It could be the fact that Addy woke up from a bad dream, screaming, just before the alarm went off or it could be that I'm just feeling emo but today (so far) has been one of those days where everything is just wrong.
The worst of it is that I'm supposed to be happy and celebrating because we came to an agreement on the house! The lady finally countered yesterday and it was pretty much where we wanted to be so we took it! Inspection is taking place tomorrow and then we just wait for the closing.
I visited my mom yesterday and that always puts me in a funk. I always expect (hope) that she'll be better, that she'll magically have an appetite and strength and it's just not like that. Even though the chemo was over a week ago, she's still having issues with nausea and fatigue.
Then on the way home I had to call my brothers and scold them for not visiting. I realize we're all scared and it's hard to see her like that but I think we need to focus on her right now and she wants to see us. And it's not only her, it's my dad too. He's working from home indefinitely which means that he's not getting out much either.
I don't know how to end this so I just will.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
A House is not a Home
Welp Readers (all 2 of you), our offer was NOT accepted yesterday. I actually was pretty sure they'd counter because we completely low balled the offer. With their counter and then our counter to their counter, there is still a 9K gap between us. That's how much we don't agree.
Now, I feel kind of bad about the low offer but you should understand that we have a plan. See, the house needs new windows and a new furnace and while these things will probably last for another 1-5 years or whatever, I want to replace them before we even move in. I don't want to take care of it later. I don't want to find out on Nov. 15th when we turn on our furnace for the first time that it doesn't work. I want to deal with all of it up front.
So our plan was that we'd go in low and then after the inspection said that we need a new furnace and new windows, as long as there was nothing crazy, we would NOT ask for a reduction. Because we got the house at a lower price, we'd just take care of everything ourselves.
Now, C & I & our realtor all get the plan but I don't know if she does. Maybe she's scared that we'll ask for even more money after the inspection. Or maybe she owes on her home still and wants to be able to pay it off. Or maybe she just set a goal in her mind and doesn't want to let go of it.
But those things I talked about before plus the comparable sales in the area make me feel that the house isn't worth what she wants for it. We'll probably get another counter tonight and then we'll have to figure out what we want to do. C & I have a top number and if it comes to it, we'll walk away. It would be a shame but we will.
Thank God for our realtor though. She's been great at guiding us through our negotiations and assuring us that what we're feeling is perfectly acceptable. She's been a saving grace for sure.
Now, I feel kind of bad about the low offer but you should understand that we have a plan. See, the house needs new windows and a new furnace and while these things will probably last for another 1-5 years or whatever, I want to replace them before we even move in. I don't want to take care of it later. I don't want to find out on Nov. 15th when we turn on our furnace for the first time that it doesn't work. I want to deal with all of it up front.
So our plan was that we'd go in low and then after the inspection said that we need a new furnace and new windows, as long as there was nothing crazy, we would NOT ask for a reduction. Because we got the house at a lower price, we'd just take care of everything ourselves.
Now, C & I & our realtor all get the plan but I don't know if she does. Maybe she's scared that we'll ask for even more money after the inspection. Or maybe she owes on her home still and wants to be able to pay it off. Or maybe she just set a goal in her mind and doesn't want to let go of it.
But those things I talked about before plus the comparable sales in the area make me feel that the house isn't worth what she wants for it. We'll probably get another counter tonight and then we'll have to figure out what we want to do. C & I have a top number and if it comes to it, we'll walk away. It would be a shame but we will.
Thank God for our realtor though. She's been great at guiding us through our negotiations and assuring us that what we're feeling is perfectly acceptable. She's been a saving grace for sure.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Notes
Dear Face,
WTF?! I haven't had so many pimples since I was 13. I know I'm stressed but seriously.
Get it together.
Love, Me
Dear Cancer,
You suck. You are killing my mom and I have no way to fight back. That's just low.
Go away forever.
Love, Me
Dear Home Owner,
Please, please accept our bid. I promise to be nice to your house. Plus, weren't we just the cutest little family yesterday when you accidentally saw us leaving?
Waiting, Me
Dear Corey,
Thank you. You know why.
Love, Me
WTF?! I haven't had so many pimples since I was 13. I know I'm stressed but seriously.
Get it together.
Love, Me
Dear Cancer,
You suck. You are killing my mom and I have no way to fight back. That's just low.
Go away forever.
Love, Me
Dear Home Owner,
Please, please accept our bid. I promise to be nice to your house. Plus, weren't we just the cutest little family yesterday when you accidentally saw us leaving?
Waiting, Me
Dear Corey,
Thank you. You know why.
Love, Me
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Short & Sweet
This will be very quick.
We saw 6 more houses on Tuesday night and one is on our Maybe List. It's the first house we've looked at where we decided we could probably live in it. I will say, Tuesday went much better than the first time. This time we saw houses that we thought were very nice and maybe could have worked except for one little thing. I guess we're getting better at choosing houses to live in.
C is going to look at a bedroom set for Addy tomorrow. I found it on Craig's List and decided it looked pretty good. Hopefully as good in person... So Addy might have her Big Girl Bed by this weekend!
I want to talk about my mom but I don't want to talk about my mom. I hate seeing her weak and bald. I absolutely hate it. C told me it would be better when her hair grew back and I told him that I don't think she'll be around long enough for that to happen. And then I cried some. The chemo she's currently on is horrible. She told me last night that she basically hasn't eaten (or kept anything down) for 5 days. She is on the verge of just giving up because it's not worth it. I can't say I blame her.
I feel horrible about that.
I'm trying to make an effort to go over and visit or clean or sort things for her. Whatever will make her happy. I plan to go next week after work one day. I'm hoping it will help me deal a little better.
No wedding pictures, not sure what happened.
That's it.
