The Move from HELL

I started out typing a long post... but it was making me mad...and exhausted...again. 

Basically this is what has been going on -

10 days ago Graebel Movers came to pack up our house with a planned delivery date of August 1st.

Today is the morning of August 8th... and we are still not living in our home with our belongings.

I am supposed to meet the truck at the house this morning {{fingers crossed}}.

I am sick of being without my stuff.

I am sick of going out to eat.

I am sick of being screwed over by a moving company with the most horrible customer service I have ever experienced.

I just want to be in our new home, with my family, cooking, baking, and crafting...living our new life here in Rhode Island.

Instead our lives have been turned upside down for going on 11 days.

I don't have the energy to type out everything that has gone wrong... but basically everything that could go wrong, has gone wrong, + some.

Seriously... false promises, late arrivals, different stories, lies, not unloading our stuff due to rain, many phone calls, and basically... not one person with this moving company said to me...

I am sorry.

This is not how our company operates.

How can we rectify this situation?

Instead... we had to pay for our own hotel for two nights (one night costing $399.99 for a room at a Holiday Inn Express due to the area and a local festival going on...and summer tourism). 

We have had to pay for our own food...and have only been given a $25 a day allowance per person that they say they will reimburse... seriously? My husband's company gave just him $75 a day when he was up here working without us.

I am hoping that the letters I plan on writing and emailing will bring some sort of reimbursement and resolution to this nightmare of a situation.  I know moving is stressful and lots of times things do not go as planned.  But I am so not exaggerating when I say every single thing has gone wrong.

I really hope our stuff is moved into our house tomorrow.  I hope our life will return to normal tomorrow.

I LOVE Google Reader

I love using Google Reader for all of the blogs I follow.  I love that I can star the posts I want to return to.  I also love that on Sunday I figured out I could download an app to my iPhone so if I am away from my laptop, I can still keep up with my blogs.  I am curious how you read your favorite blogs... do you use Google Reader or something different?

 So I thought I would share some of my recent STARS with you.

I have seen this twice now.  As soon as we are in our new house {meaning... our terrible...no good moving company... Graebel movers decides to deliver our goods} I am cleaning our washing machine before I do my first load of laundry. 

I am going to make these Turkey Thai Burgers. Don't they look amazing? I am going to whip up a batch of this Crazy Feta.  I love.love.love feta cheese.

I am going to participate in this Project 52. Because even though I started out doing Project 365... it failed in its early stages.  I think I can manage this.  Thursday's post this week is "Is the Car". 

This blogger calls herself an amateur cookie maker... but you have to check out the amazing cookies she does just for fun.  I definitely want to try my hand at making these decorated sugar cookies... but I doubt they will be half as amazing as these ones.

I am dying to try these vanilla bean cupcakes once my new 6 quart Kitchen Aid mixer arrives...as well as the rest of my baking supplies.

Homemade peanut butter cups...need I say more?

*I don't know any of these bloggers personally... I just wanted to share some great things I have come across lately*

This House is a Good Mess. It's the Proof of Life

The other week my friend from high school, Erin, contacted me.  She reads my blog and had seen some of the printables I have made.  She wanted some "how-to" advice on making a printable.  I  just went ahead and offered to make it for her.  She told me the quote she wanted to use and told me her color scheme.   We had several emails back and forth until I sent several to Erin to choose from.  I was thrilled when I received in email from her the other day (while in the middle of my moving nightmare) which included a photo of the final product hanging on her wall. 

 I love the frame Erin chose and how fabulous it looks on her wall -

If you would like the file for this printable emailed to you, simply leave a comment below with your email address. 

Crazy About Cupcakes

I finally placed my order tonight for the Scentsy July Warmer of the Month.  I love it...cupcakes...pink...and green... all of my favorite things.  I cannot wait for it to arrive.  I am also thinking of selling Scentsy... anyone sell it and have any opinions?

I have started to work on my etsy bake shop - Betty Ray's Bakery and hope to have it up and running my mid-August.

I have a super generous giveaway coming soon from an online store that sells the cutest baking mixes for cupcakes and whoopie pies...  You won't want to miss this giveaway.

Insta-Friday & Moving Sucks

I really want to post about the catastrophe our move has been... but will wait until I have calmed down... But I will say this... moving sucks.  Graebel Movers sucks.  I will definitely be sharing more details soon... as I am sure I will have plenty time... as I sit and wait for our stuff to arrive...as I was know told it's coming later than scheduled... augh.....

I love my iPhone.  I love instagram.  I love taking photos with my iPhone and turning them into instagram photos.

As you can probably tell I also like to make some words larger and add lots of these ... when I post.

I am trying to add in a little humor... when I really want to cry... but I am at Panera (because I couldn't sit for one second longer at the house waiting for the movers) ... and it would be weird if I cried in Panera.  I wish Panera served alcohol... I don't usually drink, but if they served alcohol... I sure would have ordered something.

