Hi there

And the week has finally allowed me a night to stay home and do the things I should and want to do. Like, take the sweet puppy dog for a walk like she deserves. And make my bed. And blog. And make dinner at home (more on that later.) And make some perfect chocolate cookies.

The cookies are easy as pie, or cake. 2 eggs, 1/3 cup vegetable oil, sugar, and a devil's food cake mix combined with a strong arm for mixing a tough dough, and you get wonderful cookies. J made these for me recently, but I found the same recipe here: Cake Mix Cookies.

I also tried on my new boots. I ordered them 2 weeks ago, picked them up last night, and tried them on tonight. Like? I love.

So about cooking dinner at home. Now is the time to save money. The reason? A home. A home with a lawn, back door, and hopefully a fireplace. I've been talking to a realtor who has given me estimates of what to expect for a monthly note including taxes and insurance. But to get there, I need to save some more cash for the closing costs so that I can use my saved amount on the down payment. And then I have to orchestrate it perfectly so that I'm not paying a mortgage and apartment rent at the same time. (That's a stressful idea.) I will also need to save for a washer and dryer. I feel that will be the first purchase, and after that, I'll be buying paint--grey and white come to mind. I'm really excited and will keep you posted. Of course, this all hangs on whether or not I have a job after my company does organizational changes come mid October.

Had I not decided to save money today, I would have gone to the store tonight and bought the supplies to make this pretty wreath.

If you are a good friend of mine and you buy a house soon, I'll make you one as a house warming gift. ;)