Pretty Pretty Bang Bang

The weather has been cooler here lately which always puts me in a better mood. Steve getting a job really helped elevate it. Of course, the first thing I think about when it comes to seasonal changes is what I’m going to wear. This season, I’m falling in love with wide-leg pants. I scored a pair of grey ones on sale at Banana Republic and I loved them so much I went back for a pair in black (also on sale). My advice when it comes to wide-leg pants and jeans is to watch the proportion. They look best when they are fitted in the thigh and don’t hang too long. Otherwise, you look like you’re wearing clown pants.

I’m also exploring ruffles this season and I started with a sleeveless top I had special ordered in May. It is leopard print satin with a high ruffled neck. Trust me, it doesn’t look as tacky as it might sound. I plan to pair it with my black pants or jeans. I really think it will look best under a jacket. I like the fact it’s only ruffled at the neck so I don’t feel too “precious” in it. I like my ruffles to be a little edgy.

The best part about cooler weather is wearing my cowboy boots. I had packed them for the summer and put them in storage so I had to get them out as soon as it got cool. I’ve been wearing them with my jeans and t-shirts this past week. The reason I love cowboy boots, and boots in general, is that they give me so much confidence. I swear, I walk taller when I’m wearing them.

Not much else to report on the fashion front. I’m off to Lowe’s to buy some mums. I’m determined to landscape the hell out of this house and get it sold!

Steve got the job! Bonnie called him today to tell him that the president had signed off on the higher salary and he can start next Monday. Hooray! He’ll be working for CenturyTel in Branson so there is a commute, but he was driving to Branson practically every day with his old job so it’s no big deal. Good thing he starts Monday because we were driving each other crazy. There is such a thing as too much togetherness. 

Congratulations Steve!

Today we had another open house and things didn’t go well. The first people to stop were neighbors who had told a friend about our house. He came a few minutes later and looked around but I got the feeling he wasn’t really in the market for a house. Apparently he has a house south of town and had expressed a desire to live closer to campus but I don’t think he was seriously looking. The next couple, I think, were just looking out of curiosity. The last couple loved the house but said it was too small for their needs.

That was it for the day. I’m discouraged. We had very few phone calls this week and didn’t show the house once. I swear, if one more person tells me how bad the market is I’m going to hurt them. I know the market is bad. I know the house won’t sell immediately. I know things have changed over the last year. I’m not a freakin’ moron! Now, tell me something positive or shut your yapper! Sorry, it’s been a long week here and I’m a bit edgy.

Steve heard from his (hopefully) potential employer and they are putting an offer letter together. They are sending the letter to the president of the company for final approval because they are wanting to offer him more money than the position was initially approved for. We have no objections to more money but we’re both tired of the waiting game. Will he get the job? Will we sell the house? Will we get the other house? When will it all happen? Argh!

I was four when my sister was born and I was not interested in her at all. The day she came home from the hospital I’d been to the zoo. I took one look at her and went to my bedroom to hide the peanuts I’d come home with so she wouldn’t take them. It was that way between us for a long time. Something happened when she was in college and we began to bond. She called me with her boyfriend woes, I told her about my then-marriage woes and we became friends. Now, I’m proud to call her my sister and she’s also my best friend.

She’s been worried about all the stress Steve and I have been through lately and wanted to do something. Knowing I didn’t have the money for a massage, she treated me to one yesterday. It was much needed bliss. My regular massage therapist gave me extra time (I usually get 1 1/2 hours for the price of 1 hour) and I left feeling renewed. Thanks, Ralph, for a great gift. I guess what I said when I was about six years old is true, I really do love you!

It’s been three weeks today since the crash and we’re surviving all the stress. Togetherness, I think, is the hardest part of all this. I work differently from Steve and we’ve been trying to stay out of each other’s way while maintaining our sanity. We hope to hear an official “you’re hired” this week so Steve can get back to the rat race. Maybe then we can focus on selling our house and moving to our dream house. In the meantime, I’ll go to work today and Steve is promising to do some work on the outside of the house before it rains.

Time will tell. I’ll keep you posted.

Steve and I have had a good weekend, but today we’re in a funk. The open house didn’t go well (I know, I know it is a holiday weekend), he hasn’t heard from his job (yes, another holiday weekend thing) and we’re tired of not knowing what’s next. I’ve been trying to work in the studio and he’s working on all of the computers, but we’re both just bouncing off the walls. 

I need a break of some sort! I need answers! I need less stress!

I got bored and decided I needed a new look here at PPBB. So, that do you think?

Steve and I are playing the waiting game on, well, just about everything and it’s beginning to make us both crazy. First, there’s the job offer which is still not official. We’re hoping a formal offer will be made on Tuesday which is when Bonnie (the woman hiring) gets back from vacation. We knew it would be a week after she called him on Tuesday, but both tired of waiting.

Then there’s the house game which is getting old. I’m so disappointed in the last buyers backing out and I’m anxious to have an answer to the question of whether or not we’ll move. Our plans are to have the house up for sale until mid-October and then just take it off the market for the winter. We don’t have to sell, but we both really want the other house. Patience is a virtue but it’s not one of mine!

Today we decided to have an open house since other houses in the neighborhood were also open. We’ll see what happens. Wish us luck, patience and peace!

Ok, here’s a phrase I bet you never thought you’d hear from me, “I read about this site in the Wall Street Journal.” Thanks to WSJ, I discovered the funniest site today dedicated to cakes gone horribly wrong. Do yourself a favor and visit [Cake Wrecks](http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/) and have a fun Friday.

At 9 a.m. Steve put the sign in the front yard. By 3 p.m. we had a call and an appointment for Saturday. Now, I know this doesn’t mean that these people will fall in love with our house and buy it, but it makes me feel good to think at least someone is looking. Wish us luck! Even if they do buy it, we still have to re-negotiate the other house offer. Hey, third time’s the charm, right?

We both needed a break, and a trip to Target was necessary, so we spent the afternoon out and about. Curiosity got the best of me and I had to check out the 75% off shoe sale at Dillard’s. Nothing caught my eye so I left empty-handed. I did find a really cute shirt at Old Navy which I paid for using some Gap Rewards $$ I’d accrued so the shirt was free (well, not really since I had to spend money to get the reward, but it felt free). Then I went to the Banana Republic sale and scored some gorgeous grey pinstriped pants marked down from $110 to $41.97. Add another reward card and my birthday gift certificate and I still have money left! This whole frugal thing can be fun. I did make up for my savings by spending $32 at Target, but I stuck to my list and didn’t get anything we didn’t need. 

To quote Henry Higgins, “By George, I think she’s got it!”