House for Sale!

Why is it when I finally decide to sell my house the market is at a low? And it doesn't show signs of coming back up. In fact, prices are dropping every day. There are houses down my block which have been for sale for several months. Why didn't I sell last year?!?!?!

I hate job hunting!

Right now I'm trying to find a teaching job in Central Florida. I know I am a good teacher and very qualified, but it seems hard to convey that over the internet. This past week I put in several applications and resumes for jobs in Orange County and Seminole County. Now it is just playing the waiting game along with a lot of prayer! Once I get a job, I hope it ends up being one I love and that I will never have to look for one again!!!!!

Garage Sale this weekend!!

I have a love-hate relationship with having a garage sale. It is soooo much work getting everything ready--but the monetary rewards can make it worth it. Another good point is that I hold the sale with friends so it is a nice time to sit around and talk. I know people are supposed to get bargains at garage sales, but I hate when someone will continuously try to get me down to a ridiculous price. I've actually given stuff away to Goodwill before when someone is rude and won't take my lowest price as my final answer. I feel it would do that agency more good than the couple of bucks I would have received from the sell. I hope this garage sale is a good one--I definitely could use some extra money!!!

Popcorn should only be something you eat!

Getting my house ready to sell is overwhelming! Right now I'm getting estimates for having the popcorn ceiling repaired. I've had two--one for $750 and the other for over $1,400. It seems like a big difference--but there was also a big difference in my faith in the people giving me the estimates. One came in a truck marked with the company name, etc. His estimate sheet had the company name on it along with the license number. He gave proof of licensing and a brochure about the work his company would be doing. He came through and gave a thorough description of what would be done in each room. Oh, and he took measurements! The other guy came in a van with no markings, gave an estimate on a paper with no company logo, much less license number, and showed no proof of licensing or anything else. He walked through taking no measurements and just said "I can do that". He also mentioned that he would be using a can of Kilz from Home Depot. Can you guess which one was which when it comes to price? I guess if I want the job done right, I'll have to put out over $1,400. This house better sell!!!!!!

Household Tips #1

Thanks to the internet, I found the best way to remove wallpaper. Of course it wasn't the first way I tried or the second, but I eventually found the best. First, I had my son use some stuff that had warnings on the container stating that it was necessary to wear goggles and chemical resistant gloves. He tried spraying the stuff on the wall, as directed, and before you knew it he was running to the bathroom stripping off his clothes jumping in the shower because the fumes were burning his face! The second thing I tried was another disaster--well, it's my fault that it became a mess. I thought I was buying wallpaper stripper but I actually purchased paint stripper. So, my son, trying to help out, applied this to the wallpaper only to end up with a gloopy mess. Luckily I realized my error before he put more on the wall. Frustrated I decided to check out wallpaper removal on the internet. I found a site where people gave their recommendations. The first recommendation I tried was to mix 1/3 cup of fabric softener with 2/3 cup hot water and apply it to the wall. It worked pretty good. But I decided to try another recommendation which was to mix 1 cup of white vinegar with 1 gallon of hot water and spray onto the wall. It worked great! And what makes it even better is that it's so much cheaper than store bought wallpaper removal products.

I love Snopes.com

Snopes.com has saved me from forwarding so many fake e-mails that I have received. At least once a week I receive an e-mail that is not true. From comments Jay Leno was supposed to have made to health alerts where I am going to die if I freeze my water bottle, I have been able to find the origin and validity of so many e-mails. I have also found out that some are actually true. However, that is a rare event. So if you have any question about an e-mail, try Snopes.com.

Don't be too quick to complain

I was so ready to e-mail Fundex, the company who makes the "Phase 10" card game, to complain about them only selling a half a deck of cards. I purchased the deck over the weekend only to find out when I went to play it that there was only a half a deck inside the box. I could not believe a company would sell something that you would not even be able to use--and that you would have to buy another deck to play the game. So I went on-line to complain, but I decided to first check out what should actually be in each box and I found that there should have been enough cards included to play the game. The bad thing is that I now have to return the game to the store to exchange it for a good deck. The good thing is that I did not make a fool out of myself by complaining to the company.