off to the indoor kids play centre for an afternoon of squealing and coffee :)

* <strike>make beds</strike>
* <strike>swish n swipe</strike>
* <strike>unload dishwasher</strike>
* <strike>tidy kitchen</strike>
* <strike>fold and put away laundry</strike>
* <strike>wash and hang more laundry</strike>
* <strike>scoop litter tray</strike>
* <strike>sweep main rooms</strike>
* <strike>5 minute rescues in kitchen, lounge and play room</strike>
* <strike>5 minute rescues in kids rooms</strike>
* <strike>sort out dinner</strike>
* 15 minutes of de-cluttering
* <strike>bang out doormat</strike>
* re-pot aloes
* <strike>vac couches</strike>
* </strike>vac rug</strike>
* change sheets

todays todo list:
* wrap makayla's gift
* scoop litter tray
* hotspot fire drill (2 minutes picking up each room)
* make beds
* swish n swipe both bathrooms
* unload dishwasher
* wipe benches
* sweep entire house
* mop kitchen, lounge, playroom, bathrooms
* quick dust all over
* empty fridge
* wipe door handles

Veggie Products that are yummy:

Sanitarium Vegie Roast
Sanitarium Vege Sausages
Soyco Flavoured Tofus
Blue Lotus Tofu
Blue Lotus Nutritional Yeast
Sanitarium Bliss Chocolate Icecream
Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese

Veggie Products that are pretty good:
Tofutti American Cheese Slices (They melt!)
Dairy-Bell No Dairy Icecream
Tofutti Sour Cream
Cheezely Herb and Garlic 'Cheese'

Veggie products that are so fucking disgusting I want to die after tasting them:
King Land Soy Cheese (Cheddar Style) OMFG. So gross, I can't articulate it.

That's your public service announcement for the day.

It's been a looooong time since I've been on LJ. I have a lot to update on, but I'm the middle of bringing together my Facebook, my blogging, my business website and other things, so for now I'm just going to post my most recent blog entry here, and promise to come back later tonight for some updatey goodness.

Mwah.

-----

Yes, back blogging but THAT'S NOT THE POINT!!!
My mojo is back! After more than a year of making soap, I was starting to lose my mojo a little. I still loved making soap, but I was sad because I wasn't having any new ideas. And then this morning, BAM! I have ideas for three unique new vegan soaps. And I am so freaking excited. Pretty soon, I'll be making the new webshop public and then I can share the fruits of my labours. Not spilling the beans yet though... soon, my preciouseseses!

I know you can't see me, but I'm positively bouncing up and down right now.

Also- a recipe idea for my veg*n friends.

I've seen this called 'mock tuna salad'. To be truthful, it tastes nothing like tuna but is reminiscent in its textures and flavours. It's also packed with protein, fibre and general deliciousness. Here's the basic idea:

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1-2tb of you favourite vegan mayonnaise or substitute (Praise 97% fatfree is vegan and that's what I use. It's nice and tangy)
2tb minced parsley
1-2 minced dill pickles
1 spring onion, minced
Other 'tuna salad' type ingredients. I like finely chopped celery, red capsicum, mustard, re-hydrated wakame, a splash of Apple Cider Vinegar... go wild, use your imagination)

Fork mash the chickpeas. (You can bung them in a food processor, but I like a little texture). Mix in all your other stuffs. Season to taste. Serve anyway you like. Some ideas- on bread, as a sandwich- Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese goes well. On toast. Stuffed into any vegetable you like, possibly grilled? I plan to try it on toast with vegan cheese on top and then grilled. Mock tuna melt!

Ok, Um, we're moving this weekend...


*breathe*
*hyperventilate*
*die*

ok...

SHIT!

I freaking hate packing!

Expect lots of short ranty posts from me over the next couple of days.

And can I just point out that in 12 hours, I will have been a non-smoker for ONE WHOLE WEEK!

*applause*
*bows*

See my happy little Pocoyo icon? Know what that means? YEP! We got the house! We really did! I'm so stinking excited! They're even giving it to us for the advertised price of $300/pw rather than the $320/week we offered, which means a saving of almost $90/month. Good thing!

I'm just going to copy/paste the email I sent my dad- it has all the info (except I obviously won't be posting the new address here).

Ello! I saved some pics of the house before they get taken offline. If you go to: http://flickr.com/photos/d0tski/tags/house/ you'll be able to see them. Click on the individual pics to view them, and roll your mouse over to find the notes :)

Here's the agent's description:

BE SUPRISED

Step inside this stylish rendered home located in the heart of Mill Park. Comprising 3 bedrooms plus study, ceramic tiles, undercover entertainment area, ensuite with spa, garage,dbl carport,shed,timder kitchen,rumpus/dining room,L shaped lounge. Other features include ducted heating, split system, dishwasher, alarm system. An inspection will impress you!

The entire house is done with ceramic tile floors which means very cool in summer, good for allergies and easy to sweep clean. Beautiful colour scheme, big living areas, GREAT kitchen.
It really is very lovely, and Dave and I are stressed over the move, but excited :)  We're hoping to move in early April.

Anyway! Gotta go organise packing and such now!

Love, Bec

SQUEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!

The guy from the realestate agent just called about half an hour ago... and we got the house! We got it! I'm so happy I could cry or chew my arm off or... I don't even know!

Only bad thing is, I CAN'T GET HOLD OF DAVE! He's not at his desk, his mobile is switched off and he hasn't checked his email! I'm going insane!



