Color by Numbers

We have been talking about buying a house and because of that have not painted our new place... until today. I finally got sick of looking at white walls and picked out some paint colors and designs. I started in the kitchen tonight and have put down the base coat. My husband actually took part in the decor for the first time ever. Our old apartment was completely decorated by me, but he suggested we get a malt shop type of color and put up some old fashion type food signs (to see the new color click here and look under bright and lively, BL48). One of the signs says "Hot Fudge Sundae 10 cents" with drawing of a sundae, another has a rootbeer float, and the other a vanilla shake. I will add some pictures to explain but the camera battery is dead, so far the color looks great. I am also going to add a border type of divider at the corner where the hall meets the kitchen wall. I like to use geometric patterns to divide spaces. In our last apartment I painted fake tiles on the wall in the kitchen backsplash and had a really good time with it. I wish that I could finish all of the work before next Wednesday but I don't think it is going to happen. I had today off, I have to work tomorrow (wednesday), and I have Thursday off, but then I am not off until next Tuesday and on Wednesday we are having my grandparents and parents over for dinner. I invited them last week to give us a deadline to finish cleaning the house up.

The living room pattern at our last apartment, which was made by selecting a paint swatch, and selecting four colors getting increasingly dark off of that swatch. Between each of the colors a level was used to draw a straight line and painters tape was applied along this line to keep the white stipes between each of the colors. On two walls I continued only one of the stripes to keep the room more open and less busy.

This kitchen wall was painted a light yellow color to act as a base coat. Grout width tape was then applied in a diamond pattern to form the tile shapes. Each of the diamonds was then painted with the selcted color for the desired pattern.

This was the basis for the pattern in our new kitchen. We are using kinda a turquoise color for the kitchen, and a beige for the hallway and living room, the squares where they meet will be a mix of browns and a darker tuquoise. I may decide not to put them along the door frame, but instead put them sqares in a line on a wall just to add interrest. The color in the kitchen also matches the downstairs bathroom and will be used in there with another pattern to two of the walls. I really like to paint and I hate the sterile look of an all white house. It just really doens't feel like ours without color.

What a Wednesday

I have had a wonderful day off. I decided this morning to contact our wedding photographer and ask her some setup questions about our wedding album so that I could finalize the choices for our album. I finished selecting the pictures last night but I wanted to make sure that the correct sets of photos are opposite from each other (for example my mom and I, my father and I, my brother and I, and my whole family together should all be adjacent pages). So tonight I am removing the pictures from the proof album and setting them up in the new order to make sure it looks right.

After the photographer phonecall, I finalized the rental bookings for Superbowl Sunday for work. Then I called an applicant that I would like to set up and interview with but I think that when she applied she thought we were Sun City not Sun Lakes cause she lives over an hour away. That would be a really crappy commute. I don't know maybe she is thinking of moving to the east valley.

I then spend some time at the bank. Last year in March I broke my toe at work and missed about 2 weeks of work. At the time I also failed to pay my credit card bill on time. Because of the late payment my credit card interest rate increased, so I applied for a personal loan with my bank to pay off that credit card. It is also much nicer to know when the payments will end and having a set monthly payment.

While waiting for the Suns game to start tonight my hubby ran to the grocery store while I got things ready for dinner. When I went to the store I purchase a large package of fresh chicken breasts and I needed to break down the package into individual serving to freeze. I also prefer to clean and trim all the chicken at one time rather than defrosting dirty, fatty chicken pieces when you need them. I also cut up all the veggies we needed and marinated the chicken. I am going to do the same for ground beef tomorrow night when I make dinner (I bought 5 pounds of ground beef in one package).

I started dinner during half time and it was delicious. We got a new cookbook for Christmas from his mother and although she bought it for him, I of course have gotten more use from it. Tonight we had garlic chicken with white rice. I know that brown rice is healthier but oh well.

We (the Suns) won the game again tonight. The Suns are now in their second 15 game win streak this season. The win streak in fact started only one game after the last one ended. Therefore the Suns have only lost 1 of the last 31 games :)

I also set a deadline today... I invited my grandparents and parents over to dinner on Wednesday, February 7th. My grandparents still haven't seen our new place because we have yet to finish organizing and cleaning. I think that I work better with a deadline.

I hate computers

I just typed a post all about my wonderful day off. Then all of a sudden Internet Explorer got tired and decided to close itself! AHHHH!!!

