Nanamom's thoughts Blog

I'm crazy, certifieable now! WE bought our dog a Christmas present yesterday........... a cat. She is tiny but won't stay that way I'm sure. She is siamese/persian and absolutely adorable. I'm a dog person what am I saying? Her blue eyes are looking up at me as I type this. Her fur is perpetually wet thanks to the tongue (bigger than her head) connected to the canine in residence. She will curl up on my lap and that big nose comes over and as soon as it touches her she starts sounding like a percolator. She is having trouble navigating around the house because both the dog and DS2 think she is too little to be on her own and are constantly "helping" her around. We got her at the shelter. I figured if we didn't go now Christmas would wipe them out. I had promised DS2 a kitten when we moved.

Thank you to all who prayed for my pastor. He returned home this evening. He was able to eat today (first time in 3 days) and we are thankful to have him back in the states. He is supposed to preach at the Thanksgivng service tomorrow evening, which should be interesting. Anyway I appreciate the prayers. I was terrified I would hav eto explain the unthinkable to our DS2 who adores him.

I am packing. We have had a meeting of the minds or at least the finances so we will be moving into the house assuming the mortgage goes through. It should considering how low an amount we are paying. So I am packing. I have most of the books, cds, dvds, and th e"craft" cupboard packed. I'm not sure where to go from there. We are supposedly closing on the 11th of next month. So I guess I will pick a room an dpack everything I can from that room then go to the next and keep making the rounds until everything is done. i think I will go to the kitchen next. We have some "company stuff" we can do without until we move. I have less cupboard space at the new place and no basement so I am paring down as I go. Too bad it is too cold for another garage sale!!!

Just got a call yesterday that our pastor who is on a missions trip in Guatemala is extremely ill. They have had a doctor in 3 times and he was finally able to get some rest. He is in a poor area with no hospital that I know of. Please pray that he regians enough strength to come home with the others on Monday and that he recovers fully form this episode. I know he would be happier with Jesus but we need him. My DS2 idolizes him and is not ready to lose anyone else close to him.

Actually it seems that we will be moving. The owners met us halfway and have an estimate from a company on fixing the windows. They will credit us money back at closing to do that. So we are back in the running for a mortgage. I am told an offer will be made up today and presented to us. If it lists everything then we will sign and I will start packing in ernest, actually in boxes. Sorry, couldn't resist.

Took my blood pressure this morning and was horrified to discover that I who have always had low low blood pressure is hitting numbers on that dial I don't like. No more salt or soda for me!!! I need to lose a few pounds as well (OK, Quite a few). If that doesn't fix the problem I am going to have to see a doctor. I have too much to live for to fool around. I think I'll take a bit of time for me everyday and sew or stamp as well. Started Christmas cards last night, I am making 90 of them. It isn't relaxing to make that many believe me!!

Today we are to learn what counter proposal the seller wants to give us. This weekend we went to a home type store and looked at prices for what we would have to replace to come up to snuff for the home study. We got a good idea on prices for the window stuff and I think DH was a bit surprised at the prices for the plumbing stuff. We may be borrowing more than the price of the house (not more than the assessed value though) to pay for some of this which I do't like but the price is less than anything else around that has any kind of yard.

It is breathtaking outside. We are having our first real snowfall of the season and it looks like a Christmas card. The snow has been falling steadily for about 3 hours and the branches are quite heavily laden. Tiny tracks cross the yard where our intrepid squirrels have been out playing. My world is white and glistening. inside I have a roaring fire to cut my heat bill and lend itself to the ambiance of the day. Hot soup simmers on the stove which twill soon have cocoa as well waiting for my DH to burst in the door covered in white. Both my DS2 and our resident canine are yearning to get out to romp around in the frosty expanse. When he gets up from nap we are going to take glue and scraps of stuff and spend the afternoon creating presents for those we love to bring special smiles to their faces next month.

