November 2nd, 2017- Evening

Two posts in one day, how ambitious of me! But my day went so nicely, I wanted to share. It’s not often I get a relaxing afternoon off from work, let me tell you. I either get off so late that my entire day is gone and I have nothing to do but watch half an episode of Bob’s Burgers and pass out, or I’m still getting off that late, but I also had to wake up insanely early, so I got no morning time in, either (which will be my day tomorrow- 8:30am to 6:00pm). But today I went in at 8am, was off the clock and on the bus back home by 12:30, and in the door by 3:00pm! It was sooo nice, I wish I could afford that work schedule, lol! It gave me time to do more post moving fun- unpacking, cleaning, unpacking AND cleaning- and get an early start on dinner, since I had the time, and I had a new recipe I wanted to try for creamed corn (will post tomorrow morning- was not impressed tbh). 

I cannot tell you how hard it is to cook dinner for a family of three in a tiny kitchen with one working burner and exactly zero working ovens. Tonight I cooked dinner on a fully functional stove, and even heated up an apple cobbler in the oven which also works!! Imagine that! Granted, we were eating off of Christmas dinnerware because we haven’t gotten anything else, and we drank Fresca right out of the bottle because our three glasses are in the dishwasher right now, but progress. 

I think moving at this time of year is multiplying my excitement for the holidays. I’m so thrilled to just sit and think about all the dumb stuff I get to worry about in the coming weeks because we own our home and it’s the holidays. Like, I want to be able to complain to another teacher at work about all the cooking I have to do to satiate my visiting relatives, or how I just can’t find that one blown fuse in my christmas lights, or grumble about not having any privacy because the house is so full. That sounds like a wonderful set of complaints to have, coming off of too many Christmases spent feeling left out, inadequate, and guilty. 

November 2nd, 2017

Today I woke up at 5 am, and actually got up and was productive, instead of trying to sleep through my alarms, work, and life in general! I let the dogs out (they’ve been transitioning very well, only a few accidents during the day, and hardly any through the night!) and started a load in the dishwasher. I was at the bus stop before the sun even came up, it was strange, but also nice. I’ve got Christmas music going like always, since it’s only 53 short days away!

Our new neighborhood is so beautiful, I can’t wait to see what it looks like with all the lights and decorations up. I found our christmas bins last night (while searching desperately for a pair of pants- I was unsuccessful) and all I want to do is pull them out and go crazy. But we don’t even have our walls or floors done yet, so wait I must. We haven’t put up a tree in about four years though, so I’m more then willing to wait a little bit longer. I’m also really excited for my sister this year. Our Christmases have never really been focussed on our house, wherever we lived. We go to our grandma in law’s for Christmas eve, and our aunt’s for Christmas morning, but even other christmas stuff- baking cookies, making ornaments, etc.- have never happened at our place. This year I’m hoping to steal one of those activities, lol! 

The only downside to this move has been the commute to work. It is going to take me two hours to get home by bus, and it’s the same on the way there. I lose four hours of my day just trying to get to and from work. So ive been looking at jobs around our new house, but nothing, so far. I’ve pretty much decided that, job or not, I’m quitting after the holidays. I just can’t keep this up, and I’m not getting nearly enough hours to make the hassle worth it! So hey, if you know any childcare centers looking for an experienced infant teacher in East Tucson, hook a girl up, lol! 

November 1st, 2017

So last night was our first night in our new house! I’ve been sleeping on a twin mattress at our rental for a month now, so it was so nice to get to sleep in my new bed after a long night of trick or treating. I’m so excited to start our life in this house- it’s our first home, and we’ve already started renovations, which is scary but fun. This weekend we’re painting the living room and beginning to lay flooring, which hopefully isn’t as scary as it sounds? 

Already I can see a difference in how we live in this house, versus our tiny old rental. We hated being in that house; we went out of our way to spend as little time there as possible, only really sleeping and bathing there. Even our dogs had little interest in playing outside at our rental, which is a pretty depressing thought. But this morning was one of the nicest I’ve had in a long time- ate breakfast on the patio while the dogs played in the yard, unpacked some kitchen stuff, even ran to the store up the road for spaghetti fixings! Typical stuff for most people, but something I’ve never had before. I was actually kind of sad I had to go to work! 

What I’m really looking forward to is spending the holidays in this house- we have room to actually put up a tree this year, and a pretty house to decorate. Not to mention a big kitchen to cook in! I haven’t cooked holiday food in at least three years, because our old kitchen was so tiny, you couldn’t breathe, let alone cook a big meal. In true McLain fashion, Christmas music has been going nonstop since midnight, and it feels so homey with the heat on. And not this year, because of renovations, and being tapped out cashwise, since buying a house, but next year we’re even going to host a Christmas party! Again, it seems silly to be so excited for things most people do daily, but it’s not something we’ve ever had. Heck, I’m even excited to do laundry in my garage, and not at a laundromat! 

My mind is full of ideas for the upcoming months, and I can’t wait to bring them to fruition!

And guys, please look at this sunset last night. If ever there was a sign of good things coming..