We realized the other day that, even if we bought a house today, we'd be here at least until February. We're fed up. Miss F can't go nine months with no toys. She's been driving us (mostly me) nuts. She has two puzzles, a bag of blocks, and about six little toy cars. To keep herself entertained, she's been getting into trouble. She's been hanging on Miss C's swing (many times when she's in it), climbing up on chairs to rip stuff off of our hutch, and begging to watch shows. We don't let her watch TV other than one family movie a week, but the time that she's spent with family has clued her into Cars, Winnie the Pooh, and Sesame Street. She begs to watch them instead of having a good time playing pretend with her kitchen or driving her Tonka truck around because she's BORED.
Rather than just cleaning up for our Sunday open house like usual - an open house at which we didn't have any attendance - we first took a new look at our basement. It's a finished basement, and we set it up as a bedroom to stage the house to sell it. We're giving up an entire large room in our house to make it look like a bedroom that no one lives in to sell to someone who's not even showing up to see it. So we rearranged the things we had and ended up gaining a TON of space without even moving out the bed. We realized we were wasting much of the space in the laundry room and half bath side of the basement. We took Mr. B's tools and moved them over. We freed up an entire wall of the "bedroom". We moved the books up the bookshelf and devoted two shelves to Miss F's things.
We brought back art supplies and trains. I think Miss F has missed trains most of all. We'll be bringing her kitchen back soon. By then, it'll be Christmas, and I'm sure - despite our requests to tone down the presents - her grandparents will be filling the toy gap in no time.
Showing posts with label House. Show all posts
Showing posts with label House. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Sunday, November 9, 2014
The Real Estate Treadmill
We've been running like crazy but getting very little accomplished. We've had no one - not one single person - come look at our house since we switched realtors. We're not the only ones, either. Our neighbors put their house on the market just before we switched agents, and they've had very few people come by.
We've dropped our price a lot, first by $4,000 and Thursday by another $5,000. We can only drop it $5,000 more before we start paying someone to take our house, which can't happen.
In the meantime, we've been looking at houses to buy. We found one that could be great. As we wrote the contract, we dreamed of pantries and using the acre and a half of land. We just found out that someone else outbid us. This is the second contract we've lost. Not only are we unable to sell our house, we're incapable of buying one as well.
We have another open house today, and we're trying to see as many houses as possible in the month of November. I'm trying to be positive, but I'm quickly losing hope. I feel like we've been running on a treadmill for the last six months, our legs are giving out, and we're starting to stumble.
I'm hoping to start posting more regularly again. Don't give up on me yet.
We've dropped our price a lot, first by $4,000 and Thursday by another $5,000. We can only drop it $5,000 more before we start paying someone to take our house, which can't happen.
In the meantime, we've been looking at houses to buy. We found one that could be great. As we wrote the contract, we dreamed of pantries and using the acre and a half of land. We just found out that someone else outbid us. This is the second contract we've lost. Not only are we unable to sell our house, we're incapable of buying one as well.
We have another open house today, and we're trying to see as many houses as possible in the month of November. I'm trying to be positive, but I'm quickly losing hope. I feel like we've been running on a treadmill for the last six months, our legs are giving out, and we're starting to stumble.
I'm hoping to start posting more regularly again. Don't give up on me yet.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
The Super-Long Saga of Real Estate Woes and New Hope
Our house has been on the market since May. When we decided to sell it, we asked the agent who sold it to us to sell it for us, and she accepted. Given that we've never sold a house before, we didn't know what to expect. We knew that her commission was the standard rate, so we signed a contract.
We spent the month of May working on the house - new shutters, new paint in the first floor rooms, cleaning carpets, and packing up and moving our things to my dad's house. We told ourselves it would only be for a few months, and we very quickly found a house we wanted to move into.
We soon had some reservations about the process. The pictures that the realtor took (some with a cellphone) were blurry or at odd angles. I retook the pictures with my camera and emailed them to her. It would take a couple of days for her to email us back with any question or comment we had. Our first open house had only two visitors. One was immediately uninterested (they had severe cat allergies and would have to rip all of the carpeting out). The other, we were told, was considering a contract! We packed and moved MUCH more of our things anticipating leaving at any time! But we had patchy communication from our agent, and two weeks later, found out the interested person chose to continue renting her house, which is fine. Next one, right?
We had two showings. After each showing, we had to keep hounding our agent to give us any feedback at all from the showings. What could we do to sell this house?? We were facing a very scary deadline - I was due in August. We wanted certainty about where this baby would be born.
We scheduled another open house six weeks after the first, and no one came at all. We had three more showings. Again, no communication from our agent. I've been asking since July - should we drop the price? Put in new carpet? Offer closing cost help? She was very non-committal about all of it. Mr. B and I put a lot of work into making flyers for his workplace (nearby with about 200 workers) and posting on Facebook about our house, but we couldn't do it often. Was this what people usually have to do when they hire someone to sell their house? All in all, we had five showings in four and a half months with no contracts and no real feedback.
The final straw came when our neighbors put their house on the market last week. They put it on at $5,000 more than ours, but with an extra half bath, hardwood floors, and central air. Over the fence, I saw their real estate company taking pictures - a real camera! And I looked at their listing online. Their house looked amazing. I've been inside of it before, it's not *that* different from ours. After all, we're in a townhouse.
I was despondent. We'll never be able to lower our price enough to attract a buyer. We started looking into refinancing, but that would add $10,000 back to our loan, and put us right back where we started with this house five years ago. Not to mention, we only have two bedrooms and there are four of us now, with hopefully more in the future. I asked our realtor to give specific steps that she has taken and will take to sell our house. She posted the listing in a couple of little papers (though not the major papers in the area), and listed them online with places like Zillow and realtor.com. She said she might considering taking different pictures to put the listing back up the top of the sales pages, and maybe dropping the price more.
