I'm still here

Hi everyone

I can't believe it's been a month since I last posted. It's been a rough ride, and the stress has been taking a toll on my health again. I've had more hair breakage & I'm not sleeping. I still have a pending court case. Sigh. I just wish the ex would complete everything now so we can both move on with our lives. I'm more than ready to move forward. I can close this case without court appearance if he just does what he's supposed to, but nothing is ever easy.

I also woke up to some bad news from my family this week. Not good & has me very worried. In typical family fashion (we're good at it), they're downplaying things, but I know it might be worse, otherwise they wouldn't have contacted me. So I've been up since 3 am again. Started my day talking to them and worrying some more. I feel like I've been running on empty for some time now. The problem with being a strong person is that everyone expects you to be there for them, but nobody ever asks how you are doing. Sometimes I just need someone to ask how I am, tell me that they care and/or give me a hug. Sorry, I'm just venting, cause (like my family) we don't put our problems or personal business out there for all the world to know. We're very private! I just put on my happy face and go about my business being there for others. I just need something good to happen for a change. 

What else is new in Goose land

• I almost made an offer on that house I viewed. It was near perfect, but my gut is still telling me no. I've broadened my search to a few more cities, because the housing market seems to be on pause again. I need to move!!! 
  
  
  
• Received my $40 Rakuten check 
  
  
  
• Received $5 KC that I let expire, because I didn't want to waste a trip to the mall to just redeem $5

• Bought my vanity when Wayfair had it reduced to $285. Then over the weekend, it was reduced by another 30! Ugh! I'm not upset though, since I paid with gcs. I love that they have no limit to the amount of gcs you can use per order. However, I decided to pay $50 with my CC. I figured it's better to dispute the charge if anything arrives broken/damaged. I still have $100 gcs left. I opened one package to see if the mirror was unharmed, but only saw wood pieces (ugh). I didn't want to take the whole thing apart to look for the mirror in the middle.  The ex wanted to leave my vanity on the porch and I said 'no way'. I told him to put it in the garage or shed, because I don't want it to get damaged when it rains. Wood swells when it gets wet (even I know that...lol). See why I need to move? I hate procrastination. I just want to get things done and live life again. 
  
  

• My car battery died. I was going to take the vehicle to the car wash, only to discover it won't start. So the ex charged the battery. He said to test it to see how it works otherwise I need a replacement. I hope I don't get stuck somewhere. I've had other problems with this car a few short years ago, so I hope nothing else goes wrong. 

• I was going to buy this Date night top with my $50 WHBM reward, but the item had so many mixed reviews about sizing. You forfeit your reward if you return anything you purchased with it, so I decided to pay cash for it. I sized down per reviews and it fits perfectly!! This top is sexyyyyyy!!! Holy cow! I didn't expect it to look & fit this good. Okay, it shows a little cleavage, but not too much. The downside is that I hate wearing strapless bras. I'm always worried that the bra will end up around my ankles...lol.  I tried the top with a regular bra and pushed the bra straps slightly off the shoulder to hide it & voila! Problem solved. I'll definitely use the detachable straps to avoid a wardrobe malfunction. Now I need to lose at least 10 lbs so I can comfortably fit my behind into my skinny jeans again. 
  
  Yep, I'm ready to go on a date. Okay, maybe I'll never be ready but as Joyce Meyer likes to say 'Do it afraid'. So I've decided that I'm just going to Do it, otherwise I might never work up the nerve/courage. I haven't been on a date in about 25 years. I don't even know the protocol. What do you do, say? What if the guy decides he doesn't like me. Do I cry at the table? Wait until I get to my car?...lol. Oh boy! Maybe I should go on a lunch date first, cause I don't have anyone to watch DS. I can't get a sitter to come to the house, cause the ex will complain and he'll refuse to watch DS. So lunch is probably my best bet, but DS is now home on Fridays too, so I have 4 days to go out. Oy vey. I'm really nervous, because I never did something like this before. In CT, I met men through business, at social events or through friends, so I already 'knew' them and/or what to expect. My life has changed a lot since moving here, so I'm not as confident as I was before. 
  
  
  
•  I then purchased 2 of my favorite poplin shirts (was on sale last week) and paid $12 OOP. Turns out I had another $5 reward in my account, so $55 free money. Then I received another $5 reward yesterday. I don't even know what all the rewards are for and I don't need anything else. Come on! I don't need any more clothes. Heck, I hardly go out to wear all my clothes. I need to get a life...lol
  
  

• Chicos sent me a $10 reward (dunno why), so I got this blouse. It is prettier than expected, especially for a free item. I love the paisley & floral sleeve accents. This blouse is so simple, but still makes a statement - just the way I like it!
  
  

• Purchased a pair of jeans & top with my Madewell reward and paid $5.28 OOP. The jeans retails for $128, so I'm not complaining about the OOP. 
  
  

• I've started taking DS to dinner on weekends. We haven't done this in years, so it was nice for us to get out again and he's happy. It was even nicer to be able to enjoy a craft beer again. It's kinda weird doing things on my own, because I've been dependent on the ex for so long. Baby steps. I have to keep reminding myself that I CAN do this. I don't have to be afraid of the unknown, because I'll never do anything if I continue to live my life in fear.

• Went to Ollies to look for new lunch boxes for DS and came home with bakeware instead (insert face palm emoji...lol). Well, Ollies had heavy duty Wilton bakeware (cookie sheets, loaf pans, cake pans, cooling racks) at really low prices (large cookie sheets are $6.99). I had a 15% off Q, so this worked out great. I bought a Wilton cookie sheet set at Target for $18 a few months ago & this thing is so flimsy. I researched this Ever Glide line and saw that it debuted in 2018. That explains the good quality, cause everything is so poorly made lately. 

Stopped at Target after dinner on Sunday (we didn't go anywhere fancy this time), because I had a $15/100 that was expiring and I'm on my last bottle of Tide (please excuse the crooked pic. I don't know how to straighten pic on my new computer)

6 x 90 oz Tide $77.94

3 x Old Spice Spray 22.17

1 x Old Spice b/w 7.39

1 x Razors 7.29

Less 15/100 (15.00)

Less Bic DQ (4.00)

Less OS Q (6.00)

Less $3 Tide DQ (3.00)

Tax 4.49

OOP $91.28 Paid with gc

Earned $25 GC (2 x $10 Tide, $5 OS) + $14.10 Ibotta ($6 OS spray, $3 OS b/w, $5 Razor, 10c any item) and submitted for $15 PG rebate. 

Total earned $54.10

I decided to just use one of those discounted Target gcs I bought last year, since I'm only $12 short of my $1k Christmas savings. It's only May, so I can easily make up for it. Saved me from spending more OOP. 

My Target only had 1 Captain spray, so I had to get a different brand. I added the b/w, since it had a $3 Ibotta rebate. It actually smells good. Not nearly as good as the Captain, but it will do. The Deep Sea smells okay. Not bad, but not something I'll buy again.  I sense a theme here - Captain, Deep Sea, Harbor...lol. This is right up my alley, cause I grew up by the ocean. 

That's about it for me right now. I'll try to write again later this week.

Have a wonderful week peeps!