We saw 6 more houses on Tuesday night and one is on our Maybe List. It's the first house we've looked at where we decided we could probably live in it. I will say, Tuesday went much better than the first time. This time we saw houses that we thought were very nice and maybe could have worked except for one little thing. I guess we're getting better at choosing houses to live in.
C is going to look at a bedroom set for Addy tomorrow. I found it on Craig's List and decided it looked pretty good. Hopefully as good in person... So Addy might have her Big Girl Bed by this weekend!
I want to talk about my mom but I don't want to talk about my mom. I hate seeing her weak and bald. I absolutely hate it. C told me it would be better when her hair grew back and I told him that I don't think she'll be around long enough for that to happen. And then I cried some. The chemo she's currently on is horrible. She told me last night that she basically hasn't eaten (or kept anything down) for 5 days. She is on the verge of just giving up because it's not worth it. I can't say I blame her.
I feel horrible about that.
I'm trying to make an effort to go over and visit or clean or sort things for her. Whatever will make her happy. I plan to go next week after work one day. I'm hoping it will help me deal a little better.
No wedding pictures, not sure what happened.
That's it.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Big Girl Bed
We are extremely lucky that in the 27-months that Addy has been alive, she's never once tried to climb out of her crib, resulting in a blow to her head or any other type of injury. For some reason, once she's in her crib she has no interest in trying to get out.
That's not to say that she won't cry and scream and call repeatedly for Mama! to come and save her, but she won't attempt to escape. Which is nice.
However, I'm sure there is a weight limit on the crib, not to mention her pack-n-play. I'm pretty sure the trip for the wedding was the last time she should be allowed to sleep in the pack-n-play for safety reasons. While we have no trips planned for the very near future, we should really work on getting her to sleep in a bed so that when we do, she's accustomed to it.
Plus, 27-months is really time to move into a big girl bed. We probably should have done it months ago but just never did. We've looked at beds in the past, but as usual have a hard time agreeing on what type of bed is right for her.
C wants it as low to the ground as possible to avoid her falling out of bed. Me, on the other hand, I would love to get her a bed that has either drawers in the frame for storage or a trundle which will come in handy for guests or sleep overs. But as long as we find a bed that works, we're not too caught up on any one detail.
We thought we found one but have you seen how expensive stupid beds can be? The frame we liked was $250 which didn't include a mattress or anything. Just the frame. The lowest we've seen is about $170 with nothing included. Craig's List isn't actually very helpful either.
And not to mention that in addition to a bed, she'll need at least a dresser if not a desk or bookshelf or night stand. Jeez.
Regardless, either before or after we move, Addy's getting a Big Girl Bed!
PS. Photographer said photos should be available online today! I hope I can view them at work! I'm SO excited!
That's not to say that she won't cry and scream and call repeatedly for Mama! to come and save her, but she won't attempt to escape. Which is nice.
However, I'm sure there is a weight limit on the crib, not to mention her pack-n-play. I'm pretty sure the trip for the wedding was the last time she should be allowed to sleep in the pack-n-play for safety reasons. While we have no trips planned for the very near future, we should really work on getting her to sleep in a bed so that when we do, she's accustomed to it.
Plus, 27-months is really time to move into a big girl bed. We probably should have done it months ago but just never did. We've looked at beds in the past, but as usual have a hard time agreeing on what type of bed is right for her.
C wants it as low to the ground as possible to avoid her falling out of bed. Me, on the other hand, I would love to get her a bed that has either drawers in the frame for storage or a trundle which will come in handy for guests or sleep overs. But as long as we find a bed that works, we're not too caught up on any one detail.
We thought we found one but have you seen how expensive stupid beds can be? The frame we liked was $250 which didn't include a mattress or anything. Just the frame. The lowest we've seen is about $170 with nothing included. Craig's List isn't actually very helpful either.
And not to mention that in addition to a bed, she'll need at least a dresser if not a desk or bookshelf or night stand. Jeez.
Regardless, either before or after we move, Addy's getting a Big Girl Bed!
PS. Photographer said photos should be available online today! I hope I can view them at work! I'm SO excited!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Home Search FAIL
For those who also are my FB friends, you probably saw my status that said something about seeing 4 homes and no winners. But what I didn't mention was the utter awkward-ness of it all.
For starters, we hadn't met our realtor yet in person. We'd never sat down with her to tell her what we wanted in a house. C set the whole thing up (based on a rec. from my SIL) over the phone and through e-mail and we agreed to meet her at the first house.
The first house was my choice. It's pretty close to our current home and it was large. Like, 5 bedrooms and 3000+ square feet. The price was right and the location was pretty good for us as well. I was excited to see it, C was ok with it.
When we got there, there was a sign on the door that said "No showings today 6/18" but the old man in the garage told us to go in. The little boy inside told us that no one was supposed to be in the house because they decided they weren't ready but never bothered to call us. I was ready to leave but our realtor told the boy that his grandpa said it was ok so he sat down and let us walk around.
The house was large and the layout was nice but it was obvious that these people hadn't been caring for it. The inside needed a serious face lift. And C didn't like the fact that there was no backyard, only side yards. We were there for a max of 20 minutes and left.
The next house was nice (and def. better cared for) but with 2 bedrooms upstairs & 2 on the main floor it doesn't work for the family we plan to have. I can't have Addy downstairs from us.
The third house, OMG the third house. I had no idea what we were getting into and our realtor would have warned us but since we never told her what we wanted she didn't know. (Take notes if you are entering the home buying market!) The third house was FSBO (for sale by owner) and these owners took it upon themselves to give guided tours of the whole house. AWKWARD! He followed us all over the house, telling us what rooms were what (thanks for pointing out that kitchen, never would have guessed!) and all about when it was built/added/installed.
A few notes about this house: smelled like smoke from the moment we walked in. Carpet in EVERY. SINGLE. ROOM - kitchen, both bathrooms, AND on the wall of the wet bar in the basement! Everything was crazy old. Mirrored walls, wall paper in every room, etc.