I'd been avoiding looking at our listing, but I wanted to see what we had compared to the neighbors. I looked at the pictures online, and I was appalled! Those were not the pictures I sent her. They were completely washed out, blurry, and cropped. They only showed half of the front of our house (the bottom half).
We solicited selling agent recommendations from friends, and one came over Monday night. For the same commission, they have a staging service tell you what needs to be done, moved, painted, etc. They have professional photographers come with lights and special lenses to accurately capture the room. They use social media to promote the house and the events associated with it. They call or email us at least once a week to check in and give a progress report. The list goes on.
While I felt badly about letting our agent go, we had to do what was best for our family. Monday night we asked to terminate our contract, and will be pursuing a new contract with a different agent. While I have been stressed about this house for MONTHS now, I'm finally feeling hopeful. Someone can guide us and tell us what needs to be done instead of me fumbling in the dark, always feeling inadequate and wondering "should we repaint that again? Take more things out? Replace carpet?" Rather than thinking we might have to pay for someone to take our house, we might break even or - dare I say it - make just a little on it. I don't need a lot, I just need out. And, God willing, we might be able to stop living out of boxes at my dad's house and call a new place home before Miss C has her first birthday.
We spent the month of May working on the house - new shutters, new paint in the first floor rooms, cleaning carpets, and packing up and moving our things to my dad's house. We told ourselves it would only be for a few months, and we very quickly found a house we wanted to move into.
We soon had some reservations about the process. The pictures that the realtor took (some with a cellphone) were blurry or at odd angles. I retook the pictures with my camera and emailed them to her. It would take a couple of days for her to email us back with any question or comment we had. Our first open house had only two visitors. One was immediately uninterested (they had severe cat allergies and would have to rip all of the carpeting out). The other, we were told, was considering a contract! We packed and moved MUCH more of our things anticipating leaving at any time! But we had patchy communication from our agent, and two weeks later, found out the interested person chose to continue renting her house, which is fine. Next one, right?
We had two showings. After each showing, we had to keep hounding our agent to give us any feedback at all from the showings. What could we do to sell this house?? We were facing a very scary deadline - I was due in August. We wanted certainty about where this baby would be born.
We scheduled another open house six weeks after the first, and no one came at all. We had three more showings. Again, no communication from our agent. I've been asking since July - should we drop the price? Put in new carpet? Offer closing cost help? She was very non-committal about all of it. Mr. B and I put a lot of work into making flyers for his workplace (nearby with about 200 workers) and posting on Facebook about our house, but we couldn't do it often. Was this what people usually have to do when they hire someone to sell their house? All in all, we had five showings in four and a half months with no contracts and no real feedback.
The final straw came when our neighbors put their house on the market last week. They put it on at $5,000 more than ours, but with an extra half bath, hardwood floors, and central air. Over the fence, I saw their real estate company taking pictures - a real camera! And I looked at their listing online. Their house looked amazing. I've been inside of it before, it's not *that* different from ours. After all, we're in a townhouse.
I was despondent. We'll never be able to lower our price enough to attract a buyer. We started looking into refinancing, but that would add $10,000 back to our loan, and put us right back where we started with this house five years ago. Not to mention, we only have two bedrooms and there are four of us now, with hopefully more in the future. I asked our realtor to give specific steps that she has taken and will take to sell our house. She posted the listing in a couple of little papers (though not the major papers in the area), and listed them online with places like Zillow and realtor.com. She said she might considering taking different pictures to put the listing back up the top of the sales pages, and maybe dropping the price more.
I'd been avoiding looking at our listing, but I wanted to see what we had compared to the neighbors. I looked at the pictures online, and I was appalled! Those were not the pictures I sent her. They were completely washed out, blurry, and cropped. They only showed half of the front of our house (the bottom half).
We solicited selling agent recommendations from friends, and one came over Monday night. For the same commission, they have a staging service tell you what needs to be done, moved, painted, etc. They have professional photographers come with lights and special lenses to accurately capture the room. They use social media to promote the house and the events associated with it. They call or email us at least once a week to check in and give a progress report. The list goes on.
While I felt badly about letting our agent go, we had to do what was best for our family. Monday night we asked to terminate our contract, and will be pursuing a new contract with a different agent. While I have been stressed about this house for MONTHS now, I'm finally feeling hopeful. Someone can guide us and tell us what needs to be done instead of me fumbling in the dark, always feeling inadequate and wondering "should we repaint that again? Take more things out? Replace carpet?" Rather than thinking we might have to pay for someone to take our house, we might break even or - dare I say it - make just a little on it. I don't need a lot, I just need out. And, God willing, we might be able to stop living out of boxes at my dad's house and call a new place home before Miss C has her first birthday.
Friday, August 29, 2014
A New Chapter
Miss F turned two in June, and we welcomed her new baby sister, Miss C, two weeks ago. We've quickly learned that I need to be very conscious about the quantity and quality of one-on-one time I give Miss F. One night just before bed, she collapsed in my lap for a prolonged snuggle - she missed her mama. We also realized that she didn't mature overnight just because she became a big sister. Mr. B and I found ourselves getting frustrated with her for being a two year old. She was playing with the baby's car seat when we told her not to, dumping puzzle pieces all over, and even tossed her glass of milk on the living room floor. Since the baby was born, Miss F has learned to climb into Miss C's crib and to open doors. I had hoped to have at least a few months before either of those particular milestones. Miss C's arrival has been an adjustment for all of us, but one we're happy to make.
