#5- Another day, Another (not) dollar

As most of you probably know, times are tough. And it's hard, especially for a newly married couple trying to make it on their own far from home.

This entry is a bit of a rant but I know a lot of you can relate. 

I have been unemployed since Friday, June 13th. The day started out bad when  I broke something glass before even stepping out my door. I got to work and it was a pretty normal day, as normal as it had been at least. I quit a job as a legal assistant where I got a paycheck every week, even though it got a little scary sometimes, and left to work for a one attorney firm making more money, which I definitely did! I thought this guy was great he made good money he was young and handsome and successful. I thought it was going to be great! He promised me vacation and bonuses, I was so excited at the thought of getting to go home for a friends wedding and spending Christmas with my family. But on this Friday the 13th my luck changed. I got my paycheck before I left for lunch, went to the mall to get my hubby a Father's Day present and lunch came back to work and around 2:30 I was called into his office where he fired me, or I consider it as being laid off. He told me my resume was false I wasn't as qualified as it shows on paper, and he just didn't have the time to train me. The day he hired me he promised to train me. This is when I realized, this man who pretends to be a nice guy, is a back stabber and jerk! How can someone take a sweet innocent 21 year old girl, take her from somewhere I had a stable job even if I didn't like it, and screw her like that?? My husband was ready to kill him knowing he hurt me and made me cry. 

That's not it for that day though! I have never been a real superstitious person. This day totally changed all that for me. My husband and I were planning on spending the weekend in his hometown with our friends and family. We still decided to go since I had just been paid and after the day we had so far we needed to get out of town. 

We were on our way to a friends when in the middle of total nowhere a black cat runs across the road in front of us! Crazy huh?! Friday the 13th and all this, odd...

Finally we made it to our destination! We hung out with our friends and stayed up nearly all night. I remember having to cuddle with my husband in a recliner that night but that's ok 😍

When we woke up that morning his phone was dead and his mom called me. We found out that his Memaw had gone back into the hospital. She had surgery a week prior to get gallstones removed after having problems for months, bless her heart!

At this point we are thinking how much worse could things get?? We spent a majority of the weekend in the Hospital. She was released after having a GI bleed which was so scary for our family! Unfortunately Memaw wound up back in the hospital about a week later. Luckily today she is home and doing so much better and we are so blessed that God allowed her to stick around awhile longer.

I have spent the whole summer unemployed. I admit, I was taking an anti-depressant that completely took my motivation away and it's taken awhile to get it back. 

The last 4 weeks I've been working with unemployment trying to get approved and bring home a check, 272 a week, just enough to help us survive. I was so relieved Monday of this week when a roe at unemployment told me I could expect a check this week thanks to her being so helpful, so I had thought. I got to speak with another rep yesterday who informed me I will not be getting a check this week. Just another setback for the Hart's.

After all these set-backs it is so hard to stay positive and believe something good is going to happen. But my husband every time I get to where I wanna give up, always tells me that I need to be positive. It's hard when it feels that the world is against you.  But God has a plan for us. He is testing our relationship.

I have had lots of opportunities to go home, and I know that if I truly was ready to leave at any point that I will be out of here. But when you marry someone, your kind of stuck. Yeah I know, I could get a divorce, but there's no way. That's the easy way out, just for now. Later down the road it can lead to regret and who know what else. When I married Scott, I got on the train for the long haul. He's stuck with me whether he likes it or not and same goes for me. We could fight all day or week but we still love eachother no matter what. Relationships are hard, especially when the world around you is falling apart. We both need to become closer to God. 

God is testing our relationship to test our faith, and to bring us closer together. Even though we fight and things have happened, we are still closer than ever. As long as we have eachother we will be ok. 

I am also so thankful for our sweet pups! Lilah is so sweet and always knows when something is wrong she will always be by your side, or on too of you, lol! And Willie, well he's just a silly puppy who doesn't know what going on but he's a sweetie 😊

Entry #4.5 Social Media

Find me on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/Pnwcountrygirl

Also on Instagram as Pnwcountrygirl14

And Pinterest, search Andrea Hart

Crockpot Ham and Potato Chowder

This is one of my favorite recipes! And since fall is right around the corner I wanted to share it with y'all! 

The recipe calls for:

1 onion, diced

1 Tbs. Butter

4 C.  Chopped peeled potatoes

2 boxes chicken broth

2-3 C. Diced Ham

1/2 lb (16 oz) Velveeta

1/4 C. Milk or half and half

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Peel and dice 4 cups potatoes, about 4-5 potatoes. Fill pan with water. Put diced potatoes in water and boil until potatoes are slightly soft.

2. Dice up 16 oz Velveeta cheese; add to saucepan over medium heat. Add milk. Cook until Velveeta is melted completely, stirring frequently. 

3. Melt butter in pan, add onion. Cook on med heat until onions are opaque.

4. Add chicken broth to crock pot. Once Velveeta is melted add to chicken broth, mix with wire whisk until smooth. Add potatoes, onion and diced ham, and salt and pepper to taste.

5. Leave crock pot on low heat for 6 hours or high for 4 hours.

6. Serve with sliced garlic bread

Enjoy!

Get to know me!