We went to the house and decided that the only things on the long list the inspector gave us that has to be fixed were the windows and the asbestos tape that is fraying. We put that in writing and gave them to list of things that were also needed we weren't asking for and sent it off. We offered to fix the windows ourselves if they gave back 1000 at closing. WE don't have it or we would just go ahead and close as is. in order to adopt we must have working windows with screens. There is no way around that. So their answer so far is nope, can't do it. Our realtor asked what they were able to counter offer and we are waiting for an answer. Right now it looks like the deal will die here. I have some stuff packed and there is a rental sign in front of our house. Now what??!! Oh well if God is closing this door he will open a window somewhere I'm sure and it will be even better. Right now it is hard to imagine a better yard but we'll see what God has in mind, He knows best.

Ok, We have an appraisal, a home inspection, and are going out to see what the defects really look like. Our realtor suggested that we ask for them to give back 12 to 1500 at the closing so we can do all the repairs ourselves but I'm not sure that will cover it. We decided to go look at the house agaoin and see what the problems may take to fix. Some of them we may be able to do ourselves. I'm already sure we are replacing the toilet ourselves as well as the vent problem with the plumbing. It ocurred to me that the reason th ewindows might not open may be that the people nailed them shut. They have 4 rather boisterous boys and that may be how they guarentee no defenestration occurs. We ar egoing out tomorrow or later today to take a look and see what we have to have fixed in order to still buy the house. The good news is that the amount we are borrowing is close to the value so we will have some money to use for closing and repairs. I wish we had been able to save a bit more ourselves but considering where we were 4 years ago we are doing well to be able to afford a house at all. It will be cheaper than renting and the difference will be used to work on a monthly "project"

We got the report from the home inspection. Keeping in mind that when you buy an older home there are always problems and that we knew it was a fixer upper it isn't too bad. The house is sturdy, roof within 2 years, electric updated within 2 years, newer hot water tank and furnace. The catches are, asbestos tape fraying (means if is friable and needs to be removed) under the crawl space, windows are either broken or do not open which is a big safety hazard, especially on the second floor. The garage roof needs new shingles. The upstairs toilet needs to be replaced and the downstairs shower needs a control dial. The plumbing vent on the roof must be lengthened.The front and back porch need to be shored up sometime in the next couple years. Little things include outlet covers and switch covers. All the walls need to be painted and patched and the cleaning will be impressive. They also noted defects in the siding on corners. Of all that the non opening windows were a surprise, and the asbestos was a shock. I turned it in to my realtor and we'll see their thoughts on what needs to be fixed before we buy. The asbestos is a must I think the plumbing needs to be addressed and I vote the windows be operable or they take the estimate of costs off of the bill for the house. I sure don't have enough to buy a house and fix all the windows. The rest of it I can deal with.

We were supposed to meet the guy who did the home inspection at noon at the playground in the mall (distraction for DS2) He never showed but did call. It seem he had so much to write that he needed to go home and do so and could he come over tonight to talk to us about the house. OK, we expected a problem with a couple broken windows and a semi minor plumbing problem. This however doesn't sound good. I may be house hunting again. I have planned the kids rooms though. DS2 is space happy so we want to do a navy (or so) ceiling for stars and planets, and continue it a bit down the walls. The walls will have the space shuttle ready for launch or flying in the sky as well as some space stuff, like the space station etc. Maybe a luner lander on the ground. I have been trying to figure out how on earth I would do this (no artistic talent here at all) and a friend of mine mentioned at church how much she loves to draw on walls. I was thrilled (make that THRILLED) and screamed in delight. The girls room is to have a tree with a flower border and the sun shining and a swing from the tree and butterflies and... Our room I haven't quite figured out. The playroom downstairs will have Veggie Tales stuff in it. On every door I want to write a significant Bible verse (they are all significant I know but some apply to my son more than others as well as us...) On th efront door (outside) I want "As for me and my house we will serve the Lord." I think I can stencil that if I find a good set of letters. The kitchen hopefully will have a vine going around th eroom continuing into the dining room with "You are the vine, we are the branches." on it. I hope to trim the library (small hallway but big enough for several bookcases) with books of the Bible trim. One of bathroom will have sea life in it (I have a net from when we went crabbing) and the other maybe birds. Haven't figured out th eliving room yet, but someone did offer us a free couch today. That should make the living room more comfortable since we only hav etwo chairs so far.