At the same time, we're trying to sell our house. We found the perfect house for us - an old four bedroom farmhouse on 2/3 of an acre with mature fruit trees that costs less than our house now - but we can't find anyone to buy our townhouse. It's frustrating, but we're carrying on here as if nothing's different. We're still canning and gardening as if we're not leaving. At worst (or at best, I'm not sure), someone else will harvest our crops.
Mr. B is still looking for a job in his field. He has been looking since graduating college in 2009, but he earned his masters in December, so we're hoping for more luck now in his search. Just in the last week, he's gotten some interviews, but the pay is *significantly* lower than his current pay. As it is, we're barely making ends meet. I had been working five - yes, five - part time jobs simultaneously in the last year, but I quit them all (except a couple hours of private tutoring sessions) in July. We were miserable when I worked at night, and we ended up spending extra money on transportation and food to allow me to work jobs I didn't love. I read Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin this week, and we're starting to follow the program so that we can afford to live on a smaller income.
Since Miss F is now two, I'm starting to plan activities with homeschooling in mind. I really liked how Mrs. Mordecai of Be It Ever So Humble approached letters with her son, so I'm doing letters of the week with Miss F starting the day after Labor Day. It's in no way a formal thing, but if we happen to make the letter A during play-doh time or sing a song about A or read a book about A, well that's a little more exposure each time. I'm looking forward to posting about our letter activities (and other things) as the weeks go on.
At the same time, we're trying to sell our house. We found the perfect house for us - an old four bedroom farmhouse on 2/3 of an acre with mature fruit trees that costs less than our house now - but we can't find anyone to buy our townhouse. It's frustrating, but we're carrying on here as if nothing's different. We're still canning and gardening as if we're not leaving. At worst (or at best, I'm not sure), someone else will harvest our crops.
Mr. B is still looking for a job in his field. He has been looking since graduating college in 2009, but he earned his masters in December, so we're hoping for more luck now in his search. Just in the last week, he's gotten some interviews, but the pay is *significantly* lower than his current pay. As it is, we're barely making ends meet. I had been working five - yes, five - part time jobs simultaneously in the last year, but I quit them all (except a couple hours of private tutoring sessions) in July. We were miserable when I worked at night, and we ended up spending extra money on transportation and food to allow me to work jobs I didn't love. I read Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin this week, and we're starting to follow the program so that we can afford to live on a smaller income.
Since Miss F is now two, I'm starting to plan activities with homeschooling in mind. I really liked how Mrs. Mordecai of Be It Ever So Humble approached letters with her son, so I'm doing letters of the week with Miss F starting the day after Labor Day. It's in no way a formal thing, but if we happen to make the letter A during play-doh time or sing a song about A or read a book about A, well that's a little more exposure each time. I'm looking forward to posting about our letter activities (and other things) as the weeks go on.
Miss F loves her little sister.
Miss F is showing her daddy and little sister the apple we foraged on the way to the park.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Taking Charge
I have three days of work left for the school year. If I don't get a running start to the summer, nothing gets done. So for the last few weeks, I've been super busy so that I keep up steam when I have nothing else to do.
In what appears to be an annual tradition, *B* and I went to see Prairie Home Companion at Wolf Trap. We took an adult picnic complete with wine, crudites, and cheese. The show was great, the day was beautiful, and we had a great time.
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The garden has been a point of stress for me. For about a month, I threw my hands up and left it alone. Now, it's coming along well.
My mom made us a hanging strawberry planter. It's not enough to feed anyone person at a sitting, but it's nice to be able to pick berries every day.
Our potatoes may or may not make it through the season. They seem to by dying off now, and they haven't even flowered yet.
Indian false strawberries have taken over our yard. Despite the name, they taste like nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Our raspberries are doing SO well that we even have a few berries on them!
We planted snow peas everywhere. They are doing so well.
These snow peas had been eaten to the ground by the rabbits. We put up more fencing, and they popped right up.
We'll have more peas than we know what to do with!
Even our lettuce is doing well.
We were taught this trick at a gardening seminar this spring. We fill up a holy milk jug rather than watering the plants directly. It seems to help a bit. We'll see at the end of the summer how well it works.
This is one of only two rhubarb plants that made it through germination. I'm excited for this new experiment!
We planted San Marzano tomatoes to make sauce this year. We'll see what comes of it. Last year, I got 2/3 cup of tomato sauce out of all of our plants.
Apparently our compost was not very hot when we tossed things in there. We have tomato plants in one side.
In the other side of the compost, we have melons (I think). We're going to try transplanting when they get a little stronger.
The plants even made it into our new herb bed. We have thyme, basil, cumin, German chamomile, melons and tomatoes. Go figure.
Our asparagus came back and we planted two more beds. The ferns are about 4 feet tall. My only lament is that we won't be able to take it with us when we move in a few years.
*B* had to have his nasturtiums this year. That boy loves his nasturtiums! We also planted some purple ones, but they're tiny still.
We had a small harvest of peas for the day, but it's enough for the two of us to split.
In our front yard, we have a huge bed of strawberries that I neglected to photograph. I had a record harvest this year. I'm estimating about two pounds of strawberries, and they're only about half picked!
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Recently, *B* has moved from winemaking to cider and beer brewing. At the moment, we have a gallon of mead, two gallons of apple cider, and three gallons of red ale fermenting in our basement. It's truly been an interesting experience.
Not to be outdone, I have been doing some fermenting of my own. I discovered water kefir a few months ago and became hooked. Our organic market only has a limited supply, so I broke down and bought the grains online. I soaked them the past few days to rehydrate them, and am now working on our first batch!
On the left are the soaked grains. The demerrara sugar makes the mixture brown. On the right is sugar water.
I added a slice of ginger, some raisins, and a half of a lemon.