The backyard was nice.
Needless to say, we politely viewed the house and got the heck out of there.
Fourth house was nice, but again the set up was just wrong for us and it needed a little work that I'm not willing to put into a house.
More viewings tomorrow but we are definitely off to a weird start!
Home Sellers - Don't be home when it's showing time!
For starters, we hadn't met our realtor yet in person. We'd never sat down with her to tell her what we wanted in a house. C set the whole thing up (based on a rec. from my SIL) over the phone and through e-mail and we agreed to meet her at the first house.
The first house was my choice. It's pretty close to our current home and it was large. Like, 5 bedrooms and 3000+ square feet. The price was right and the location was pretty good for us as well. I was excited to see it, C was ok with it.
When we got there, there was a sign on the door that said "No showings today 6/18" but the old man in the garage told us to go in. The little boy inside told us that no one was supposed to be in the house because they decided they weren't ready but never bothered to call us. I was ready to leave but our realtor told the boy that his grandpa said it was ok so he sat down and let us walk around.
The house was large and the layout was nice but it was obvious that these people hadn't been caring for it. The inside needed a serious face lift. And C didn't like the fact that there was no backyard, only side yards. We were there for a max of 20 minutes and left.
The next house was nice (and def. better cared for) but with 2 bedrooms upstairs & 2 on the main floor it doesn't work for the family we plan to have. I can't have Addy downstairs from us.
The third house, OMG the third house. I had no idea what we were getting into and our realtor would have warned us but since we never told her what we wanted she didn't know. (Take notes if you are entering the home buying market!) The third house was FSBO (for sale by owner) and these owners took it upon themselves to give guided tours of the whole house. AWKWARD! He followed us all over the house, telling us what rooms were what (thanks for pointing out that kitchen, never would have guessed!) and all about when it was built/added/installed.
A few notes about this house: smelled like smoke from the moment we walked in. Carpet in EVERY. SINGLE. ROOM - kitchen, both bathrooms, AND on the wall of the wet bar in the basement! Everything was crazy old. Mirrored walls, wall paper in every room, etc.
The backyard was nice.
Needless to say, we politely viewed the house and got the heck out of there.
Fourth house was nice, but again the set up was just wrong for us and it needed a little work that I'm not willing to put into a house.
More viewings tomorrow but we are definitely off to a weird start!
Home Sellers - Don't be home when it's showing time!
Friday, June 17, 2011
And So It Begins
C & I never fight. I'm not bragging, I'm just being honest. We occasionally "have discussions" and there are times we get mad at each other but we have never engaged in any screaming matches, no one has ever slept on the couch, etc. C & I are always careful to quickly talk about things so it never escalates.
That's not to say it will always be like that but it's nice to think it could be.
You can probably imagine that with my mom's condition, I'm a little more on edge lately. It definitely affects other parts of my life. I always try to leave that to the side when I'm at home with my family. I try not to be short with Addy and to remember that she's 2, and getting into messes and testing boundaries are what 2-year-olds do.
Now that we've added in the stress of finding a house, it's getting harder to keep myself in check. There are times when I just want to scrap the whole plan and just BE for a while, you know? Moving across the country, planning a wedding, buying a house, having another child - that's been our life/plan for the last 2 years and sometimes it's exhausting.
C & I have been having some "differences of opinion" about house hunting and we haven't even seen a single dang house yet! We sat down the other night to write out what we want in a house and addressed all the aspects of the house like how many bedrooms and bathrooms, square footage, etc. But we haven't yet figured out WHERE this dang house is going to be.
C seems to be pretty focused on one or two cities while I'm looking along a major highway which encompasses 6 cities. At this point, both of us are feeling like the other is ignoring what we want even though his 2 cities are in my 6 cities. I feel like he won't branch out and he feels like I'm deliberately ignoring his choices.
He said yesterday that in the end, he knows we have to get what's best for our family but he doesn't want to "lose" and that worries me. We can't look at buying a house as winning or losing, that's not the way it works. We both win when we finally find the house that not only works for us right now, but accommodates our family (what we think our family will be) 10 years from now.
But he's thinking parks and running paths and I'm thinking school districts and commutes. He's thinking about being able to walk to things and I'm thinking that I don't care if we drive as long as we love the house. He's thinking about gardening and I'm thinking about master suites.
We decided last night that we'd come up with everything we both want on a list and rank those things according to true importance and then rate each house. Hopefully that will make it less subjective and more objective.
That's not to say it will always be like that but it's nice to think it could be.
You can probably imagine that with my mom's condition, I'm a little more on edge lately. It definitely affects other parts of my life. I always try to leave that to the side when I'm at home with my family. I try not to be short with Addy and to remember that she's 2, and getting into messes and testing boundaries are what 2-year-olds do.
Now that we've added in the stress of finding a house, it's getting harder to keep myself in check. There are times when I just want to scrap the whole plan and just BE for a while, you know? Moving across the country, planning a wedding, buying a house, having another child - that's been our life/plan for the last 2 years and sometimes it's exhausting.
C & I have been having some "differences of opinion" about house hunting and we haven't even seen a single dang house yet! We sat down the other night to write out what we want in a house and addressed all the aspects of the house like how many bedrooms and bathrooms, square footage, etc. But we haven't yet figured out WHERE this dang house is going to be.
C seems to be pretty focused on one or two cities while I'm looking along a major highway which encompasses 6 cities. At this point, both of us are feeling like the other is ignoring what we want even though his 2 cities are in my 6 cities. I feel like he won't branch out and he feels like I'm deliberately ignoring his choices.
He said yesterday that in the end, he knows we have to get what's best for our family but he doesn't want to "lose" and that worries me. We can't look at buying a house as winning or losing, that's not the way it works. We both win when we finally find the house that not only works for us right now, but accommodates our family (what we think our family will be) 10 years from now.