I was buying ice cream from a delivery company. I'm not sure I can mention the name on this site, but there aren't that many food delivery services out there. They use a swan on the side of their big yellow trucks. I have been a steady customer for years. I realize it is a bit unfrugal but the stuff is great. As of today I am no longer a customer. The catalog they dropped off had a big pink bow on it and advertised their Think Pink sale. To me that would seem that they are going to donate something from the sales to help fight breast cancer. I emailed them to ask since I couldn't find any info on the catalog. The instant reply I got back said no, they just wanted an eye catching color on the front. I think the pink ribbon campaign has gone on long enough and is well known enough that people will think the same thing I did. Some of those people won't follow up on it and will just buy stuff without realizing they aren't contributing. I have cancelled my customer status with them as of tonight. My DH agrees with me.

Once in a while the Lord reminds me of how beautiful a place we live in. This morning on th eway to church to sew I say a bald eagle soaring over our place. We drove along a river as still as glass with myriads fo color reflected in it from the trees in all there autumn glory. A bit further down the road are the cranberry beds. The concept of a million becomes easier to explain to a little one who has seen the billions of little red fruit floating on the water they flood the beds with. Tonight when we took the dog out for the last time we were thrilled to find deer feeding on our apples. The quickly bounded gracefully away but I imagine as I type this they are out there again. As we talk about DH walking to work we realize he has to make sure he is at least a bit noisy when he does for there is a young black bear in that area many days. This week seems to be migration week because we have seen scads of cranes flying silently overhead. They look ungainly until you see them take off rising majestically form the ground after a running start. Also leaving for the winter are the scores of Canadian geese. You can hear them go over. We've been blessed to watch them raise their young on the bank fo the local river within walking distance. We have to be careful to keep our distance though, they are fierce protectors and always have a lookout. I am waiting to see how soon we see the pheasants. A pair visits us every winter wandering through the back yard providing an incredible contrast against the glistening snow. The hummingbirds have been gone for awhile now. I miss the flashes of color out my kitchen window but am enjoying answering my door to discover that our local red headed feathered friends have fooled me again. Last winter we were delighted to find eight cardinals all perched in out front tree. It would have made an awesome picture with the splashes of red against the white backdrop of new snow, but i couldn't tear myself away long enough to get the camera. I bet Eden was even more amazing.

How many pieces does it take to make a quilt? Amazingly enough not as many as you might think. OUr whole family (ok not the dog) spent the day at church today. At 9 am th eministry that makes quilts for children and servicemen had a "quilt in" I was one of the sewers. We also had tyers, pinners, ironers, and a painter. DH was the painter after he made the stencil. It was fun. DH went out for pizza about noon an dthen ice cream a bit later. Our DS2 played with the leaders kids and had a great time. Aroung 3:30 the next shift of stuff came in. They were making craft "kits" for the kids in Guatemala. Our church is sending 9 or so people down on a mission trip and one of the things they will do is a "vacation Bible school" WE countied, cut , glued and wrote on enough craft foam to make 300 kits. It was fun, very little overlap in the groups so we got to meet new people an dfellowship with some we've known for a bit. When we got home we discovered the canine missed us but had managed to amuse himself in our absence. I may forgive him at some point but right now he is on thin ice!!

And muffins too!! The local bagel shop had their grand opening and as part of the promo they gave coupons to the first 25 people who showed up on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Wednesday's coupon entitled the people to a free sandwich every month for the next year. Fridays was for a dozen bagels a month and Saturday's for 1/2 dozen muffins. My DH was there bright and early on Friday and Saturday and lamented the fact that he hadn't read about it until Thursday evening. We have breakfast taken care of for awhile!! Several people were there on Friday morning but Saturday was mobbed. Of course in this town more than 30 is a mob. The local paper featured the store and more people knew what was happening. Someone was there at midnight the night before, no one else showed up until 6 AM. One couple was asleep in their lounge chairs under a mound of blankets (it's cold here) when my DH arrived. I know what to serve for breakfast to the people who help us move in December!!