It'll stay sealed for two more days, then I can bottle it. Supposedly, it'll become carbonated at that point.
In a future post, I'll show the results from my water kefir as well as *B*'s projects.
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The left side of our sink has been squirting water everywhere. We couldn't understand what was going on, so we put a bucket under the sink and stopped using that side. Today, I got fed up and explored further.
If you look hard, it looks like someone went at it with a saws-all. There's a huge gash in the locknut.
For the immediate time being, I fixed it up nicely with plumber's tape and a layer of duct tape. I'm hoping to brush up my plumbing skills so that I can replace the locknut all by myself soon.
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And that's been my last few weeks. We've had a ton of parties - baby introductions, Memorial Day, and end of school year get-togethers. We have a wedding this weekend, and my best friend's wedding in two weeks. We'll be traveling to Oklahoma the second week of June, so I'm very excited. I've been before, but *B* hasn't. It'll be a new adventure all around.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Moving Day!!
Today we close and move some of our stuff, then tomorrow everything else goes over! Our old bedroom is totally cleaned out.
And this is what resulted:
Tomorrow will be a looooooong day!
And this is what resulted:
Tomorrow will be a looooooong day!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Starting to Get Nervous
We have three days until we're supposed to close. The USDA has not yet sent us approval for our house. The mortgage officer ran it through the pre-approval system and it said we'll be fine. But with three days left and no word yet, I'm starting to get really anxious. I don't know what to do. We're still packing, planning, and getting the utilities and everything switched over. But I am much less chipper and much more freaked out than I was two days ago.
It didn't help that I forgot to take my anxiety medication for the first time in four months this morning. While I was really leery to take meds at first, now I can not imagine living without them. I used to lie in bed thinking I was going to have a heart attack, I was going to have a stroke, or I was dying of cancer. I used to stay up for hours not being able to sleep because I thought I would never wake up. I am so thankful that I'm now mostly under control. Twice tonight I've had heart palpitations when I couldn't remember the last time I had had it previously. I will never forget my meds again.
One of my diversions is watching wholesome reality shows. I don't watch any of the "Real World" or "Survivor" type shows. While watching 18 Kids and Counting, they announced the impending birth of #19. At what point does it become irresponsible to have another child? Obviously, one answer is when you cannot afford that child. But does the onslaught of offspring that will appear as grandchildren factor into parental responsibility? Our earth has a hard enough time supporting who we have already. They're obviously free to do as they wish, but I'm still forming my own opinions on how many children I'd like to have, and I'm fighting people who say more than 2 are wrong.
It didn't help that I forgot to take my anxiety medication for the first time in four months this morning. While I was really leery to take meds at first, now I can not imagine living without them. I used to lie in bed thinking I was going to have a heart attack, I was going to have a stroke, or I was dying of cancer. I used to stay up for hours not being able to sleep because I thought I would never wake up. I am so thankful that I'm now mostly under control. Twice tonight I've had heart palpitations when I couldn't remember the last time I had had it previously. I will never forget my meds again.
One of my diversions is watching wholesome reality shows. I don't watch any of the "Real World" or "Survivor" type shows. While watching 18 Kids and Counting, they announced the impending birth of #19. At what point does it become irresponsible to have another child? Obviously, one answer is when you cannot afford that child. But does the onslaught of offspring that will appear as grandchildren factor into parental responsibility? Our earth has a hard enough time supporting who we have already. They're obviously free to do as they wish, but I'm still forming my own opinions on how many children I'd like to have, and I'm fighting people who say more than 2 are wrong.
Monday, September 14, 2009
House, Hoarders, Ren Fest, and Other Thoughts
We've got 4 days until we move. I've got to call the electric company tomorrow morning to ensure we've got power our first day there. It's awesome to have off of work Friday, which means I only have three days of work left this week. We haven't heard officially that EVERYTHING is signed off, but we're pretty close.
I'm watching the show "Hoarders" right now. It's amazing to me. In one section, the hoarder is getting really upset about the process of getting rid ofher stuff. She has had a number of break downs about random stuff. Someone cleaned the trash off her bathroom floor, and she freaked out. The other section, the hoarder is very good about wanting to get rid of stuff, but her mom is complaining about how slow she's going. She's at least trying, and what she's doing is behavior modification that will prevent her from hoarding again. I feel so bad for them, it must be so hard.
I've got Ren Fest pics! We took *B*'s sister and nephew and my brother with us on Saturday and had a good time. Just to clarify - we know his nephew looks like a girl. The boy's shirt and kilt were a tad too big on him. Below: nephew, *B* and me!, *B*'s sister. Not pictured: my brother who was a party pooper and didn't dress up.
I'm watching the show "Hoarders" right now. It's amazing to me. In one section, the hoarder is getting really upset about the process of getting rid ofher stuff. She has had a number of break downs about random stuff. Someone cleaned the trash off her bathroom floor, and she freaked out. The other section, the hoarder is very good about wanting to get rid of stuff, but her mom is complaining about how slow she's going. She's at least trying, and what she's doing is behavior modification that will prevent her from hoarding again. I feel so bad for them, it must be so hard.
I've got Ren Fest pics! We took *B*'s sister and nephew and my brother with us on Saturday and had a good time. Just to clarify - we know his nephew looks like a girl. The boy's shirt and kilt were a tad too big on him. Below: nephew, *B* and me!, *B*'s sister. Not pictured: my brother who was a party pooper and didn't dress up.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
I'm So Excited!
Nine days until we move! We're preparing for *B*'s sister, brother-in-law, and nephew to come in from Germany tomorrow. The only bad thing - I have to stay at school until around 8 pm for the second round of back-to-school night. And I don't even know if parents will show up! All I can hope for is someone being there so that I don't waste my time by staying.