For entry #3 I wanted to tell you a little about me 😜

I gave you a slight introduction in my first entry but I made it broad. Here are 10 random facts about myself:

1.  My name is pronounced Ondreeuh!! And I was named after Andrea from Beverly Hills 90210

2.  My birthday, May 17th, is a Norwegian Holiday, Sytenne de Mai! Or the celebration of Norway gaining their independence from Sweden. I am Norwegian and I love embracing my culture, like making lefse or krumkake but I won't touch lutefisk so don't ask!

3.  I love to listen to music, primarily country and alternative rock. I also have a little Loretta in myself 😉

4. If I had to survive off one food for the rest of my life it would be Canadian bacon pizza with mushrooms for sure! Or wings...either way I wouldn't complain!

5.  I have worked as a paralegal since I was 18 and now I'm riding the unemployment enjoyment train 😜

6.  My dogs Willie Nelson and Lilah are my children! They mean the world to me ❤️🌎 

7.  My husband and I met through online dating, and then in the Walmart parking lot. For our first date, he took me to an off-road park and it was one of the best days ever! 

8.  My best friend in the world is Chloe Thompson. Friends since the 6th grade, we've gone through so much together, from her moving away from me and then moving close to her years later, then moving across the country! Our friendship has been put to the test quite a bit and we know we will never break!

9.  I admit, I'm a sinner. I am bringing God back into my life and I ask for forgiveness every day.

10.  Family is everything to me. And I don't mean just blood related family. It can also include friends! I've been so blessed to marry into a great family and thankful for Chloe Thompson's family. In the last 7 years, my family has crumbled, but I'm thankful to have a few good ones who stuck tight with me. A couple name drops here, Shauny Thoreson you are a blessing to me. I won't relay how we know eachother but I'm so happy I met you and I miss you so much! Chloe Thompson, you know how I feel about you! I love you to bits and pieces! Scott Hart, my sweet supportive husband, our marriage is constantly being tested and that will never end but I'm in it for the long run. I love you with my whole heart Mr. Hart 😍 Wendy Dillon, you have been amazing the last 12 years I've known you! You've played every role from mother to best friend! Glendora Dillon, or grandma 😍, you are the rock in my life! I never would have become who I am without you and you are the biggest blessing of all! And all my friends from Norwegian camp that I still keep in touch with, I love you all and I'm so glad that even though I haven't been involved with camp in 5 years, we still keep in touch! David and Megan Jones, thank y'all for everything you've done for us! I am so happy to have met you both and I'm glad your in our lives, including those 3 adorable little girls! Kat Aday, I am so glad that you are with Dustin or else I may not have ever been so blessed to have you in my life! You are so funny and beautiful don't forget that 😍 and lastly my step-daughter Vanessa. I definitely never thought I would have a step daughter, especially not one that is 13 years younger than me. But none of that matters. She is a sweet and beautiful little girl and another huge blessing!!

11 (I had to add one more).  I am a huge football fan! WPS and 12th Man heck yes!! I even manage my own fantasy team, Ery Day I'm Russeln. Can you guess who my QB is? 😝

Thanks for reading ❤️ count your blessings every day

Last Nights Sweet Tooth Craze...

Last night, Scott and I were both craving something sweet to eat! I was going to make white cupcakes with maple buttercream but we didn't have any powdered sugar! But what I did have was a box of white cake mix, 2 eggs and 1/3 cup of vegetable oil! Also my oven was preheated to 425 and I put a dozen in the oven for 13 minutes. I made amazing white cake cookies. They turned out so delicious and I wish I hadn't given Scott the rest 😝 this is a really easy cookie to make and can be done with any cake mix and add in any flavoring or candies. I highly suggest it!

The Novice Blogger

Hi there! My name is Andrea and I've decided to start a blog to share my very interesting story. Also, I will be adding pictures, recipes, craft ideas, etc..as I go along.  For a long time I have been a self-proclaimed, "not-creative" person. Though in the last couple years I've discovered I have became an excellent chef and baker, and Pinterest has consumed my life giving me inspiration for plenty of ideas.

A little about myself, I am originally from Aberdeen, Washington. Born to my parents May 17, 1993 in Kurt Cobain's home town! My parents split when I was young, and between 2004 and 2010 my dad made 4 tours overseas. I had a rough upbringing, only to make me the strong person I  am today. And thanks to some amazing friends and family I was able to escape my demons and start a new life just for myself. Since then, 2010 that is, I have made quite a few changes and have started over I have no idea how many times. The most important thing to have happened in my young adult life is meeting my husband Scott. 

Now this is my favorite love story ever. Scott is originally from the great state of Arkansas and was stationed in Everett, Washington for the Navy. We met in March of 2013 and I knew I had to have him! It wasn't until May when we finally made it official. In July he had made the decision to move back home and we stuck together. I stayed in Washington until November and only got to see him once during those 4 months. In February we eloped! 

Since being in Arkansas I have had some pretty tough luck. I had a job in February and wound up leaving to work for another law office in May, and on Friday, June 13th I was terminated due to my boss being a jacka**. So now I'm here 2 months later, still not working and filling my time creating a blog.  On top of being unemployed, I am having some pretty scary medical issues going on and I am constantly asking for prayers. Things are starting to look up though, and I moved to be with a wonderful man and married into the best family! We also have two dogs, Lilah and Willie Nelson.
  
I've learned that God is a great leader and the will never give you an obstacle too tough for you to handle. Life gets hard sometimes and the only way to make it through if your faith in The Lord. Everything he puts in front of you is to test your faith. Everything happens for a reason. But I guess I really need to take my own advice. I'm slowly working on it. 

More to come soon!