We have now been in Arizona for over one month.  Phil has started school and is getting into the swing of things. He likes some of his classes, and others not so much (as is always the case for anybody). He's already really busy and I'm sure is only going to get busier. Everyone tells me I won't see much of him for the next two years, and I'm starting to believe it.

Unfortunately, I still haven't found a job. Honestly, I feel really lame. Its not like I haven't been trying.  I apply for jobs every day. And I have sort of had some leads.  A few interviews, a few phone calls, but nothing promising. Its frustrating to think that I just spent all that time getting my degree and yet it doesn't seem to be helping at all.  I know that if I really wanted to I could probably go get a job at a retail store or at a restaurant.  But, I have been holding out hoping I would find something better.  I would much prefer working in an office over serving people food (not that there is anything wrong with that) and having a regular work schedule.

It would also be nice to make more than minimum wage.

Well, I'm not sure what is going to happen now.  We felt fine about holding out, giving me some time to find a good job that I liked.  But now I'm starting to feel worried. I can't hold out forever. I refuse to use student loan money to pay our bills, and our checking account is starting to look a little droopy. I'm giving myself another two weeks tops.  If nothing really promising comes up, then I guess Chili's will be getting another server.

Trash and Treasure

Do you remember when you were in elementary school and someone would ask you who your favorite teacher was?  and it was always the teacher you had that year?  When you were in first grade it was your first grade teacher, in second your second grade teacher, and so on.  But, that all changed for me when I hit fourth grade.  Mrs. Finley was my favorite teacher that year, and the year after that, and the year after that.  15 years later she is still my favorite teacher. She was so creative and I still remember things I learned and activities we did as if they were yesterday. 

We memorized a lot, but not just times tables or spelling words, we memorized poems like "Sea Fever" by John Masefield, and speeches from Shakespeare, and the Gettysburg Address, and the Preamble to the Constitution.  Mrs. Finley taught us manners.  And I don't just mean she reminded us to say "may I go to the bathroom" instead of "can I go to the bathroom"  I mean she set up a full size table in her classroom set with plates and cups and fancy silverware and we sat down at it and learned proper etiquette.  We studied Ellis Island, and then recreated it.  We all were given characters to play and had to come to school dressed as if we were immigrants from our respective countries migrating to America.  I was Bridget O'Reilly from Ireland.  I had two sets of twins (I had to borrow some dolls from my friends and carry them to school) but my husband had died.  We all had to pack suitcases and bring them to school and Mrs. Finley would search them as if she was a real guard at Ellis Island.  Some students were inspected and told they had a disease and could not enter.  One was found to have silverware in her suitcase and was accused of stealing it. We had to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and Preamble and know all kinds of facts about America to be allowed to come in.  I learned way more that day than I would have just reading a book. 

I could go on and on about all the incredible things she did to peak our learning, but this post is already getting a bit lengthy and I do actually have a point. 

So what is bringing on all this nostalgia you ask?

One of our projects was this:

Yes, that's right.  Each of us made an entire doll house out of, basically stuff people throw away, in fourth grade, in a matter of weeks.  This one is mine.

The dollhouse (the boys made castles, by the way) was inspired by the early 1900's Victorian Era. 

This is the nursery. The bed is made of a little soap box covered with felt.

Next, the bathroom.  See the little old-fashioned toilet in the back? The toilet seat part was a little creamer cup and the bathtub was made out of two little cups cut in half and glued back together to make more of an oval shape.

 The sink was made of one of those little cups that chocolates come in.

This was the other bedroom, the older sister's room. You can see the little hat on the bed and the tiny perfume bottles made from beads and pins stuck into the vanity which was made out of a tea box covered in fabric.  

Oh, and recognize that little white stand in the corner by the fireplace (made of a kleenex box)?  Thats one of those little plastic table things that comes in the middle of your pizza when its delivered.

 This is the parlor.  Another kleenex box fireplace and cardboard furniture.  The things on the wall, as well as the plants, rug and little lamp were all cutouts from magazines.  

This is the dining room.  The cake was made from a variety of lids, the top layer being a toothpaste cap. I like the chandelier, also a magazine cutout.

 And finally, the kitchen.  Actually, this isn't my favorite room because I feel like it's kind of boring, but the little sink is cute.  It's a little sauce box that you would get from someplace like McDonalds with sweet and sour sauce in it, cleaned out and put into that brown box with the "faux marble" top. 

We colored floors (wood and tile patterns) for days and used wall paper for the back wall of each room.  The frame of the house is made out of cardboard bolts that fabric is wrapped around at a fabric stores. 

I don't know where Mrs. Finley got these ideas, but I'm sure grateful I got to be in her class. 

After I moved on to fifth and sixth grade I still loved and played with my dollhouse.  With time it got moved to a corner of my closet and finally out to the garage.  Then, when my mom was here visiting a couple of weeks ago, my dad insisted she bring it to me.  The plan was that I would clean it up (it had gotten pretty dusty), take some pictures for memory's sake and then throw it away.

But now that it's here and so cute, I haven't quite been able to bring myself to just toss it out.  What do you think? To keep or not to keep?

Home

"The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned."  

- Maya Angelou

Ok, ok, I'm finally posting pictures of our apartment.  Unfortunately, I'm not a photographer, so these pictures probably don't really show how cute this apartment is, but at least you can get an idea. Oh, and there are a lot, so get ready for picture overload...

First, our living room.  Most of the same furniture as before, with the addition of our new reading chair (which we found at a thrift store for $40!) Isn't it perfect?

We also have a patio, which we don't use much now due to the extreme heat, but I'm looking forward to using it when it cools down. We live on the second floor so we have more privacy, and we overlook the pool.

Next, the kitchen. Already more space than we had before (we don't have to keep our table pushed up against the wall). Also, you can't really tell in the pictures, but the kitchen has vaulted ceilings which makes it feel much more open. 

 Our last apartment kitchen had a few cupboards and ONE drawer.  This one is so much better.

 Now, down the hallway we go. The first door you see on the right is a bathroom.

 Great for guests so they don't have to walk through our room to use the bathroom.

The door across from the bathroom is the second bedroom, used as our office for now.  Of course my books have been made quite at home already. 

We also have room for my old daybed that my mom brought up to us last week when she came for a visit.  I need to get some sheets on it, but it will be nice for guests, or if Phil needs to take a little nap in between study sessions :)

 On the other wall (the mirrored doors) there is a huge closet that spans the whole wall, nice for storage.

Down the hall we have our own washer and dryer!  We were able to find them cheap on Craig's list the day after we moved here.  So nice to not have to carry our clothes down to the laundry room.

Now, finally to the master bedroom.  First of all, I can't help noticing how empty and boring that wall looks, but really the bedroom is quite nice. Its too hot for our comforter on the bed right now, so its just made up with sheets.

 We also added my old dresser (also brought up by my mom) so that I would have room for my things.

 And Phil uses this dresser. 

Walk in closet.

And bathroom. The vanity is separate from the toilet and shower which is nice.  Again, more drawers and cupboards.  I'm amazed that we were able to fit all our stuff in such a tiny apartment before!

Well, if you made it to the end of this post, I hope you aren't bored out of your mind. Also, let me just mention that we loved our home in Salt Lake, it was our first apartment together and will always have a special place in our hearts.  But, it has been nice to move into a new place and grow together with this whole experience. 

Phil started school yesterday, and I have made some leads on a new job, so hopefully I can start working soon.  We are liking the area and making new friends.  We have been so blessed and are so grateful for all we have.