But he's thinking parks and running paths and I'm thinking school districts and commutes. He's thinking about being able to walk to things and I'm thinking that I don't care if we drive as long as we love the house. He's thinking about gardening and I'm thinking about master suites.
We decided last night that we'd come up with everything we both want on a list and rank those things according to true importance and then rate each house. Hopefully that will make it less subjective and more objective.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Funny
Funny weird, not funny haha. I work with the Boss' Daughter (BD) and have for about 8 months now. It's been... interesting to say the least.
It must be weird to know that your mom is the one running the show, is your boss. It must be weird to have personal relationships with much of the senior staff here and come in to a professional one. I mean, she's know most of the senior staff here for most of her life.
It's hard on our side too since we can never tell if it's favoritism or earned, the things that she gets or does. For instance, she started (fresh out of college with ZERO experience) with the word "Manager" in her title. For reference, I've been an engineer for about 10 years and have yet to have achieved a Managerial role. But the Mom said it was to beef up her resume. Must be nice.
It's not to say that she doesn't work hard. She is involved in a lot of the operations here and seems to have a large sense of curiosity and wants to know what everyone's working on all the time. It's good and bad. You never know if she's being a spy or genuinely curious.
And let's just say that a lot of her wardrobe choices don't really scream "Business casual" to me. Shorts, see through tops with black bras, logo t-shirts under cardigans, etc.
Anyway, you can imagine what working with BD must be like. She was awarded Employee of the Month last month. After 8 months. And everytime I saw the slide on the scrolling powerpoint in the lunchroom, I got a little irritated. I can't put it into words, it just feels weird and annoyed me. And I watched her name up there for a month. Each time feeling annoyed and feeling like perhaps a family owned private company might not be the place for me.
The powerpoint updated yesterday and guess who is the new employee of the month? That's right, me. Now I get to watch my name up there for a whole month and get a little thrill that I've been recognized. It's funny that something I hated seeing is now something I'll look forward to.
It must be weird to know that your mom is the one running the show, is your boss. It must be weird to have personal relationships with much of the senior staff here and come in to a professional one. I mean, she's know most of the senior staff here for most of her life.
It's hard on our side too since we can never tell if it's favoritism or earned, the things that she gets or does. For instance, she started (fresh out of college with ZERO experience) with the word "Manager" in her title. For reference, I've been an engineer for about 10 years and have yet to have achieved a Managerial role. But the Mom said it was to beef up her resume. Must be nice.
It's not to say that she doesn't work hard. She is involved in a lot of the operations here and seems to have a large sense of curiosity and wants to know what everyone's working on all the time. It's good and bad. You never know if she's being a spy or genuinely curious.
And let's just say that a lot of her wardrobe choices don't really scream "Business casual" to me. Shorts, see through tops with black bras, logo t-shirts under cardigans, etc.
Anyway, you can imagine what working with BD must be like. She was awarded Employee of the Month last month. After 8 months. And everytime I saw the slide on the scrolling powerpoint in the lunchroom, I got a little irritated. I can't put it into words, it just feels weird and annoyed me. And I watched her name up there for a month. Each time feeling annoyed and feeling like perhaps a family owned private company might not be the place for me.
The powerpoint updated yesterday and guess who is the new employee of the month? That's right, me. Now I get to watch my name up there for a whole month and get a little thrill that I've been recognized. It's funny that something I hated seeing is now something I'll look forward to.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
The Dress - Now What?
Even before the wedding I pondered what I might do with my dress after it was all said and done. The way I see it, you've basically got 3 options.
The first option is to keep it. It can hang in a closet forever, until it's time for Addy (or another child) to get married and they can see if they like it and if they want to use it. If they don't, it sits around and gets yellow with age (unless it preserved). I absolutely LOVE my dress and want to keep it around but I feel like it deserves more than just going in a box to maybe get used in 23 or so years. Plus, I feel that my children should have the opportunity to go try on dresses themselves and get that thrill when they find the right one.
The second option is to sell it. Based on the condition of my dress and the price I paid for it, I think I could only get about $500 for it. I might be able to get just a little more if I'm willing to pay to have it cleaned and boxed for the next seller. I might also be able to get a little more if I pay a seamstress to repair all the damage that was done due to people continuously stepping on my hem and ripping my bustle. I could also throw in the veil and maybe the jewelry to sell someone a completed look.
But I'm not sure I'm ready to part with my dress.
The third option is really kind of 2 options. I could save the dress and then have it torn apart to create either baptismal outfits for my children or veils for my daughters at their weddings. My dress has a lot of lace so this is a serious option.
OR, I could schedule a photographer to do a Trash the Dress shoot, making the dress unwearable for anyone, ever. I do like the symbolism of it, that the wedding is over, I've found my partner and I will never need a wedding dress again but I hesitate to actually trash my dress. The pictures I've seen are amazing but I searched long and hard to find my perfect dress and I'm not sure I'm ready for that.
I think that perhaps before I can make this decision, I might need to wait a while. My emotional attachment to the dress is still high; the wedding is still fresh. Even though I logically know that I'll never need or use the dress again, it's hard to think of letting it go.
I suppose I could always just arrange a Wedding Dress Bar Crawl where we can all wear our dresses again. That could be fun!
The first option is to keep it. It can hang in a closet forever, until it's time for Addy (or another child) to get married and they can see if they like it and if they want to use it. If they don't, it sits around and gets yellow with age (unless it preserved). I absolutely LOVE my dress and want to keep it around but I feel like it deserves more than just going in a box to maybe get used in 23 or so years. Plus, I feel that my children should have the opportunity to go try on dresses themselves and get that thrill when they find the right one.
The second option is to sell it. Based on the condition of my dress and the price I paid for it, I think I could only get about $500 for it. I might be able to get just a little more if I'm willing to pay to have it cleaned and boxed for the next seller. I might also be able to get a little more if I pay a seamstress to repair all the damage that was done due to people continuously stepping on my hem and ripping my bustle. I could also throw in the veil and maybe the jewelry to sell someone a completed look.