Why does everyone think you have to pay alot for a house? The last thing th eguy said to us when we filled out our mortgage papers was when we want to move up in a few years we can arrange a larger mortgage. The first was why did you pick a house that price when we preapproved you for one three (or 4) times that much. Why is bigger better, or at least more expensive better? This house has 4 bedrooms (there are 3 of us) 2 bathrooms, a dining room an dkitchen a living room a large lot back porch, front porch. garage, workshop, storage shed, and other various amenities (hot running water, roof within last 2 years etc.) We need to provide some paint (ok alot of paint) a couple new windows, sanding and varnishing of floors or rugs if we want, and a few appliances. So.... why do I need more expensive. The more expensive ones didn't have 4 bedrooms or as large a back yard. in 20 or so years i expect to be scaling down, not moving up. I have bought three houses in my life The first was 25,000, the second was 34,000, and this is 48,000. Considering inflation I don't think I did bad so far!

It feels wierd, there is a for rent sign out in front of our house. The realtor was here this morning to make sure they have keys that work for the house. We signed papers yesterday for a mortgage (spell that more debt) and the offer was accepted pending a home inspection (our choice) and an appraisal (mortgage company choice) I am starting to look at everything in our house in terms of can I do without this for 2 months.

Not for us of course (nothing is easy for us) but our "real estate agent" will make the easiest money of her life. We made the decision to buy a house. We picked 5 things that we wanted it to have. In no particular order they are 1. A yard , big dog and children need big yard. 2. Proximity to his job and our church so we can sell one car and he can walk to work. 3. minimum of three bedrooms so we can have more kids. 4. minimum of 2 bathrooms. 5. a fireplace. Of course it had to be affordable as well. I decided that even though we would be eliminating one car payment we still wouldn't want to pay more for the mortgage payment than we do the rent payment. We are very willing to fix it up but can't do alot of plumbing or any electrical. I don't think I want to try roofing either. We looked through the homes book that came in the next weekends newspaper and picked several that met some of those parameters. You can't tell where they are and they didn't all list things like fireplaces. We have to buy through the people we rent from in order to break our lease so I called and asked her to look up umpteen numbers and see which ones were within a mile or 2 of where DH works. She came up with about a dozen papers describing the houses and giving addresses. I went through and picked 4 to start and asked her to set up appointments to see them the following Monday morning. That Friday we decided to take his lunch time and look at the outside of the houses. We eliminated two right away. One had no yard at all although it had a really nice river view. The other had a warped roof. I want a fix it place but not that much of a fix it place. We liked the two others form the outside. As we pulle dup to one of them we realized we knew the people who owned it. In fact we had been in it a couple years ago when we first moved to the area. So I knocked on the door. She was home as as we talked her husband pulled up and gave us the grand tour. I called the realtor and told her to cancel the showings we had found our house. It has 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, is within a mile fo work and church, has a double lot (flat even) and roof is 2 years old, new electric, needs a couple things replaced in the upstairs bathroom, has a claw foot tub (I love it!) and the bedrooms are really big. The kitchen isn't very big but the dining room is right there and I think I can manage. There is no fireplace but it has a fire pit in the back yard. The best part is the price. 50000. Needless to say it is an older home, but I am an older home buyer! The payment should be under the rent when we are done. Unfortunately we will have to finance all of the price so our interest will be higher until I can save enough to refinance in a year or so. All in all the realtor had very little work to do. Our mortgage was pre approved for 3 times the price so I think we'll be ok there. We are signing th e papers today so I will keep posting what we learn. The couple are grateful to sell the house since they need to pay off alot of debt and our 48000 bid will give them the ability to pay it off and have a few thousand to buy the next house. They have 4 boys and need to move soon. The downside is that places the move for us very near the holidays. We have to give our landlord 60 days notice before we move so we gave that today as well. We are planning a trip East in early January so we will move an dthen get a break by traveling. We won't be able to stay long because of the expense but we'll get to see the kids, grandkids and show a movie of our new house.

My DH and i have been praying about where we should go next. We felt that when the Lord sent us here it was for a season. That was 3 years ago. We have been job hunting (or he has mine stays no matter where we go SAHM) with a lot of phone calls but no interviews or offers. I think it was the concept of topping the salery and job description he had now. We wanted to move East to be near children and grandchildren. We finally asked th eLord to show us what he wanted since living in limbo was driving us crazy. How do you make long range plans when you don't know where you'll be? As much as it hurt to not move within a days drive of the kids we feel that his answer is to stay here. I don't know why but he wants us in this area. Now all we need ot do is find a house before the lease is up. If we buy through our leasee we can get out of the lease early (as long as we give 2 months notice). House hunting and mortgage hunting Oh joy. My DH has never owned his own before but this will be my third time. The last two I bought and fixed up then sold at a profit when I moved somewhere else. Hopefully we can do the same here.