I had this instead... the Bacon Turkey Bravo...minus tomato -

This morning...when we learned the movers would be delayed... we all took a nap.  Here is Maddie... she was at the end of our bed...and her pillow had fallen off -

Here is another photo I took of our house yesterday morning -

Hopefully... now that the moving truck has arrived and my husband is at home dealing with it... the rest of the evening will go smoothly.  The rest of the evening includes a 3.5 hour ride to my parent's house...

I am linking up here -

Packing Day

The moving company sent out two ladies Thursday morning to pack up our house.  I took this photo of our house Thursday morning before heading out to a doctor's appointment.

I will definitely miss this house...our first home together...our neighborhood...the pool...and all of the great shopping and restaurants that are so close by.

It's happening... we are really moving... the boxes are starting to stack up...  I am so thankful the company is packing and moving us...

Erin Condren Weekly Life Planner - includes a CODE

I bit the bullet and ordered my Erin Condren planner.  I am so excited to get it in the mail.  I have been reading on other blogs about them.  With a new move in a few days, a new town, new jobs, new schools, etc... I need this to keep me organized. 

I got a fabulous deal on it using my code from Plum District.  I paid $25 for a $50 credit.  My planner is regularly priced at $50.   * I never would have spent the full $50... simply because I am currently not working and working on budgeting *  I also used code WELCOME10 to save an additional $10... which basically made my shipping free...and I still have a $1.66 credit left on my account.  I sure do love a big deal.  I ordered the multicolored one in the middle that will have our names on it!!

** I am in no way affiliated with Erin Condren.  I've just been reading other blog raves about them and was interested.**

Life is GOOD ~ What I'm Loving Wednesday

I am linking up with This Kind of Love for What I'm Loving Wednesday... and today is a GOOD one.

1. I am loving that today is our last Wednesday in Virginia Beach.  We move on Friday...will be spending 2 days with my parents...and then get to our new house Monday morning.  I will miss my co-workers, friends, our home, and all of the fun places to shop and eat at.  But, I am so open to all of the opportunities moving will provide.

2. I am loving my positive experience at the doctor's today. I posted awhile back about my struggles with having a baby.  Today was finally my appointment.  I have a nurse practitioner I see as my gynecologist and she is amazing.  She's like a girlfriend and she is super easy to talk to and down to Earth.  I shared my issues with her today and she was so positive and amazing.  She said everything appears to be fine.  She told me to relax and to stop peeing on sticks (easier said than done). I have been down in the dumps about this recently...and I left her office today with a renewed sense of faith and hope.  She ran some tests today and I go back for one more test in the morning.  We'll talk via phone once we move about the results and what to do next...if anything.

3. I am loving lots of visits with friends before we move.  We've had lots of fun lunches, little shopping trips, and even a trip last night to Chuck E Cheese. We went earlier this week to visit Madison's French teacher who just had a baby.  We brought them glazed spice apple muffins.  Madison was thrilled to hold baby Joseph.  He was crying.  Madison held him and rocked him and soon he was fast asleep.

4. I am loving having my husband home.  After 6 weeks of being apart (even though we saw one another twice during the separation) because he was working in Rhode Island my husband flew home this afternoon to help with the move.  It is so nice to have him back home.  We had dinner tonight at Buffalo Wild Wings with two sets of friends and their boys, Austin and Connor {seen below}.  Then we went out for frozen yogurt.  Our family will sure miss these families and their sweet boys.

5. I am loving that I got an awesome email today in regards to my little etsy shop about designing some wedding invitations for a customer.  I cannot wait to get started.

A Super Sunday

Today was our last Sunday in Virginia Beach.

We met Kara and Connor from Happy Go Lucky at California Pizza Kitchen for a super tasty lunch.

Then we wandered around the fabric store.

Then I took Madison to the mall.  We stopped first at Barnes & Noble... $53.00 later she picked up two books, I picked up two books for my nephew, and this book I have been wanting to read since I read an excerpt in People magazine.

Then we headed to Old Navy to use up a Groupon.  Madison ended up with two pairs of denim capris and a shirt - and I only paid about $7.00.

Then we went to Macy's...where we found this in the juniors department... so INAPPROPRIATE!! Who would buy this for their teenager anyways?

Then on our way out...because it is soooo hot here we stopped and each got a shaken passion fruit tea lemonade at Starbucks.

In a little bit I am going to bake pineapple carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.  Madison's French teacher had a baby who we are going to visit tomorrow and we are going to bring them a half dozen.

Then I am going to read and work on a few things around the house.

All and all it has been a great final Sunday here.

Guess WHOOO Moved?

I created these announcements to announce our move.  Today when I got a coupon code from Shutterfly for 50 FREE prints... I uploaded the JPEG file and placed my order.  It ended up costing me about $3.20 for just the shipping.  I am so excited for them to come so I can share them with our family and friends.  If you are moving soon...and you are interested in a personalized digital file, leave a comment and let me know and I will contact you to create one for you.  I can even add more or less owls for you...and change the color of the leaves on the tree.

{This...obviously is not our personal information...I changed it so I could share the design with you}