But I'm not sure I'm ready to part with my dress.
The third option is really kind of 2 options. I could save the dress and then have it torn apart to create either baptismal outfits for my children or veils for my daughters at their weddings. My dress has a lot of lace so this is a serious option.
OR, I could schedule a photographer to do a Trash the Dress shoot, making the dress unwearable for anyone, ever. I do like the symbolism of it, that the wedding is over, I've found my partner and I will never need a wedding dress again but I hesitate to actually trash my dress. The pictures I've seen are amazing but I searched long and hard to find my perfect dress and I'm not sure I'm ready for that.
I think that perhaps before I can make this decision, I might need to wait a while. My emotional attachment to the dress is still high; the wedding is still fresh. Even though I logically know that I'll never need or use the dress again, it's hard to think of letting it go.
I suppose I could always just arrange a Wedding Dress Bar Crawl where we can all wear our dresses again. That could be fun!
Monday, June 13, 2011
Bad News, Good News
We had so many applicants (22) for the babysitter job posting that I finally took it down. Holy crap. We picked our favorites and I e-mailed all of them back and we are meeting 3 of them in person this week. Well, 2 for sure. I need one more to confirm.
I need to do some searching to find out how this process should go. We're meeting at a park to get a feel if they're stalker material or not but if we like them then what? C & I think that if we like them then we set up a 1-hour trial where he & I go to lunch or something to see how things go. I also need to find a list of questions I can ask them.
So that's good. What's bad is that I finally got a reader to view the footage of our wedding from a friend but there is NO sound! I still watched the entire ceremony in silence last night. Gah, and I was so excited to see it! Hopefully the other person that was filming got the sound!
We got some good news this weekend that we are "easily approved" for a mortgage of the size we discussed with the broker. That makes me happy. That means that we can officially start looking for a place. If we find one we like, we can request a closing date in early August and be in our place by the end of August! That's crazy to think about!
It seems that for every up we're having there is definitely an equal (or greater) and opposite reaction. Us science nerds can't hide from Newton, even if it's just life and not actually gravity we're talking about.
I don't talk about it much but my mom's cancer has officially returned and she is not looking well at all. She's lost all her hair (the doctors seemed surprised that it stayed for as long as it did) and is looking very weak and frail. We had a BBQ yesterday with family to gather around her and it was shocking to see her in that condition.
I'm at a loss. I don't know what to do or how to feel. It seems impossible that C & I would be house hunting while this is going on. Like we're not supposed to do anything normal. How can we be moving forward when she is obviously not?
I know, I know, we can't put our lives on hold but I feel so helpless.
I need to do some searching to find out how this process should go. We're meeting at a park to get a feel if they're stalker material or not but if we like them then what? C & I think that if we like them then we set up a 1-hour trial where he & I go to lunch or something to see how things go. I also need to find a list of questions I can ask them.
So that's good. What's bad is that I finally got a reader to view the footage of our wedding from a friend but there is NO sound! I still watched the entire ceremony in silence last night. Gah, and I was so excited to see it! Hopefully the other person that was filming got the sound!
We got some good news this weekend that we are "easily approved" for a mortgage of the size we discussed with the broker. That makes me happy. That means that we can officially start looking for a place. If we find one we like, we can request a closing date in early August and be in our place by the end of August! That's crazy to think about!
It seems that for every up we're having there is definitely an equal (or greater) and opposite reaction. Us science nerds can't hide from Newton, even if it's just life and not actually gravity we're talking about.
I don't talk about it much but my mom's cancer has officially returned and she is not looking well at all. She's lost all her hair (the doctors seemed surprised that it stayed for as long as it did) and is looking very weak and frail. We had a BBQ yesterday with family to gather around her and it was shocking to see her in that condition.
I'm at a loss. I don't know what to do or how to feel. It seems impossible that C & I would be house hunting while this is going on. Like we're not supposed to do anything normal. How can we be moving forward when she is obviously not?
I know, I know, we can't put our lives on hold but I feel so helpless.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Sitting on the Baby
C & I have been actively looking for someone to have on call to watch Addy occasionally. With the house hunting coming up and our wanting to have a date night every once in a while (like, maybe see a movie while it's STILL in the theaters?!) and other activities where bringing a child is not the best idea, it seemed like it was time for us to find a nice, responsible person to come spend a few hours with Addy.
Biased or silly as it may seem, our criteria includes: a female, upper teens to low 20s (older HS student or college age), available evenings & weekends, experienced, reliable, creative, able to cook easy meals (pasta or chicken nuggets, etc), active, CPR & First Aid certified...
Basically, we want someone to run around with Addy & not just plop her in front of the tv and allow her to gorge herself on cookies or fruit snacks. We have a decent park nearby and plenty of toys & coloring stuff for them to use.
Anyway, I posted an ad on this website I found: care.com because it was free and I thought I would check it out. We did look on Craig's List but the one person we actually contacted never wrote back and doesn't that seem kind of scary to you? All the people on care.com have background checks & references available if you choose to use them.
Care.com is tricky though. Yes, you can set up a job and you can search profiles and you can say to yourself, "That person looks awesome! I'm going to send her a message!" BUT THEN, the tricksy care.com actually X's out your e-mail address & phone number! So you think you'll get around paying for a membership by including your personal e-mail address but they make it impossible to contact anyone!
The good (or bad) thing though is that in one day, I have had EIGHTEEN people respond to my ad! I actually may remove it because I can't deal with all that. C & I decided to pick the best 5 and set up appointments to meet them (after I paid my $35 membership upgrade fee). Then we'll make a call from there.