AARRRRRRRRRRRRRGGG!!G!GG!G!G!G!G^&^&@#^(&()@&$@**$(_@*%

i'm afraid to call the estate agent to hear if we got the house.

i'm almost certain that we haven't.

but maybe, just maybe, we did.

but if I call and he says no, I will be so upset (even though I don't think we'll get it, hearing it is going to really hurt).

the idea of calling makes me feel sick.

waiting is making me feel sick.

i don't know what to do.

Here we go!
2 days, 10 hours, 43 minutes, 43 seconds and counting! 36 cigarettes not smoked, $13.50 saved. I tell ya, I totally rock.

Late afternoon and early evening have been a little difficult, but I just pull out my little book, and get over it quickly. The little nicotine monster is almost dead!

I'm starting to feel better and worse at the same time. My lungs feel strange and I'm obviously grouchy. Today my throat is sore. Also, I'm sweating heaps and I feel stinky. In fact, everything stinks today. I guess my sense of smell is coming back. On the up side, I don't get so puffed out when I'm walking, I seem to get by on less sleep but actually feel refreshed, and I'm certain that it's only going to get better :)

just about 24 hours. and I've stayed strong so far.

go me.

dave tells me that day two will be even harder. you know, the more i think of dave and his support the more i realise i will be quitting *in spite* of him.

We're meant to hear about the house today.
I'm going to vomit if they don't call soon.
I may vomit either way.

last night, i read Allen Carr's Easyway to Stop Smoking. by the end of the book, i never wanted to have another cigarette again. and he doesn't do it with scare tactics or shock value, and in fact explains why these things don't work. he just makes you realise that you actually don't want to smoke! i can't recommend this book enough. i will continue to plug it anytime i have the opportunity.

i'm putting a ticker here, but it's really not important. because I haven't 'given up' anything. all I've done is gain :)


QuitMeter Counter courtesy of www.quitmeter.com.

so yesterday we went and applied for the spacious expensive house. it really is very nice inside, nicer than any other house i've ever lived in. we never had a walk-in-robe before, and this one is a little room attached to the bedroom, with shelves, rails, drawers... more than enough space for mine and dave's clothes (which has always been a bone of contention). the entire house is tiled with something in a beautiful dark buttery colour. really nice. 3 bedrooms, study, air-con, lounge, seperate dining, eat-in kitchen. just... wow. and the best part of all is, it has enough space for 5 cars, which is what dave wants to take with us.

problem is, it looks like about 6 parties are going to apply for it. and they all looked like older, double income families. here's hoping the landlord takes pity on us. because dammit, i really want this house. it's getting close to crunch time and the market is just getting more and more cut-throat. we even offered $10/week more than the asking price, in the hopes it would improve our chances.

the niceish thing is, dave works at a big university and they have told him that if push comes to shove and we have nowhere, they can put us in student housing. it would suck HUGELY but it's good to know that we won't be homeless.

also, today is hopefully my last day as a smoker. tomorrow is quit day. this zyban has been kicking my ass a little over the last day or two as the levels get up there, but i've noticed that cigarettes just don't seem to be doing it for me anymore. i feel like with a bit of support, i can do it.

i really want to quit.

So, after failing to get any of the houses we've applied for, we've decided to change our tactics. At the moment, our choices are to:

1. Go for a shitty little house in a crappy suburb where we won't feel safe to take the kids out walking in the evening and being surrounded by crappiness.
2. Move to an ok suburb a half hour or more away from where we are now, and have Dave commute
3. Raise our maximum rent.

We've decided to go with number three, or at least see if we have any luck with it. After crunching numbers last night, we could do up to $300/week. It's a lot. More than I want to pay. But I don't want to live in a hole.

Here's one place we're looking at:

http://www.realestate.com.au/cgi-bin/rsearch?a=o&id=402615478&f=160&p=10&t=ren&ty=&fmt=&header=&c=9540970&cc=au&s=vic&tm=1174016773

Honestly, I don't give a shit about having a spa in the ensuite or anything like that. We're real water-savers so we'd feel too guilty to use more than once or twice a year. But when I clean the house, I want it to look clean dammit. We moved into this house because Dave's grandma lived next door and if we didn't move in she'd be put into a home. At Christmas last year, she broke her leg and is now permanently in a home. This place is too small. And when I mop the floor, it still looks grimy. The carperts are ugly. The blinds are falling apart. Our landlords are assholes and keep calling the cops on us for no reason. I think maybe I deserve to live in a nice house? I don't know. I hate feeling so materialistic like this. But maybe it would be nice to live in a nice house?

Advice?

Erg, that last cigarette made me want to retch. Maybe this Wellbutrin/Zyban is already kicking in. It would certainly be nice to experience a positive effect, rather than the shitty side-effects I've been getting so far. Maybe I'll even be quitting before the first week is up.

Booyah.

Also, TVSN is some of the most annoying drivel I've ever watched, but I can't find the remote and I can't be bothered getting up to change the channel.

Well, just got the call. We didn't get it.

It went to a 20 year old couple. They had a double income. As if it should make any fucking difference. We've never, ever had trouble paying our rent on time.

Someone just shoot me now, I really cannot handle this stress much longer.

I called the estate agent this morning to see if we're still in the running for the house we applied for two weeks ago. This place has so many good things going for it and would be super ideal for us.

Anyway, she said the landlord is dithering over our application because we are a young couple (um- 25 and 33!!!) and also because we are single income. (I get $400/fortnight in the form of family tax benefit and Dave earns a very good wage). She suggested that if we offer a little more we might have a good chance of swaying his decision. So we offered $240 instead of the original price of 230/week. That means about and extra $50 a month for them. Please, please, please send us some good vibes. We need this badly.