I'm having a tough time deciding what to do. I dated someone for seven years before I dated *B*. I ran into his cousin, and I heard that his dad wasn't well. So I emailed his mom to send my condolences. I'd really like to talk to him again, but he hasn't made any move to talk to me. It would absolutely be platonic - I have no residual feelings. But it's been almost two years since I've seen him, and I'd like to catch up with him. The question is: do I sever all ties and try to put my old life out of my mind, or do I reconnect to see how he's doing? In the end, I'd like to be friends, but I don't know if that could ever happen. Our mutual friends say he's not well, what with his dad and a bunch of other issues going on. Both options have pros and cons, and I really don't know what to do. This decision has a deadline - his birthday is in less than a week, and I decided that if I try to talk to him again, I would email him happy birthday (which I did last year as well).
I'd really like to learn to pray better. Recently (and before my agnostic stint), my prayer has been either pre-scripted (e.g. faculty prayer meetings, Our Father) or stilted. Usually, I stumble through thanking Him for family, friends, shelter, jobs, and reliable cars. Occasionally, I'll ask Him for something (getting this house!) or thank Him for something I've needed and received (getting a mortgage approval!). While I know there's no absolutely right way to pray, how should it be done? How does one pray effectively? When does it become natural?
I'm having a tough time deciding what to do. I dated someone for seven years before I dated *B*. I ran into his cousin, and I heard that his dad wasn't well. So I emailed his mom to send my condolences. I'd really like to talk to him again, but he hasn't made any move to talk to me. It would absolutely be platonic - I have no residual feelings. But it's been almost two years since I've seen him, and I'd like to catch up with him. The question is: do I sever all ties and try to put my old life out of my mind, or do I reconnect to see how he's doing? In the end, I'd like to be friends, but I don't know if that could ever happen. Our mutual friends say he's not well, what with his dad and a bunch of other issues going on. Both options have pros and cons, and I really don't know what to do. This decision has a deadline - his birthday is in less than a week, and I decided that if I try to talk to him again, I would email him happy birthday (which I did last year as well).
I'd really like to learn to pray better. Recently (and before my agnostic stint), my prayer has been either pre-scripted (e.g. faculty prayer meetings, Our Father) or stilted. Usually, I stumble through thanking Him for family, friends, shelter, jobs, and reliable cars. Occasionally, I'll ask Him for something (getting this house!) or thank Him for something I've needed and received (getting a mortgage approval!). While I know there's no absolutely right way to pray, how should it be done? How does one pray effectively? When does it become natural?
Friday, September 4, 2009
THANK THE LORD!
We got approved for a mortgage! If the USDA signs off, we'll be moved in two weeks from today. I'm so happy, I think my heart will burst. I'm very, very grateful for everything *B*'s parents have done for us, but WE'RE OUTTA HERE!
Tonight, I had a hair appointment with my mom. It's becoming a tradition it seems. *B* went with us, and we had dinner at Olive Garden beforehand. I mentioned that I saw a stove on sale at Sears, and that the appliances at our new home are about 25 years old. Wouldn't you know, we went to look at them, and they had 12 months no interest, no payments. I am tutoring a student this year, and I earn $600 for it. A brand new stove was about $569 on sale, and it is a gorgeous piece of equipment. So we bought it! My mom put it on her Sears card and I will pay her off before it even starts accruing interest. We decided that it was better to buy the stove now, on sale and before the other one breaks, rather than wait until we have no method of cooking and buying something in a bind. This is the model we bought:
It's a ceramic top, with a covered element in the bottom so that food doesn't drip on it. It has a sabbath timer, which means I can put food in the oven when I go to work and it will turn on and off when I want it to! I'm so very excited, can you tell?!
Tonight, I had a hair appointment with my mom. It's becoming a tradition it seems. *B* went with us, and we had dinner at Olive Garden beforehand. I mentioned that I saw a stove on sale at Sears, and that the appliances at our new home are about 25 years old. Wouldn't you know, we went to look at them, and they had 12 months no interest, no payments. I am tutoring a student this year, and I earn $600 for it. A brand new stove was about $569 on sale, and it is a gorgeous piece of equipment. So we bought it! My mom put it on her Sears card and I will pay her off before it even starts accruing interest. We decided that it was better to buy the stove now, on sale and before the other one breaks, rather than wait until we have no method of cooking and buying something in a bind. This is the model we bought:
It's a ceramic top, with a covered element in the bottom so that food doesn't drip on it. It has a sabbath timer, which means I can put food in the oven when I go to work and it will turn on and off when I want it to! I'm so very excited, can you tell?!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Randomness
We had our house inspection today - all was well! All we have to do now is get approved finally and then we can close. I just wish I knew it would all work out. If all goes as planned, we move in 15 days. I'll be praying for it!
I'm afraid that I'm burning myself out on preparedness. While I'm excited about building up my three month supply, I'm losing momentum right at the end of my 72-hour kit building project! I think I feel like I'm kind of crazy for planning this much. It's mostly because I live in an area where we don't have hurricanes, tornadoes, forest fires, earthquakes, or blizzards that last more than a day. In my lifetime, we've never lost power for more than a day, we've never been evacuated, we've never had any real "problems."
Tomorrow, we have a half day to talk about summer reading books, then I get out early - 12:15! And because of Labor Day, I've got off Monday, too. So in effect, I have a 3.5 day weekend. Woo hoo! It is a packed weekend, though, because I've got a haircut tomorrow, renn fest Saturday, and a trip to my mom's new house on Sunday or Monday. Somewhere within all of this I need to rest and relax.