I feel bad eliminating people from my search and sometimes I just don't even have a good reason other than I can tell that that's not the person I want watching my child. It's a gut thing. I eliminated 3-4 people just because they were older than we desired. I don't know, it's probably biased or ageist but I'm not sure a grandmother will be as good at keeping up with my 2-year-old.
No capitalization? Gone. Bad spelling or grammar? Gone. Addressed your message to me,"Dear Meaghan"? Gone. I have to draw the line somewhere I guess.
I'll keep you posted on the search but here's hoping we find some nice girls who can spell and like to play with kids!
Biased or silly as it may seem, our criteria includes: a female, upper teens to low 20s (older HS student or college age), available evenings & weekends, experienced, reliable, creative, able to cook easy meals (pasta or chicken nuggets, etc), active, CPR & First Aid certified...
Basically, we want someone to run around with Addy & not just plop her in front of the tv and allow her to gorge herself on cookies or fruit snacks. We have a decent park nearby and plenty of toys & coloring stuff for them to use.
Anyway, I posted an ad on this website I found: care.com because it was free and I thought I would check it out. We did look on Craig's List but the one person we actually contacted never wrote back and doesn't that seem kind of scary to you? All the people on care.com have background checks & references available if you choose to use them.
Care.com is tricky though. Yes, you can set up a job and you can search profiles and you can say to yourself, "That person looks awesome! I'm going to send her a message!" BUT THEN, the tricksy care.com actually X's out your e-mail address & phone number! So you think you'll get around paying for a membership by including your personal e-mail address but they make it impossible to contact anyone!
The good (or bad) thing though is that in one day, I have had EIGHTEEN people respond to my ad! I actually may remove it because I can't deal with all that. C & I decided to pick the best 5 and set up appointments to meet them (after I paid my $35 membership upgrade fee). Then we'll make a call from there.
I feel bad eliminating people from my search and sometimes I just don't even have a good reason other than I can tell that that's not the person I want watching my child. It's a gut thing. I eliminated 3-4 people just because they were older than we desired. I don't know, it's probably biased or ageist but I'm not sure a grandmother will be as good at keeping up with my 2-year-old.
No capitalization? Gone. Bad spelling or grammar? Gone. Addressed your message to me,"Dear Meaghan"? Gone. I have to draw the line somewhere I guess.
I'll keep you posted on the search but here's hoping we find some nice girls who can spell and like to play with kids!
Thursday, June 9, 2011
From My Kitchen to Yours
I'm dealing with some personal stuff today so I thought I'd post some recipes today. Nothing says Newlyweds like recipes, right?
Some easy ones to start.
Stromboli (made this for dinner the other night. Fast, easy, and tasty!)
This fed us for dinner with a salad. There was just enough left over for C's lunch.
Chopped Salad - I L.O.V.E. this salad but don't make it often enough...
And lastly, a favorite in our house:
BBQ Chicken & Cornbread - A crockpot recipe
Optional add ins: Black Beans, cilantro, corn kernels
What's your favorite recipe?
Some easy ones to start.
Stromboli (made this for dinner the other night. Fast, easy, and tasty!)
- 1 loaf refrigerated French bread
- 1/4 lb salami (I used about 15-20 slices)
- 8 pieces provolone cheese (or your fav, mozz. would be good too)
- about 30 slices pepperoni
- Spices of your choosing (I used Garlic pepper, Ital spices, and a dash of Red Pepper flakes)
- Pizza sauce
This fed us for dinner with a salad. There was just enough left over for C's lunch.
Chopped Salad - I L.O.V.E. this salad but don't make it often enough...
- Tomatoes
- English (also called seedless) cucumber
- Red Onion
- Feta Cheese
- Basalmic Dressing
And lastly, a favorite in our house:
BBQ Chicken & Cornbread - A crockpot recipe
- 3-4 Chicken breasts (thighs will work too, they can be frozen if you forgot to take them out)
- 1 sweet potato, peeled & diced
- 1 red onion
- 1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce
- 1/4c water
- 1 box Jiffy Cornbread mix (or make your own)
- 1 can creamed corn
Instructions
Place Chicken breasts in slow cooker and top with sweet potato & onion. Add bottle of BBQ sauce. Pour water into empty BBQ sauce bottle and swish around and pour into crock pot. Stir to ensure everything is coated with BBQ Sauce
Mix Jiffy cornbread according to instructions, adding 1 can creamed corn. Pour on top of Chicken/BBQ sauce mixture. DO NOT STIR.
Cover & cook on low for 6-8 hours (or high for 3-4)Optional add ins: Black Beans, cilantro, corn kernels
What's your favorite recipe?
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Wedding Gifts
We have been lucky enough to get some nice gifts as a result of my bridal shower and our wedding. Can you believe people actually lugged gifts to Chicago with them? The funny thing is that we have yet to open the majority of them. I'm not sure what we're waiting for, perhaps the move?
We did receive a number of items for the kitchen and since our current kitchen is not that big, I think we're waiting until we (hopefully) have more space to break those things out. They include a toaster oven, a BA coffee maker, our Kitchenaid Stand Mixer (I confess, that baby has been broken out and used), and a food processor. All of them requiring much counter space.
We received a gift card from a good friend to Macy's as a wedding gift. We honestly, literally, never go to Macy's. I can't tell you the last time I went to a Macy's store, let along bought anything from them. We briefly considered selling the gift card or re-gifting it and also considered making it "my" giftcard to spend on myself (they have shoes and purses and clothes, I could find something to buy) and letting C spend the same amount elsewhere but in the end we realized they too have a kitchen department so we wandered in to check it out.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that not only do they carry some great kitchen items, but they have some pretty good sales on them as well! We hemmed and hawed for a while, debating between a number of items. We talked about getting an immersion blender (something we've both wanted for a while now) or a stovetop grill pan or even a Kuerig which I really want for days that I don't want to brew an actual pot of coffee but decided that all those things were nice, but wouldn't get the use they should. Why get a Kuerig when I just got a brand new BA (bad ass) coffee maker?
