Well, okay, they’re not really secret confessions since I’m putting them on the Internet, but here are some confessions.

1. I always show myself as offline on Facebook. I don’t like instant messaging. I’m not really sure why.

2. Not one person in New Jersey has commented on my accent. A cashier at the grocery store was chatting with me, and I told her I’d just moved from Texas. She asked me how I liked New Jersey and I told her things had been fine so far (no need to tell her how stressful the first two weeks were) and no one had even commented on my accent. She said, “Keep talking and maybe I’ll notice it.” I felt so un-Texan. She couldn’t hear my accent?

3. I was drinking a Diet Pepsi while I wrote this.

4. I’ve been knitting like crazy. With no friends, what else am I going to do in this town? Family, you all know what to expect for Christmas this year.

5. David and I have a ridiculous amount of clothes. We got rid of tons before we moved. I’m determined to get rid of more. We like them all. They all fit. We wear them all. It’s just that we don’t NEED this many outfits.

6. I did do a good job of clearing out our shoes before we moved. As much as I love shoes, I think I’m about to get rid of a shoe rack. Gasp! We have an extra one.

7. David and I are so tired. Not sure why. We slept a lot this weekend. We went to bed early last night. But we hit the snooze button for thirty minutes this morning. Maybe it’s mental?

8. I have ideas for at least three books, including a children’s book, but I can’t get them out. It’s not writer’s block. I can write. I’m just not happy with what I’m writing.

9. My 8th grade reading teacher told me I should write novels. My college English professor tried to convince me to switch from a culinary arts major to an English major.

10. Henry got to us when we were weak! Right before the move, when we were so busy packing, selecting movers, saying goodbyes, and making travel arrangements, Henry started getting on our bed in the middle of the night. We were so tired we didn’t care. Now, he sleeps on our bed every night. We’ve got to break him of this. Just as soon as we stop feeling tired.

11. I really want to read the Twilight books again, but I probably wouldn’t do anything else for a week once I start, so I’m going to wait until the apartment is a bit more organized.

12. I’ve known for years exactly how I want to decorate my little boy’s room. I saw an idea in a magazine. It’s easy, cute and inexpensive. Hope my future son likes it.

13. If I wasn’t married to my husband, I’d buy dishes like these

instead of these and these.

David, the computer programmer that he is, keeps things modern. Here’s a direct quote, “Why would you buy something old? It looks like it’s broken. I can provide you with nice, new stuff!”

He doesn’t get Shabby Chic. But then, he doesn’t decorate with Stars Wars memorabilia anymore…

14. Can stress make you lose weight? I’m not sure why, but I lost weight moving to New Jersey. I wasn’t trying, and we weren’t eating very healthy there for awhile, so I’m fairly certain this weight loss is not the good kind. It’s kind of like losing weight from food poisoning.

15. After the rude an unprofessional manner with which the apartment complex people treated us, I bag Henry’s waste and put it in the trash can closest to their office. Hey, they want us to pick up after him…no problem.

Are you on Facebook? Click “Like” on A Young Wife’s Tale. Also, I’ve had some articles published over here. Come check them out!

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• New Doctors and New Jersey
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Page 194 of the September issue of Family Circle says that a recent study found that people who chew gum regularly report less overall anxiety. Darn. I knew I missed chewing gum!

Check out these blog posts for recipes for making your own seasoning mixes. I’m totally going to start making my own taco seasoning and BBQ seasoning.

How does chronic illness affect intimacy in marriage?

This post and several other sources have got me thinking about switching to vinegar, borax and baking soda for cleaning products. My question is, does this sort of house cleaning method save money, or is it just environmentally friendly? What cleaning products do you use? Would you consider giving up 409?

This blog brings out the shabby chic lover in me! I love the Gooseberry Patch catalog. Sigh. Maybe someday David will come around to my kind of decorating. Eh, well, I guess I wouldn’t like him quite as much if he like antiques and lace.

Okay, now for some real housewife blogging.

David soaks in a hot bath 2-3 times a day because of his arthritis so I do a lot of extra laundry. Not just towels. David doesn’t like to put “dirty” clothes on after he gets out of the bath. He puts on fresh clothes each time. Here’s what I like for laundry.

Tide with Baking Soda with White Lilac fragrance. It’s one of the few fragrances I can stand. It’s hard to find around here. I usually find it at Target. Sometimes Albertson’s carries it.

Our laundry room is at the top of the stairs.

Wal-Mart sells the Simplicity brand. It’s hypo-allergenic, fragrance free, phosphate free, non-toxic and biodegradable. I use this because it’s cheap, and it doesn’t bother me when my allergies flare up in the fall.

Having the laundry room upstairs is great. 95% of the laundry gets put away upstairs anyway.

I don’t like the huge containers of laundry detergent with a spigot. I know it’s cheaper, but they’re so heavy! As you can see, all my laundry supplies are stored over my head. Plus, I hate having detergent drip all over the living room. I just watch for good sales on the smaller containers and use coupons.

The drawstring bag is for cleaning rags so they don't touch the rest of the laundry.

For fabric softener, I use store brand fragrance free sheets. Thanks to Kerri I’m going to try using vinegar as fabric softener when I run out of sheets. I don’t use bleach on our laundry. If I need to get whites white again, I use lemon juice or White Brite.

Anyone else have laundry tips?

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