The dog is on the mend Thank God. He is even learning some manners although play group this morning was soooo tough for him. He wanted to run with, lick, sniff, knock down (accidently of course) and lick, those little ones so badly and all I would let him do was sit by my side and wait for one of them to get the courage to come over to him. He is really coming along, after an hour I could drop my intense hold on his collar an dhe stayed by me unless they got really rowdy. His "helping" cut down on the rowdy stuff pretty well. His cough is down to only a couple times today and thats with an extra walk even. I am so glad we don't have an extra surgery to deal with. By the time he is done with this antibiotic I should be able to schedule his surgery and then no more vet bills for awhile. Left him in the house alone for the first time today. He was good but so grateful when we came back. We were only gone about an hour and a half. I would have taken him (after all we even took him to church) but couldn't figure out how to fit him, DS2 and a ton of groceries in the car at the same time. DH took the van because he had a conference in the next town. Paid bills today, lots of them! Went to the USPS and got more bills out of the mailbox and have to pay them tomorrow. Thank Goodness we saved before we took that trip !! It makes a big difference when the credit card bills come in.

I really love dogs. Honest, ask anyone I love them. We took the 14 month old male Sheperd to the vet for a pre-op physical. We are having him neutered and the pre-op is part of that price. I knew that expense was coming. When I called I explained he needed a rabies shot and agreed to leave a stool sample for analysis (DH job to retrieve since he's the one who wanted this darling) They told me to expect a bill of around 26.50. When we went in for the surgery we would be expected to pay around 80 more since we put a deposit on for the neutering to get the dog in the first place. When we wnet in they offered blood work for only 71.00 more whihc considering we knew nothing about his past we agreed too. We also needed a heartworm test from the same blood for another 26 dollars. I had noticed that he seemed to have a respiratory problem that I was very much afraid was bordatella (kennel cough). After the vet examined him and pronounced him healthy and awesome I explained my concern. After listening to the symptoms she agreed with my diagnosis and said since his lungs were clear we might have caught it quickly enough. The medicine was another 66 dollars of course. Then there is the heartworm medicine we need to give through January. All in all it totals 172 dollars for the first visit, an dhe couldn't have the rabies shot becuase of the infection. If the medicine doesn't clear up the problem in a week or so they need to do a transtracheal test that means putting him under anasthetic and that translates to big bucks plus the new medicine to take care of whatever yucky bug this has morphed into. Then we can look at the neutering and rabies shot and....

I did go onto the main website for the first hotel and let them know what I thought (politely of course) but haven't heard back not do I expect to.
In the good news department is a dog. I swore for years i would never have a German Sheperd (smy apologies to all who adore the breed)not would I have a make dog nor one over a year old at the onset. Then my DH fell in love. I new there was a dog in my immediate future but I didn't know how immediate until at the end of a 3000 mile trip he insisted on going straight to the shelter in town. Two days later we stopped back because he was tired and needed a lift before returning to work after lunch. He went straight to the cage of a dog we'd "met" on our earlier trip. He stayed there except for a cursery glance at the others and to help me drag DS2 away from the puppies in the corner. I knew he was in love. You guessed it, a male german shephaerd 14 months old!!

Last February I booked reservations at a hotel. We were meeting another family there and wanted to be able to put kids asleep in one room and play games or at least have lights on in the other room. The kids are young enough that we had to have a door between the rooms in order to do this, going into the hall was not an option. I was told that yes they were available and I could be locked into those two rooms then. We're talking 8 months ahead of time. I called closer to the time to make sure our two rooms with door between were still in my name and was assured that they were. They even told me the room numbers I would be in. At the time I was also promised a microwave and a fridge. I had confirmation numbers. When we arrived we were told that i should have asked for adjacent rooms not connecting rooms if that was what I wanted. I considered offering to buy them a dictionary but decided to go with the flies on honey thing instead. We were told that there were 4 groups there that day. Again I considered asking if all 4 groups had booked 8 months in advance but bit my tongue. They told us they were going to accomoodate us but no microwave and i decided I would take what I could get. We were shown to a room with one bed and no connecting door (I didn't know they made hotel rooms that small!) I called down and was again told that it had been explained to us when we were there at the desk that they couldn't accomodate our request and I shouldn't believe promises like that. I asked for a manager and was told he was the manager. At that point I turned the phone over to my DH and grabbed a phone book. I found a number ofr another hotel who made the same promises and when I explained why I was skeptical assured me that she indeed knew the definition of connecting. We went down to the lobby and were told we hadn't been charged yet and could just leave if we wanted. I told him my credit card had been imprinted and I wanted the paper I signed back NOW. He complied with a frown and we went to avery nice hotel that we could walk between rooms in. Of course we paid a bit more but oh well. My DH got on line and gave his opinion of the hotel.