C also really tried to convince me that we needed a popsicle maker. He is desperate for this thing (do I smell a Father's Day gift??).
In the end, we purchased an oval dutch oven (we have a round and I LOVE it), a 4-cup capacity food processor, and some pineapple chipolte salsa for C since he likes that stuff. Out of pocket expense? $3.74! Win!
We did receive a number of items for the kitchen and since our current kitchen is not that big, I think we're waiting until we (hopefully) have more space to break those things out. They include a toaster oven, a BA coffee maker, our Kitchenaid Stand Mixer (I confess, that baby has been broken out and used), and a food processor. All of them requiring much counter space.
We received a gift card from a good friend to Macy's as a wedding gift. We honestly, literally, never go to Macy's. I can't tell you the last time I went to a Macy's store, let along bought anything from them. We briefly considered selling the gift card or re-gifting it and also considered making it "my" giftcard to spend on myself (they have shoes and purses and clothes, I could find something to buy) and letting C spend the same amount elsewhere but in the end we realized they too have a kitchen department so we wandered in to check it out.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that not only do they carry some great kitchen items, but they have some pretty good sales on them as well! We hemmed and hawed for a while, debating between a number of items. We talked about getting an immersion blender (something we've both wanted for a while now) or a stovetop grill pan or even a Kuerig which I really want for days that I don't want to brew an actual pot of coffee but decided that all those things were nice, but wouldn't get the use they should. Why get a Kuerig when I just got a brand new BA (bad ass) coffee maker?
C also really tried to convince me that we needed a popsicle maker. He is desperate for this thing (do I smell a Father's Day gift??).
In the end, we purchased an oval dutch oven (we have a round and I LOVE it), a 4-cup capacity food processor, and some pineapple chipolte salsa for C since he likes that stuff. Out of pocket expense? $3.74! Win!
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Buckling Down
For a while now, C & I have talked about buying a house this summer. Turns out, it IS summer now and C is crazy gung-ho about finding this house. We've just barely started the process of talking to a mortgage lender to get pre-approved and then we'll need to find an agent but in the meantime one or both of us is on a realty website every day. Not joking.
We are obviously first-time home buyers and we don't know exactly how the process works so it's going to be a huge learning experience.
We're not pre-approved but I'm already worried about taking on a mortgage payment. I know our rent payment goes away but I'm thinking based on what we want (3-4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2000+ square feet - our family IS going to grow!) our house payment is probably going to be a little bit more than rent. I'm hoping we can keep it within $300.
So it's time to start seriously budgeting and getting a handle on things. We're comfortable now but I can only imagine that if everything goes according to plan, we'll have 2 daycare payments by next fall in addition to whatever gas costs and the expenses of 2 children.
Here's my confession: we don't really budget. Ok, fine, we don't budget at all. We know when we get paid and we schedule our bills around those things and the rest we just kind of do whatever with. We are doing fine and we have savings and whatever but if groceries cost $120 next week then that's what they cost and we pay it. We don't think about how it will affect us and while it gives me pause, it doesn't truly concern us.
I know, it must be nice. But shouldn't it be different? Shouldn't I limit what we spend on groceries or our weekly Target runs? Those things add up!
So I'm going to work on cutting back. I always try to buy things on sale but I think I'm going to focus more on actually using the things on sale and not just planning meals based on what recipes sound good. If pot roast is on sale, we're not having ribs.
My SIL (Hi Sarah) is really good at this. I follow her blog where she "Cooks the Deals" and plans meals based around what she sees on sale. I also follow $5 Dollar Dinners for ideas and all kinds of coupon/deal blogs. It's time to start actually using the advice I'm getting for free!
We are obviously first-time home buyers and we don't know exactly how the process works so it's going to be a huge learning experience.
We're not pre-approved but I'm already worried about taking on a mortgage payment. I know our rent payment goes away but I'm thinking based on what we want (3-4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2000+ square feet - our family IS going to grow!) our house payment is probably going to be a little bit more than rent. I'm hoping we can keep it within $300.
So it's time to start seriously budgeting and getting a handle on things. We're comfortable now but I can only imagine that if everything goes according to plan, we'll have 2 daycare payments by next fall in addition to whatever gas costs and the expenses of 2 children.
Here's my confession: we don't really budget. Ok, fine, we don't budget at all. We know when we get paid and we schedule our bills around those things and the rest we just kind of do whatever with. We are doing fine and we have savings and whatever but if groceries cost $120 next week then that's what they cost and we pay it. We don't think about how it will affect us and while it gives me pause, it doesn't truly concern us.
I know, it must be nice. But shouldn't it be different? Shouldn't I limit what we spend on groceries or our weekly Target runs? Those things add up!
So I'm going to work on cutting back. I always try to buy things on sale but I think I'm going to focus more on actually using the things on sale and not just planning meals based on what recipes sound good. If pot roast is on sale, we're not having ribs.
My SIL (Hi Sarah) is really good at this. I follow her blog where she "Cooks the Deals" and plans meals based around what she sees on sale. I also follow $5 Dollar Dinners for ideas and all kinds of coupon/deal blogs. It's time to start actually using the advice I'm getting for free!
Monday, June 6, 2011
Life
Most Moms know that life with a 2-year old bring all kinds of unexpected events. Having Addy in daycare means that we deal with illness more often than I'd really like to realize. We are currently in that situation.
I blame most of my illnesses on Addy and her daycare. Kids are notorious for sticking their hands on or in anything and sticking those hands in their mouths. Plus, if one child gets sick you can bet your paycheck the other ones will be bringing those germs home.
Miraculously, Addy seems to have escaped the Head Cold of Death that C & I have contracted. Case in point, we have both visited the doctor and are currently on amoxicillin to rid our bodies of this horrible infection. My ear has been plugged for 5 days practically.
