that point where I needed to go... And it is not what it used to be.

This time I went in and two of the stalls were closed... the one that was open was occupied by a young hispanic man who didn't lock the stall door - not to mention that he was in the women's restroom - I double checked myself to be sure and it not only said Women's, but it had the stick figure with the dress on. Once he cleared out I saw that there was no toilet paper in any of the stalls and the one he'd used was disgusting... someone's ass exploded is all I can say. It was kind of traumatic all around. But I had to pee bad, so I grabbed a paper towel and hovered over a toilet in a different stall. Couldn't get out of that place fast enough.

We get to the Houston area and it's about three o'clock. There should not be traffic at three o'clock... but there was. Bumper to bumper. I think being away from it for so long has made it seem even worse to me. At times I wanted to fling the truck door open and just take off running. I know that's not normal, but I blame the Rita evacuation. I can't stand a sea of brake lights, it stresses me out. Mike was even less thrilled since he was the one behind the wheel.

So we're here now and we're attempting to accomplish a lot of things in a short amount of time. I want to see people so I'm trying to make sure that happens, but we also have things that need to get done. We need more than 24 hours in a day sometimes...

0080 - Eek! The Cat

Anyone remember that cartoon? I liked it. It was offbeat but short-lived.

So... I totally forgot that I didn't post Mike's pics from the reunion... so without further ado...

He took other pics of Zulu, but I thought this was cool because it captures her best... on the move, one little ball of energy.

Me with a dragonfly on my finger. He had flipped upside down in the pool but was still very much alive. I thought if I flipped him over he'd be able to fly away, but I guess his wings were waterlogged. I put him on my finger, and then on a bush, and unless a bird got him, he flew away... hopefully away from the pool...

We saw these gorgeous purple berries in the woods behind Dana and Hunt's house. Mike got some really good pics of them. The color is really pretty.