Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Another Month...and a GIVEAWAY!

***the giveaway is now closed, stay tune for the winner!***

Oh dear! Another month has gone by and I have failed to blog. I thought I would fill you in this morning while I enjoy my tea and pastry.

(Fresh Market Strawberry Cheese Danish how I love thee!)

July was spent recovering from the IBC (haha), taking mini vacations out the back door to the apartment pool to escape the hundred degree heat and working out details for the impending move. Yes friends, we have a move date. Aug. 20 we head to the "Magic City." Ronnie will be teaching 3rd grade at an urban Christian school. We are very excited to be a part of the ministry of this school. They have been around for 20 years now and are having a dynamic impact on a rough area of town where many of these students do not know their father and have little chance for escaping the cycle of poverty and illiteracy that is very prevalent. It has been exciting to learn about how God is using this school to further His kingdom. Also, for the last 4 years 100% of their graduating seniors have been accepted into college...pretty cool, huh?!

We spent last week looking for a place to live and I had several job interviews. It has been neat to see how God has provided for our needs! Honestly, I had been worrying about where we were going to live. We knew we wanted to rent for a while longer so as to save more for a significant down payment, but rental options are not always the best. Let me tell you there are a lot of crummy apartments out there. There are also a lot of really nice places out there, but the monthly rent certainly reflects it!

Someone from my parent's church emailed my mom about an apartment for rent sign that they had seen in the area near them. I saved the message, but as we made appointments to see places I basically forgot about it. In the mean time, my good friend Memo suggested we check out the apartments where we have a mutual friend living. By the end of the week we were running out of options and the choices that we had weren't terribly appealing. I called the number that my mom had received via email and discovered that it was the same landlord of the friend that Memo had recommended. We also found out that the rent was GREAT! Better than anything else we had seen or really dared to hope for.

The apartment has hardwood floors and a cute balcony (see above- the pics are of the friends apartment who will be our neighbor)! They are also by a frozen yogurt place which is an added bonus :) We applied and payed our deposit on the spot and are excited to have that nailed down.

Now the packing begins...


Before I go pack some books, wanted to let you know I am having a giveaway!! You already know how much I love coupons. So much so, that a while back when there was a great deal online I snatched up a few of these Entertainment books. They have awesome Kroger and eating out coupons. And there are more than just the coupons that are in the book- you can print additional ones online! Some of my favs are buy 1 get 1 free coupons to Broadstreet and to Aladdin Mediterranean and even one for a free Little Caesar's pizza- no purchase necessary!


I have a brand new Entertainment Book with no coupons missing. Leave a comment giving me some packing advice and you will be entered to win! The giveaway will end at 10:00 PM on Friday night and a winner will be chosen at random. This is a local edition coupon book- sorry to those of you that don't live in the area. Feel free to still leave packing advice or enter if you know someone here that would enjoy this book.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Packing tip number one...uh...get a big truck! :)

-ronnie

Lisa A said...

So looking forward to having you around this next year! (I'm the new local.)

Paula said...

Okay, I am seriously hankering for that book. : ) Tips: 1. Boxes can be got at Wal-mart in the late hours (call ahead) and at liquor stores.
2. If you contact Parents and kids you can sometimes get extra stacks of their magazines which are nice for wrapping breakables.
3. Label, label, label!
These are kind of crummy. I should have better ones as often as we've moved! We will miss you!

Amanda said...

The apartment is BEAUTIFUL! D and I can't believe you are getting such a steal of a deal on it -- it actually has character and WOOD FLOORS!!!

Also, we're praying for your move. Several times I have said to D that I wish we could go help y'all pack . . . I'm glad you can now have a place to visualize your stuff in--that's gotta help!!!

Here's a packing tip I just learned: clean your sheets, fold them, bag them and zip them in the mattress so you can make the bed and sleep, even though your new house will be a maze of boxes. Make a car kit with all your NECESSITIES so you don't have to dig to find stuff like shampoo, toilet paper etc.

Another packing tip: Eating out must be a necessity so don't fight it. :)

Mandy said...

I'm not an expert mover by any means, but here is all I got:
*Label, label, label
*Be as detailed on the boxes as possible (Kitchen, pans) (Bathroom, towels) that way you know exactly where each box goes and what is in it when you go to unpack.
*Pack anything that you would not want broken or misplaced by movers in a box that can go in the car with you- that way you know where it is.

Laura Babba said...

I am a terrible packer. My advice, if you are a terrible packer get someone who is good at it :) I'm sure you are amazing at it though. you are a super organized former RA :)

E said...

We've moved several times in our three short years of being married.... my advice... label every box. It doesn't have to be beautiful or perfect or anything - but it's SO MUCH MORE HELPFUL when you're trying to find that one thing that you really need!!
And... wrap knives really well! Our "packers" last time just threw all knives in with some other random kitchen stuff, and I sliced my finger on one. Not cool!!
So happy for y'all :)

Michelle Smith said...

Liquor Store boxes; label, label, label; accept any and all offers to help!

Anonymous said...

Hey Susie, cute blog! we JUST moved to Alabama, so...Im still in the middle of un packing. But after only 1 week I only have about 4 boxes to go! label everything! if you are a coffee drinker, make sure to label the box with everything in it for making a fresh cup! I think it will be anon. but this is KB Ribelin

Jo-Jo said...

My best advice is....call your mother in law, have her make cinnamon rolls for a packing break, and a casserole for supper, and then invite her to help you pack and clean!!

Anonymous said...

I must admit I read your blog often and never leave a comment:( So I thought it was about time....I'm so excited for you guys and this new opportunity God has opened up to you! Keep blogging...I love to read what you and Amanda are up to!

Paula said...

By the way, your new place is super cute and has so much potential! Potential is important, isn't it? I'd rather have potential than . . . . Oh, I don't know. Anyway, I meant to tell you that and forgot in the heat of the giveaway!

Amanda said...

Wow, I couldn't agree more with your mother-in-law (IE MUMSKINS!)

Thomas, Christina, and Family said...

Get rid of 1 thing for every 10 you pack - no clutter goes! :)

Joey said...

Well I spent alll day yesterday helping you pack..isn't that enough!? Don't forget to label, label, label!! And..the Bundle Approach is an ingenious method of packing, which we learned from Judith Guilford, co-founder of the Easy Going travel store and author of the "The Packing Book," has now become our favorite. It's a bit difficult to explain without a demonstration, but we'll do our best. You need luggage that opens up and lays flat to do this. You will also need a flat, soft, pouch-like rectangular "core" with dimensions that are at least 1/2 to 3/4 the size of your luggage compartment. This can be a pouch filled with underwear or something similar.

Joey said...

...oops, i couldn't fit it all on one post! Actually the credit for that "INGENIOUS" method goes to independenttraveler.com. Oh well, I'm still in this to win!!!

Joey said...

Leave your clothes in your dresser drawers, and put the whole dresser in the moving truck!