However, even though Addy doesn't have a cold she has something else going on in her tiny system. All weekend long we dealt with diarrhea to the point of changing her pants a few times and my baby writhing in my arms, screaming from what I can only think were stomach cramps. I almost rushed her to Urgent Care until C told me to calm down and we fed her some bread & crackers & applesauce (BRAT diet) to see if that would help calm things down. She did seem much better after that but had another diaper disaster a few hours later.
I realize that this can be caused by a lot of different things and we may never know exactly what it was (especially if it was a virus). I do know that there was no fever, vomiting, or any other bodily effect. Her appetite was basically normal when she ate and her demeanor hasn't changed either. She still has a lot of energy and plays and there's no real fatigue. So I'm choosing to focus on her diet.
For the time being, we are switching to soy milk and limiting her intake of dairy and fruit (acidic). I suspect she is having a lactose/dairy issue so we'll see if this helps.
I'm not in a great mood today because I just want us all to get healthy again. I don't want to feel ill any longer (ear still plugged, still congested, still on meds). C is phlegmy as well though we got out this weekend quite a bit so I'm glad for that.
I want so badly to write about my work but I don't want to get dooced or anything. Let me just say that I'm not sure that working for a small, private company where the owner's children seem to get special treatment may not be the environment for me. I'm not sure how long I can put up with rules that are loosely enforced and there are signs of favoritism. I also don't appreciate getting scolded for taking a sick day. That is all.
I blame most of my illnesses on Addy and her daycare. Kids are notorious for sticking their hands on or in anything and sticking those hands in their mouths. Plus, if one child gets sick you can bet your paycheck the other ones will be bringing those germs home.
Miraculously, Addy seems to have escaped the Head Cold of Death that C & I have contracted. Case in point, we have both visited the doctor and are currently on amoxicillin to rid our bodies of this horrible infection. My ear has been plugged for 5 days practically.
However, even though Addy doesn't have a cold she has something else going on in her tiny system. All weekend long we dealt with diarrhea to the point of changing her pants a few times and my baby writhing in my arms, screaming from what I can only think were stomach cramps. I almost rushed her to Urgent Care until C told me to calm down and we fed her some bread & crackers & applesauce (BRAT diet) to see if that would help calm things down. She did seem much better after that but had another diaper disaster a few hours later.
I realize that this can be caused by a lot of different things and we may never know exactly what it was (especially if it was a virus). I do know that there was no fever, vomiting, or any other bodily effect. Her appetite was basically normal when she ate and her demeanor hasn't changed either. She still has a lot of energy and plays and there's no real fatigue. So I'm choosing to focus on her diet.
For the time being, we are switching to soy milk and limiting her intake of dairy and fruit (acidic). I suspect she is having a lactose/dairy issue so we'll see if this helps.
I'm not in a great mood today because I just want us all to get healthy again. I don't want to feel ill any longer (ear still plugged, still congested, still on meds). C is phlegmy as well though we got out this weekend quite a bit so I'm glad for that.
I want so badly to write about my work but I don't want to get dooced or anything. Let me just say that I'm not sure that working for a small, private company where the owner's children seem to get special treatment may not be the environment for me. I'm not sure how long I can put up with rules that are loosely enforced and there are signs of favoritism. I also don't appreciate getting scolded for taking a sick day. That is all.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Sick
There is a wicked sinus infection raging through our house and I currently feel like death (but am still at work...). So this post will be light.
Turns out that all forms of destination bliss, joy, happy, etc. are taken. I iz not originul.
I wanted to keep the destination part of it to keep continuity but all I could come up with was destination: blissful and that didn't seem to make sense to me. Blissful is something you are, not a goal you are working towards. And while I'm pretty certain I'm doing both, it doesn't suit.
Any thoughts about what I should try? Here are 2 that are available: Destination: Joyful Life or Destination: Blissful Life. Or should I abandon the Destination thing all together? twosciencenerds is currently available.
What do you think?
Turns out that all forms of destination bliss, joy, happy, etc. are taken. I iz not originul.
I wanted to keep the destination part of it to keep continuity but all I could come up with was destination: blissful and that didn't seem to make sense to me. Blissful is something you are, not a goal you are working towards. And while I'm pretty certain I'm doing both, it doesn't suit.
Any thoughts about what I should try? Here are 2 that are available: Destination: Joyful Life or Destination: Blissful Life. Or should I abandon the Destination thing all together? twosciencenerds is currently available.
What do you think?
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Name Change
Funny, but this isn't about changing my personal name to take on C's last name. Those of you who know me IRL (or from Facebook) already know that I changed my name without hesitation. My main reasoning is that since Addy already has that name, now the whole family shares the name!
Note: it didn't come without a tiny bit of struggle but it was incredibly minimal. It's a little hard to give up the name you've had for 30+ years and it causes a wee bit of reflection but in the end, it was what I wanted.
No, this post is actually about changing my blog name. Destination: Married doesn't seem to fit any longer since we're married now. In fact, we're married twice! C is my second husband, heh (and my first...).
I'm going to attempt to move everything and if all goes as planned you shouldn't even notice the change. But, you may have to reset your links? I'm not tech-y so I probably don't know what I'm doing. The plan is to move to Destination: Bliss or something similar.
So, join me on this ride!
Note: it didn't come without a tiny bit of struggle but it was incredibly minimal. It's a little hard to give up the name you've had for 30+ years and it causes a wee bit of reflection but in the end, it was what I wanted.
No, this post is actually about changing my blog name. Destination: Married doesn't seem to fit any longer since we're married now. In fact, we're married twice! C is my second husband, heh (and my first...).
I'm going to attempt to move everything and if all goes as planned you shouldn't even notice the change. But, you may have to reset your links? I'm not tech-y so I probably don't know what I'm doing. The plan is to move to Destination: Bliss or something similar.
So, join me on this ride!
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