I'm afraid that I'm burning myself out on preparedness. While I'm excited about building up my three month supply, I'm losing momentum right at the end of my 72-hour kit building project! I think I feel like I'm kind of crazy for planning this much. It's mostly because I live in an area where we don't have hurricanes, tornadoes, forest fires, earthquakes, or blizzards that last more than a day. In my lifetime, we've never lost power for more than a day, we've never been evacuated, we've never had any real "problems."
Tomorrow, we have a half day to talk about summer reading books, then I get out early - 12:15! And because of Labor Day, I've got off Monday, too. So in effect, I have a 3.5 day weekend. Woo hoo! It is a packed weekend, though, because I've got a haircut tomorrow, renn fest Saturday, and a trip to my mom's new house on Sunday or Monday. Somewhere within all of this I need to rest and relax.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Such a Long Week
I am SO thankful this week is over! Don't get me wrong, I love my job. It feels great to interact with young people and feel like you're making a difference in their lives. But my voice is almost gone, my feet are killing me, and I'm seriously lacking sleep. Sweet weekends. Over the summer, when I had practically no responsibilities, I missed looking forward to certain days. I missed having something to do. I start my last certification class in two weeks. I've been ignoring the fact that I will be losing my Saturdays here shortly. But I owe it to my students to learn as much as I can in order to better teach them.
I've quit whining about housing for a little while for two reasons. Number one - whining doesn't make it better. Number two - it's no longer a short sale! With a little luck (and some help from the big guy upstairs), we'll close by September 18th. That's only three weeks! I'm thrilled. I just hope we don't get hung up at all.
I've quit whining about housing for a little while for two reasons. Number one - whining doesn't make it better. Number two - it's no longer a short sale! With a little luck (and some help from the big guy upstairs), we'll close by September 18th. That's only three weeks! I'm thrilled. I just hope we don't get hung up at all.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
So Excited!
School has been great for the last two days!! All of my kids from last year are so chipper and happy to see me. It feels really good. I've been planning my lessons well in advance, and I've had very few problems. Though tomorrow is only day three, I think it will be a very good year. I've learned almost all of my students' names already (~100) and they have all behaved very well. I don't expect too much trouble out of Catholic school kids (lest they be kicked out), but they can be pretty talkative at times.
We stocked up a little more today. I've been concerned, what with the H1N1 virus and my exposure to 1300 people in one building every day, about procuring some N95 masks. As it turns out, when *B* went exploring with a friend at a local abandoned sanitarium, his friend brought those masks to protect from asbestos. So we found out that they have the masks in the paint/tape section of Wal-mart for much less than I've seen online. We got four masks with respirator valves, and a 10 pack of masks without the valve. The only difference is that the valved masks don't get as hot as the others. This is what the masks without the valve look like:
My school gave me a regular surgical mask as part of a blood pathogen kit that I keep in my desk at work, so I threw one mask (sealed) in my car kit, and the rest in our 72-hour kits. While in the paint aisle, we picked up duct tape and plastic sheeting. The sheeting is for ground cover under sleeping bags, not for sealing off the windows. I'm not that crazy! *B* gave me the gift of an over-sized towel that can double as a blanket for my car. We're well on the way to being prepared!
As for the house, no news yet. I'm pushing for a fast closing, but it's all up to the bank on the seller's end. Here's hoping it all works out.
Renn fest starts this weekend! As always, I will be dressed to the nines. Could I actually post a picture of us dressed up? We'll see :o)
We stocked up a little more today. I've been concerned, what with the H1N1 virus and my exposure to 1300 people in one building every day, about procuring some N95 masks. As it turns out, when *B* went exploring with a friend at a local abandoned sanitarium, his friend brought those masks to protect from asbestos. So we found out that they have the masks in the paint/tape section of Wal-mart for much less than I've seen online. We got four masks with respirator valves, and a 10 pack of masks without the valve. The only difference is that the valved masks don't get as hot as the others. This is what the masks without the valve look like:
My school gave me a regular surgical mask as part of a blood pathogen kit that I keep in my desk at work, so I threw one mask (sealed) in my car kit, and the rest in our 72-hour kits. While in the paint aisle, we picked up duct tape and plastic sheeting. The sheeting is for ground cover under sleeping bags, not for sealing off the windows. I'm not that crazy! *B* gave me the gift of an over-sized towel that can double as a blanket for my car. We're well on the way to being prepared!As for the house, no news yet. I'm pushing for a fast closing, but it's all up to the bank on the seller's end. Here's hoping it all works out.
Renn fest starts this weekend! As always, I will be dressed to the nines. Could I actually post a picture of us dressed up? We'll see :o)
Thursday, August 20, 2009
A Pit of Despair
I have fallen into a deep pit of despair and self-pity. Our house has gone into short sale, and it's looking like we won't settle until October/November. That means we'll probably be spending *B*'s birthday and our anniversary still living with his parents. Talk about uninspired and unromantic. I can't get excited for the renaissance festival because we'll still be here then. I think about how much I took my apartment for granted, and now I'm wishing I wasn't so hasty to get out. I want to hurry up and get on with my life rather than being stuck in this rut all the time. I need to get OUT!!!
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Good news, bad news
Good news - We got the appraisal for the new house. Bad news - it's five thousand less than our contract price, and the seller can't afford to drop the price. We're not sure what we're going to do. Right now, we're just holding tight.
I've been gripey lately because the administration has filled this week before school to the brim with mandatory activities, and I have very little time to actually get anything done. That means I've been doing a great majority of my planning at home.
On a side note, as I was typing my title, I slipped up and wrote "God news." It's funny how little accidents can remind one of priorities in life. In this time of stress (starting school again, issues with administration, perpetual house problems), I should be focusing on God rather than focusing on all the little things that quickly add up.
