Virginia

Hey y'all! I am finished with my real estate courses and am now licensed to sell property. Yaayyyy! I have a few interviews lined up starting tomorrow and next week and then I need to choose which brokerage firm is a good fit. You have to be so careful because your license is only issued (even though you are an agent) when you have a brokerage firm because you are working under a broker. We are not employees but we have to have a "home" to hang our license and to move from firm to firm is a major hassle. When I got home from class I picked up a few items from Walmart. We really needed a safe. It never seemed to be a necessity until we became homeowners. Keeping up with insurance policies and mortgage paperwork, et al. I also spent some time updating paperwork in respect to new billing accounts for electric and water, that sort of thing. I handle all of the bills and paperwork but I keep a big binder so hubby can put hands on it in the event that something happens to me. I think its a great idea to have a place to keep all your important stuff written down. He doesn't mess with the online stuff but I made it available just in case. Now that all that's done, I'm up to date with my yearly paper purge. I have a nice pile waiting to be burned in the fireplace. Its just too much effort to shred it all. Now that everything is done, I can sit and read til I fall asleep!

Can't figure out how to get rid of that quote box. Absolutely GORGEOUS today. We're taking a road trip.

I've been watching a bunch of travel shows. Right now I"m watching Rick Steves' Edinburgh.

I've been taking my grandsons out on Sundays to catch the matinees and so far we've seen Coco and this last Sunday, we saw Paddington 2. We've really enjoyed these films, they were just so heartwarming! I think the next flick will be Ferdinand.

I could never understand the lack of air conditioning in European nations. I can't deal with the heat and I live in the south. During the summer months I literally go into hibernation. If I can't get it done early in the morning then it won't get done. Its funny because I have air conditioning but can't tolerate "canned air" much either so I wait til it gets just hot enough before turning it on for the summer. I don't like riding in my truck with it on. I'd rather drive with the windows down. Drives dh crazy. But I have arthritis in my bones and it just makes life uncomfortable to be too cold. Speaking of cold, today was a fairly decent day but tomorrow promises to be messy and cold. We've already brought in wood in case I decide to light the fire place. The menfolk have already put in the cold weather comfort meal for tomorrow and I've gotten it out to thaw. Got the warm fuzzy plaid jammies and slippers on the ready. I may go check on my client tomorrow depending on how the weather is. If its not too bad I'll go by. Once I get home that will be it. I drive well in all weather but I have a phobia of other folks driving. Having been in law enforcement I have seen things and what I know about where I live is that when the weather turns ugly, people lose their dang minds and forget what wipers and breaks are for. So I stay put!

Hey y'all! Hope everyone is settling into the new year well! We've finally settled into our new home and I must say, I love it! We got a small load of wood delivered over the weekend. We also bought beds and mattresses for the two bedrooms. Hubby fixed his car in our OWN garage, Kizzy has found her perfect spots inside and outside the house. My crafting area is set up. Everything has fallen into place. The rental house has been turned over and deposit has been returned to us. I went to visit a friend's daughter in the hospital today and had planned to hang out at the library afterwards. Somehow I just wanted to be home. Maybe now my creative juices will kick in! I'm going to enjoy being home this week because I have to take my last real estate class next week. Next month hubby and I will celebrate our anniversary and new home purchase by having a family gathering. Looking forward to it but also looking forward to it being over, lol! Have a great day/evening everyone!

Sunny and cold.

South Dakota and North Dakota are notoriously frigid during the winter. The South, on the other hand, such as in South Carolina, Florida, Texas, Georgia, Alabama, etc. don't see this kind of cold. The mere fact that it snowed in Tallahassee Florida is disturbing. Where I'm from, we don't see snow except every blue moon and then its only flurries for a few hours and it disappears. We now have ice and up to 5 inches of snow. The last time it snowed like this, my dh was about 10. He's 57 now! People were building snowmen and making angles, lol! Then there's the snow on the beach. THAT is freaking amazing!!! I don't know if you've heard of Hilton Head Beach, but if you had, you'd know its just not "done." They got snow yesterday and several beaches are covered.

We've got snow on the beaches in the SOUTH. That should tell you something!

Hey y'all! Hope you all had a lovely New Years! Hubby went back to work today and I have been out running errands. I dropped cable boxes off, did some grocery shopping, dropped Kizzy off at the groomers, picked up a new leash/tag (address change) and new bedding and have wingetts marinating. We have the final walk thru of the rental and pick up a bed when hubby gets off work. All and all, its still a pretty slow day. The rest of the week will be pretty quiet. Hubby already finished unpacking the garage so now everything is in its proper place. Can't wait for Kizzy to see her new bed!

I would be more inclined to stretch out the holidays but here in the US, we aren't afforded long holidays. Most will work up to Christmas Eve, have Christmas Day off (hopefully) and back at it again til New Years Eve and repeat. Lots of start and stopping. Not much opportunity for the majority to really enjoy the holidays. Even if we're lucky enough to save up the holiday time, upper management has a notorious habit of denying that much time during the holidays (everyone else wants the same days off) and they make you jump through hoops to sign up. They might say that you can't request Christmas off if you request it say in May/June BUT if you wait til September, its too late, someone else has requested the time off. I envy Europeans and their treatment of their workers.