Well I was going through some pictures from the wedding and these are pictures of some of our friends and family who were a part of our wedding. Some of the girls and the guy with the blonde hair have been asking for pictures. The girls want them for themselves and the guy with the blond hair is our ring bearer's dad and he wants a picture to show off.

His son lives Ohio with his ex. They were engaged but called it off a couple of years ago. I think she is nuts for moved home to Ohio to live with one of her parents, JC was taking really good care of her and the baby. She is being irresponsible now and parting all the time. He is currently going after custody. He is working with a lawyer and has just reently filled all the paperwork. We hope the baby comes back, he is such a sweetheart.

I had a great day off today and I will be off tomorrow as well. Today I did menu planning for at home this week, went through the ads for the grocery stores, went grocery shopping, watched the Suns game with my Hubby, won a bet when the Suns won a the game (YEAH), made some dinner, and I am now going to pring out the requested pictures and select pictures for a few more pages of the photo album which we are still yet to finish.

Doing weird things

I last posted on the 18th and until today when I enter the web address the newest post doesn't show up?!? I really don't know what happened and now all of a sudden it is there.

Today I went home shopping. We are looking at new construction homes in a nearby city. Well maybe not so nearby about 30 minutes or so. Usually when you drive 30 minutes out here you are in the middle of downtown (cause we live inthe burbs) but these homes are in the desert. There really is not much out there yet besides a grocery store, a gas station and of course a Wal-Mart. About 3 years ago there was a huge housing boom in the area. For example where we used to live there was a condo across the street selling at around $70,000 in 2003. We decided at that point not to buy there because there was no bathroom downstairs and we wanted the upstairs to be private. So two years later there is another condo in the same complex and I stop in during an open house and they are going to $145,000. We would have doubled our investement by living there and could have a REAL HOUSE now but we didnn't. I guess that is why they say that "Hindsight is 20/20".

I am really excited to actually have a day off this week. Actually 2 days off :) I need to start working out at the gym in our apartment complex. I may as well use it as long as we live here and have a gym. They charge a $25 deposit for the key to the room. We put down the deposit in September and haven't worked out yet. I hope to work that in during my days off.

I am also going to make an appointment with a financial analyst to see where we stand for purchasing a home (maybe we can afford more than we think). I would also like to refinance my car loan. I got an offer in the mail from a lender that would save us $30 per month. I would also like to start planning for a new ar purchase cause I know that my husband's truck will not last forever. He currently drives a 1993 Chevy pick-up, which is in bad shape. During this time of year it is not as bad as during the summer cause the truck has no A/C. He always wants to know if I am going a shorter distance than he is so that he can use my car in the summer. I don't want to be unprepared when the truck dies.

We have been having a cold front running through Arizona which has kept temperatures between 40-50 degrees most of the time. I have for the past two weeks been trying to buy a coat. I want a nice peacoat style coat and eveyone has clearanced them out and replaced the coat department with bathing suits. It is not even halfway through the winter yet. I mean really people, fine if you want to rush Christmas, but don't stop selling coats while it is this cold. Thisis not only for late shoppers what about people who may have lost their coat?

Alright that is enough ranting for now!

It's been a while

I know that it has been a while. I have been e-mailing with the friend that contacted me last week and it is really nice to hear about what's been going on with her. She just recently had someone else contact her that we were friends with before I moved to Arizona (about 13 years ago). She found her on facebook. I e-mailed her today which was really bizarre. I really didn't know what you are supposed to say to someone you haven't talked to in 13 years.

I took down the other Christmas tree today. It feels really good to not have them up anymore. It is nice to have the den looking so much larger. This week we need to select the remaining pictures for the wedding album. We worked on it last night for a while, and then stopped to watch You, Me and Dupree. It was a really cute movie. Especially since we used to live in a 413 square foot apartment with his best friend. We never set out for it to be that way but he didn't have any where to stay for a while and sometimes he would just be over real late and it was safer to stay than drive home. I thought that the wife in the movie was too up tight and strick in the beginning of the movie. This was our first apartment. As you can see it was very glamorous. The bed folded out of the wall and on the wall under the word living room was the cough that our best friend slept on. Very happy that is over now:)

I don't have a day off this week so I am really tired and heading to bed.