I've been gathering more supplies for my 72-hour-kit. I got a leatherman tool and some more toiletries. I've decided I'm asking for quite a bit of supplies for Christmas, such as a hand crank/solar powered emergency radio and flashlight. I need to re-evaluate what I have and what I need to prepare.
I've been gripey lately because the administration has filled this week before school to the brim with mandatory activities, and I have very little time to actually get anything done. That means I've been doing a great majority of my planning at home.
On a side note, as I was typing my title, I slipped up and wrote "God news." It's funny how little accidents can remind one of priorities in life. In this time of stress (starting school again, issues with administration, perpetual house problems), I should be focusing on God rather than focusing on all the little things that quickly add up.
I've been gathering more supplies for my 72-hour-kit. I got a leatherman tool and some more toiletries. I've decided I'm asking for quite a bit of supplies for Christmas, such as a hand crank/solar powered emergency radio and flashlight. I need to re-evaluate what I have and what I need to prepare.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
I Might As Well Blog
I'm up. It's 1:00 am. And I'm freaking out about school next week. So I figure: I might as well blog.
My mom had this crazy idea a few months ago. As my grandmother is temporarily in between jobs, and we all had some vacation time to use, we decided on a surprise visit. We flew from the East Coast to Phoenix, AZ, where my uncle picked us up and took us to see her in the high country. The visit resulted in something like this:
My grandmother was shocked beyond belief. We stayed for a week and just got home, oh, about an hour and twenty minutes ago. The trip was (mostly) beautiful and a good time was had by all. We got to see "the Rim" which goes across the state of Arizona:
We went to gorgeous Hawley Lake, which is on a reservation:
Notice that there are cattle drinking the water! And because we were in Arizona, the obligatory cactus picture:
While I had a good time, I've learned a few things.
We got the contract for the house, and the settlement is set for September 18th. This is almost a month away. While I'm trying to be enthusiastic, I am just drained over the first-time-homebuyer thing. I am hopeful that all will go well and we will be able to settle with no problems.
My mom had this crazy idea a few months ago. As my grandmother is temporarily in between jobs, and we all had some vacation time to use, we decided on a surprise visit. We flew from the East Coast to Phoenix, AZ, where my uncle picked us up and took us to see her in the high country. The visit resulted in something like this:
My grandmother was shocked beyond belief. We stayed for a week and just got home, oh, about an hour and twenty minutes ago. The trip was (mostly) beautiful and a good time was had by all. We got to see "the Rim" which goes across the state of Arizona:
We went to gorgeous Hawley Lake, which is on a reservation:
Notice that there are cattle drinking the water! And because we were in Arizona, the obligatory cactus picture:
While I had a good time, I've learned a few things.
- My sinuses are accustomed to humidity and do not take kindly to dry air.
- I get out of breath when higher than 5000 ft above sea level.
- I missed my blogging and my cat!
- Get seating charts made.
- Make full lesson plans through the first week (three Blue days).
- Decide how to handle attendance and parental issues.
- Decide how to "train" my kids.
- Set up project descriptions for the projects I will assign.
- Focus more on Algebra II, as I always come up with good Physics activities.
We got the contract for the house, and the settlement is set for September 18th. This is almost a month away. While I'm trying to be enthusiastic, I am just drained over the first-time-homebuyer thing. I am hopeful that all will go well and we will be able to settle with no problems.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
A Glimmer of Hope?
So we went to look at townhouses today. Shock of all shock - we found one we really like IN OUR PRICE RANGE! It's downtown, walking distance from places we like to go. It has a lovely, sloping yard in the back. I'm not going to say much more until we put in an offer. It is, however, within the USDA's district! Woo hoo!
I have been tracking my food without limiting too much what I choose to eat. Because of that, it appears that I'm limiting my food intake. I feel good that I haven't been gorging too much. Now the problem is getting more exercise. We'll see how it goes...
Michelle and I will be having a "girl's day" tomorrow, and I'm taking them out for dinner tomorrow night in honor of her recent birthday. We're getting our nails done, which I'm really excited about. *B*'s mom dropped a pamphlet from a local place that is REALLY cheap. She said it was really nice. We've been missing each other's texts, so there aren't any definite plans, but all will fall into place eventually.
I feel so loved! I never knew I had comments on some of my posts! THANK YOU!!!! I feel so encouraged by everyone. The comments also got me to read some of my posts, which motivate me to pick up things I've been slacking on. Momzoo also reignited my quest to find the article on five year journaling - I FOUND IT!!! It was from simpleliving.net, and it's called Creating a Five Year Vision. WOO HOO!!!
Things I'm Going to Do Tonight and Tomorrow (in no particular order):
I have been tracking my food without limiting too much what I choose to eat. Because of that, it appears that I'm limiting my food intake. I feel good that I haven't been gorging too much. Now the problem is getting more exercise. We'll see how it goes...
Michelle and I will be having a "girl's day" tomorrow, and I'm taking them out for dinner tomorrow night in honor of her recent birthday. We're getting our nails done, which I'm really excited about. *B*'s mom dropped a pamphlet from a local place that is REALLY cheap. She said it was really nice. We've been missing each other's texts, so there aren't any definite plans, but all will fall into place eventually.
I feel so loved! I never knew I had comments on some of my posts! THANK YOU!!!! I feel so encouraged by everyone. The comments also got me to read some of my posts, which motivate me to pick up things I've been slacking on. Momzoo also reignited my quest to find the article on five year journaling - I FOUND IT!!! It was from simpleliving.net, and it's called Creating a Five Year Vision. WOO HOO!!!