Is it just me or does anyone else get restless and ready for the holidays to end? I took our decorations down 27 December. We moved the tree from the rental to our new home on the back of a pickup truck but old habits die hard. I left the tree up one day longer than I usually would. Things have been so busy that looking at that tree one more day would have sent me over the edge, lol!

Sunny and cold here. No rain in the forecast tho we could use some.

Hey y'all! Spent the first part of the day traveling to an adjoining state to pick up something for dd. I spent a total of 5 hours traveling. Got back in town and finished picking up bits and pieces for the house, dropping off old cable boxes, getting some security upgrades and grocery shopping. It was exhausting but I got a lot accomplished. Tomorrow I will go see my clients and do laundry and pick up a carpet cleaner and do my Florida room (think conservatory) and my SUV (filthy from the move and grands) then rest up for Saturday when I will take the two oldest boys out to the zoo and to see CoCo and pizza. They've had a lot on their little shoulders and I want to reward them. Then its back home to get ready for New Years Eve. We are going to our old home town for midnight church service called "Watch Night." Its inception began in the South after the Civil War. Emancipated Slaves would go to church and sing hymns and pray and watch the clock til 5 minutes before midnight when the lights would go out by the "watchmen" who counts the time til midnight while a deacon prays in the New Year. At first the watchmen would do this to look out for klansmen (KKK).The lights are then turned on and we all hang out and and eat a traditional New Years meal of blackeyed peas, called "hoppin' john" and rice with greens and cakes and such. Its really a great time. Each year the churches in our union rotate the watch service. This year it falls to our church. We'll stay in a hotel and then leave Monday. By Monday late afternoon I will refuse to move from my sofa or open the door. Cause I'm tired!

Wolf

Sunny and probably the last best day this week. Its chilly but the really cold settles in tomorrow. Thursday will be frigid and rainy. Cuddle up weather!

Enjoy your trip Tali! I was so curious about your favorite group that I found them on YouTube and liked them so much I downloaded them on my Amazon music app! Well, Christmas has come and gone and boy was it hectic! We got all moved in and the other house is just about done. We'll have a landscape guy come in and do the leaves by the end of the week. All the garbage has been put to the side of the road for pick up. My mom and brother came down Sunday and left yesterday morning. The grands were picked up Sunday for dinner and taken back home later that night. Dd couldn't come because she suffers from ulcers on her eyes and they were acting up. Christmas day was spent in the ER with because it was REALLY bad. They had to call in an ophthalmologist. She's on a eye drop regime and has a follow up tomorrow. Thank God it was caught in time. Anyway, what was supposed to be a quiet day at home for me and hubby turned into a day with the grands. I have the four youngest with me now. They'll go back probably tomorrow evening. I'm hoping this will be the last week of the constant going. I want to settle in and really enjoy being home!

My mom and brother have decided to come down on Sunday. I'll be picking up dd and grands for a visit and meal on Christmas day. I've still got to get the tree up from the old house. Hopefully we can get that done today. Thankfully my mom is bringing the meal. I will provide the bird!

Hey y'all! Thanks Madeleine and Chali! Glad Coran is doing better Tali! I'm exhausted! We've gotten a lot accomplished in a few short days. The new house has been cleaned and I unpacked and shelved ALLLLLL of my books! Everything is just about in place and I'll finish it up today. The next thing will be to move in the big furniture. The pictures are up on the wall, cable/internet, lights, water and security system are all in place. I've had coffee and baked a frozen lasagna in my new kitchen and I've met a couple of neighbors. Kizzy loves her new home and all the extra space she has! This evening or tomorrow I'll start cleaning the old house. Not much to do really, once over on the floors and a wipe down of the bathrooms. The kitchen has already been done. Hubby and ds will knock out the sheds and yard. I have sworn on the precious that I will never buy another printed book as long as I live. It's freaking ridiculous!

Hey y'all! Bought a house, had the closing and started moving in. Still think it's a dream! Busy day tomorrow with cable and security being hooked up. The kitchen is done and the bathrooms are almost finished. Got the majority of boxes at the new place already. I'm drinking wine from a beer mug because the whine glasses are at the new house. Seems I've drink more of the wine from the mug than I planned. Don't judge me!

I'm watching Rick Steve's European Christmas Special. I do love his specials!

Hey y'all! I posted pics of my new home on my members thread!

Hey y'all!I I spent the day finishing up the kitchen and have every nonessential item packed away. The master bedroom is just about finished. Basically, I'm DONE with my part of the packing, We close Wednesday afternoon and we'll be hauling butt to get in before the weekend. I already set up cable/internet to be installed on Thursday and lights will be switched hopefully by Friday. I'll be painting. We want to be settled in by Christmas Eve!

Well Congratulations, Brian!!! Today was spent packing up the kitchen and emptying a couple closets. I had the little people over night and dropped them off this morning. Had to strip the bed because the baby's bottle opened up and so everything had to go to the laundry. Stopped to pick up hubby and finished drying the bedding, came home to pack more stuff. I'm pushing myself so I can relax this weekend.

I'm sitting here looking at my Christmas tree sitting amidst the chaos of a house in the middle of packing. I don't know why we put it up except we just wanted to have something "Christmassy" among the madness. We put it up thinking we'd not be in the new house by Christmas but we should close by next Wednesday. As the house is only 7 houses up, I may just put it on a little red wagon and drag it to the house, LMBO!!!! If you see a picture on FB of a middle aged Black lady dragging a Christmas tree up the road on a red wagon, that would be me!