I really don't like this blog site. I wish that I knew of another free blog host cause I have published this post 3 times now and when I log back into my blog it is missing ???? I don't know what to do besides maybe wait till tomorrow and check again.

More Tired Now

I had the day off work today and I think I am more tired than when I go to work. We relaxed and watched TV together for about an hour early this afternoon and the rest of the day we spend cleaning up, grocery shopping, and cleaned up some more.

One of our Christmas trees is gone now. On Tuesday evening before the Suns Game (we won) I went out and bought 2 of those huge rubbermaid bins, one for each tree. So I began the cleaning of the livingroom by taking down the tree and packing up all the ornaments into the bin. It all fits very nicely. I was worried about the pole from the middle of the tree, but it too fit in the box. Sunday evening I will probably be taking down the upstairs tree. When you grow up without Christmas (in a Jewish family) as I did you tend to go a little over board, making up for lost time :)

Our down stairs tree in the living room

Our upstairs tree in the den

The tree in the living room actually has nothing Christmas on it. There are only snowmen ornaments. That way when my family comes over it's not that big of a deal. Although they have adjusted to seeing a tree in our house. I know it also looks like there are almost no present in the red tree picture, but it was the day after Thanksgiving just after we put up the tree when we took this picture. I'm kinda nuts though (but you probably knew that already) but I only allow wrapping paper that matches the trees under them.

I still have a load of laundry to finish and gotta get some sleep.

Clear at Last

I can breath! I am feeling amazing compared to the rest of the week. And just in time for my day off. Well actually I am working for half of my day off, but that is kind of good. Sometimes I sleep till 2:00pm and tomorrow I should be off by 1:00pm.

Today I heard from an old friend and I was very happy. I recieved a Christmas card e-mail from her and I wasn't sure if she just selected everyone in her address book or if she meant to send it to me. So I replied to the e-mail and she sent it to me in hopes that she would get a response. I am glad that she did cause apparently she just recently had a baby boy and he is a real cutie. I don't want to post pictures without permission.

My plan for my day off is to pick up another shelving unit on my way home from work, drop off some Christmas presents that are still under the tree, and clean the upstairs of our place. I would like to have my family over next week for dinner, as most of them still have not seen our new place and I really like to entertain. My favorite part is when people are uuumming over dinner. I enjoy cooking different things that we wouldn't just make for ourselves. Last winter my grandparents came over for dinner and I made prime rib which was delicious. My grandmother did make me microwave hers cause she will only eat well done meat and the rest of us wanted medium rare! Whatever she wants, right?

YUCK

I am still sick and because I am always at work I will probably remain sick for quite a while. I just thought it was supposed to get a little better after a couple of days. Tomorrow is my early day. The cafe opens at 7:00 and I have to be in by eight so I am off to bed even though I just got home and only saw my hubby for 30 minutes while I to ate a quick dinner. One of my favorite movies is on now (Ferris Bueller's Day Off) but I have it on tape and can watch it some other time. It is really hard to work all day when you feel lousy, but I hope to wake up tomorrow to a miracle and my stuffiness will be all gone.

Work, Work, Work

I hate the first day of the work week. Mine is not Monday though. My weeks start on Thursday. I woke up this morning feeling like absolute shit. I am kinda glad that I didn't spend my two days off sick, but I feel miserable. I tried to take some cold medicine this morning, but threw up as soon as I took it. On New Years Eve I had two people who worked and had the stomach flu and I guess I am next.

As if working when you are sick is not torture enough we were incredibly busy tonight. I even had to take tables for the waitstaff (which, is very nice cause I made $65.00). That will come in really handy. While I was re-organizing the closet in our den I decided that it needs some heavy duty plastic storage shelves, and some of those Rubbermaid tubs. I also need one for each of our Christmas Trees and the kind that stores ornaments all individually.

Tonight I am going to sleep as soon as possible . I am glad that I have such a great husband who is going to do my work laundry that I need for tomorrow. I told him to go out tonight since I am heading to bed as soon as I get home, but he wants to stay home and take care of me :)

I managed to mail out 45 thank you notes toady. I have to send out one for my brother still, but I need to go buy him a gift card for a restaurant. That way I don't have to spend a ton of extra money shipping out a gift. I was going to buy them a tea maker, for hot tea but when I told them about it they were not very excited! They like to eat out a lot so I know they can really use a gift card. Now, I only have 35 more cards to write and I have to get on my husband's case to write the ones to his family (there are like 30 some people who I have never met).