Things I'm Going to Do Tonight and Tomorrow (in no particular order):
- Have one heck of a prayer session with the big guy
- Working on the five year stuff
- Put laundry away
- Vacuum bedroom and living room
- Send info to the new mortgage guy
- Get nails done
- Go out for dinner
- Being off of work
- Having a place to crash
- Having a generous family
- Having a great boyfriend
- Having a reliable car
- Life working out in one way or another
- Finding faith that we'll have our own place one day (hopefully soon!)
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
So It Goes
I've been up and down all day today. This morning *B* and I went to a financial planner, my insurance agent. He pretty much told me we're a little bit screwed when it comes to finding a house. We're going to keep our eyes open, but I don't have to kill myself looking. Again, my dad offered for us to move into his house when he moves down south. I haven't said yes, but I haven't said no either. It really upsets me to think that we could be with his parents for our birthdays, anniversary, Thanksgiving, and worst of all, Christmas.
Last night, I dreamed that I started school already. I had plans ready, but none of the materials for the lessons. We had to go to some kind of gathering (fire drill or assembly), and I wet myself and hoped no one else noticed. I wonder what that means.
One of my favorite shows right now is "You Are What You Eat" on BBC America. I just watched tonight and realized that the majority of the food I ate today was really bad for me and that I need to take better care of myself. So right now I'm chilling out, watching "18 Kids and Counting," planning for living a much less stressful life. All told though, I only ate 2160 calories today, and had 15.9 grams of fiber. For feeling like a pig, I did pretty well!
Last night, I dreamed that I started school already. I had plans ready, but none of the materials for the lessons. We had to go to some kind of gathering (fire drill or assembly), and I wet myself and hoped no one else noticed. I wonder what that means.
One of my favorite shows right now is "You Are What You Eat" on BBC America. I just watched tonight and realized that the majority of the food I ate today was really bad for me and that I need to take better care of myself. So right now I'm chilling out, watching "18 Kids and Counting," planning for living a much less stressful life. All told though, I only ate 2160 calories today, and had 15.9 grams of fiber. For feeling like a pig, I did pretty well!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Oh So Frustrating
We saw a house today. It was built in 1898, and it's got some gorgeous features (granite counter tops, nice range, etc). But in general, there are a lot of problems. It's killing me to know that we're going to be with *B*'s parents for a lot longer. I'm just so not an extrovert, and I feel I'm always "on." I really wish we could just get a place.
*B* and I decided to eat more healthful foods. Tonight, for dinner, I made baked salmon with lemon juice, squash, and green beans. It was SOOOO good if I do say so myself. To get the salmon, we went to a fresh fish market. It was much smaller than I expected. But we got a fillet of organic salmon. I didn't realize it wasn't deboned! I had to use tongs to pull out every little bone in that 2 lb fillet. It was a lot of work, but totally worth it. This morning, I finished making applesauce, and I made a fruit salad with all the random fruits we had in the fridge.
*B* and I decided to eat more healthful foods. Tonight, for dinner, I made baked salmon with lemon juice, squash, and green beans. It was SOOOO good if I do say so myself. To get the salmon, we went to a fresh fish market. It was much smaller than I expected. But we got a fillet of organic salmon. I didn't realize it wasn't deboned! I had to use tongs to pull out every little bone in that 2 lb fillet. It was a lot of work, but totally worth it. This morning, I finished making applesauce, and I made a fruit salad with all the random fruits we had in the fridge.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Oh Wow!
I just watched Alton Brown frost a cake on a record player. How brilliant is that?! I absolutely love that idea. Never mind the fact that it could destroy the record player.
Before that, though, I watched 16 and Pregnant. I have a hard time with that show. Though it is more true than other portrayals of teenage pregnancy, I still think that it somewhat glamorizes that lifestyle. I am thankful, however, that none of the girls shown chose abortion. While I wouldn't go so far to prevent someone from that option, I don't believe in it myself.
It may seem as if I have no life what with all the TV I'm watching. But I've actually gotten a fair amount of planning done for next school year. I've come up with some nifty plans, and organized my lessons far more than I ever have before. I'm actually excited about going back to school to some extent.
We went to see two more houses today. One of them is the most precious house I've ever seen:
If it weren't a one bedroom house with the tiniest kitchen I've ever seen, I would TOTALLY buy it. I'm in love with the area in which it's located. I would gladly drive 45 minutes to work to live in that town. Besides that, we really need to get a new loan officer. We don't even know what our price range is anymore. I'm still pretty leery about getting a house until *B* has a steady job, but what can you do.
I've not been very good about keeping up my prayers. Since losing the house, and coming from school during David Jeremiah's broadcast, it's fallen by the wayside.
Before that, though, I watched 16 and Pregnant. I have a hard time with that show. Though it is more true than other portrayals of teenage pregnancy, I still think that it somewhat glamorizes that lifestyle. I am thankful, however, that none of the girls shown chose abortion. While I wouldn't go so far to prevent someone from that option, I don't believe in it myself.
It may seem as if I have no life what with all the TV I'm watching. But I've actually gotten a fair amount of planning done for next school year. I've come up with some nifty plans, and organized my lessons far more than I ever have before. I'm actually excited about going back to school to some extent.
We went to see two more houses today. One of them is the most precious house I've ever seen:
If it weren't a one bedroom house with the tiniest kitchen I've ever seen, I would TOTALLY buy it. I'm in love with the area in which it's located. I would gladly drive 45 minutes to work to live in that town. Besides that, we really need to get a new loan officer. We don't even know what our price range is anymore. I'm still pretty leery about getting a house until *B* has a steady job, but what can you do.I've not been very good about keeping up my prayers. Since losing the house, and coming from school during David Jeremiah's broadcast, it's fallen by the wayside.
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