I hope I feel better tomorrow, I need to be in at 10:00am until 9:00pm! Cough, Cough, Sniffle

Happy 2 Month Anniversary to Us

Today is our 2 month anniversary, well 60 days but tomorrow is the 4th. I bet that if we hadn't been together for 10 years first it would be a lot more exciting. I have to actually finish the thank you notes, and finish picking the pictures for our wedding album. It is really hard to decide wish pictures we want to remember our day with for the rest of our lives. I don't even know how you are supposed to set up the album (as in which order do the pictures go in). If anyone out there can help please post a comment so that I can get in touch with you. The goal for the day besides getting a fill, cosco, walmart, 20 thank you notes, and selecting pictures. I'll worry about the order later.

The Rest of Our Family

I didn't get a chance to introduce the rest of our family. We are the proud parents of six adorable cats. Their names are Tigger, Haley, Alley, Misty, Nutmeg, and Sambuca. There are so great. I love how when we come home from work at night they are so excited that we are home. And here they are...

Tigger on the left and Misty on the right

Nutmeg

Haley on the Left, Alley in the middle, Misty on the right

And Sambuca

The cable man who came today installed everything, but did a lousy job. He ran a cable from the box outside through our storage room, but he didn't leave the cord long enough to put it straight down the wall and along the floor. So we had to re-arrange the whole room to get our stuff back in (the cord runs about a foot off the floor all the way across the closet). The cable modem is great. I have never really used the computer enough to care but now I am doing somethings for work at home and need to connect to the network at my office and the dial up was a pain.

Now I am heading off to watch the suns game and write thank you notes for wedding gifts (I know they should be done by now but I work about 55 hours a week and I have to fit in sleep at some point).

Let's Make Introductions

Welcome to the Hazelnut world! On November 4th, 2006 I married my high school sweetheart and we became the next generation on Hazelnuts. Well, not hazelnuts exactly, we are now Mr. and Mrs. Hazeltine.

We starting dating as sophomores in high school and have been together ever since. We celebrated our 10th anniversary with a wonderful wedding and a beautiful honeymoon in San Diego. Until our honeymoon we had never been on vacation together and it was amazing. Spending all day together was sooo much fun. Unfortunately now I can't get motivated about work.

As far as work goes, I am a full time and then some restaurant manager. I am currently working for a country club as a restaurant manager. I manage a cafe which serves breakfast and lunch from 7:00am - 2:00pm, a bar which is open from 10:30am - 11:00pm, and the ballroom which runs for assorted hours depending on banquet bookings. I do love my job, but this time of year in difficult. Three weeks ago someone on the banquet staff sneezed and it hasn't been the same since. I have had three of four people out sick every week as the flu circulates through the staff. All of the management is required to have a flu shot (the club actually brings in the fire department to give shots to the managers) hopefully this will keep me safe all winter (knock on wood).

There really isn't much of a winter where we live anyway. The weather in Arizona is not too harsh. The temperature doesn't usually go below 40 degrees when I would be outside (maybe like the middle of the night). The trade off is the 100+degree days in the summer time. I don't mind the heat because I am always cold though.

We moved into a new place in August this past summer that was not the greatest time to move at 100 degrees it is hard to get much done at once. Despite the crappy moving stage the new place is wonderful. There are two things I will never do again...Move in the summer and plan a wedding while moving. There is very little time to get unpacked and organized while planing a wedding. Because of this the are still full of boxes (in every room), not to mention all of the serve ware and other assorted kitchen items we received as wedding gifts.

We are very excited though because tomorrow we are having cable installed in two additional places. When we moved in there was existing cable in the living room and the room marked bedroom but we really enjoy cooking and baking and need a cable jack in the kitchen. We also need a cable jack in the room marked Master Bedroom which is actually our den/office. The other room has a walk in closet which is nice for a bedroom and I like the long sliding door closets for an office better (better for filing and storage bins). While I am stuck at home waiting for the cable guy I am planning to get some filing done and set up a new shelf unit I picked up this week to organize games and my scrapbook supplies. I will post pictures late but the dial up I have right now can't handle trying to load another picture. I was trying to add a honey pic but I froze up. I can't wait to jump into the 1999 with a cable modem (just kidding, I know it's 2007).