What a relief, we're home. The vacation was nice. The driving wasn't. Hugging Grandchildren is always wonderful, as is seeing our little one get to know them. It was interesting to hear one of my GC complain of being cold when they were out playing with my DS2. It was funny because my DS2 was comfortable. We realized that one was from the south and one from the north. Different comfort zones. Now to get on with home stuff again, like familiar toys, homeschooling, friends, church, and cold weather. As we made it around the bend and saw the river we live near it was breath taking. The trees have turned and the still water reflecting all the colors takes our breath away. We live in a beautiful place. We drove through the familiar streets and were delighted to see them harvesting the cranberries (it is an unforgettable site) and that the geese waited for us to get back. The cranes were enjoying the already mowed fields in droves. Our home was cold when we got here but the fire we built is taking the edge off of it and we only have a couple more weeks until I am willing to turn on the heat (Nov 1st) This will be the first year we have to buy wood. As I said It is good to be home.

trip day 1 we've made it to our 3rd state. left at 3 in the afternoon and are in a motel 6 (under 50 and they take pets, not that we need that feature yet but we can dream)got here about 10 but lost an hour at the border. Tomorrow we'll be in DC.So far expences are downwhere we want them.

The garage sale went well. made a bit over 400. still have to take the toys and kids clothes to the resale shop for syore credit or cash and that will be that.

3 down and 1 to go. Tomorrow is half price day at the garage sale. Hopefully that will pull people in. We had a quiet day today but sold enough that i am happy (not ecstatic but at least content that my day wasn't wasted) The cool thing about today is that my DH came home for lunch and brought it with him!! The fun thing about the sale is that the money isn't earmarked for anything in particular. It will probably go towards our upcoming vacation but we'll see

OK, I wish someone would show up so I could justify how cold my house is! I am sitting where i can see the road and no one is coming. I have the connecting door open and let me tell you, it is cold in here. DS2 is in his warmest outfit and I am considering mittens for me!! Day 1 wasn't bad, in spite of only having it in the morning paper we made a couple hundred. Of course the computer is sold so I don't expect to sell that much over the rest of the sale. Saturday should hop, I made it half price day. I decided not to put the clothes out, I am going to take them to a shop that resells stuff and get store credit for it.
WE finally got XP working on the computer but it won't let me send from one of my email accounts. When I hit reply it blocks the "pop up" that tries to let me type. Ah well, we were going to give up that account anyway since DH work is paying for higher speed. We can't give it up until DH lets everyone know not to use that account for job offers, Hey maybe he'll get a email he needs to reply to and have to fix the problem!!!

i can't believe i scheduled a garage sale two days before we leave on vacation. At least the sewing is done, now if I can get the knitting done. I wondered how I would have a sale and still keep a close eye on our DS2 (3 yr old) but it workded out really well. Admittedly nap time was easier. I even baked cookies today to take on the trip.
On our way to church today we stopped by the animal shelter. Wehn we get back we will be getting a dog, we can't stand it anymore. Our neighbors came to the sale to meet us and they have one, it is my favorite breed too. So we had to stop. My DH found one he is in love with. Really I should be jealous!! He was glowing asd he walked it around . It was huge (plus for both of us) and it was his favorite breed, a German Shepherd. 3 yr old male (we both want a female dog) and very friendly. The former owners spent time but not enouhgh. He sits on command if I look him in the eye when I say it but a leash is the great unnone. We are big enough and he is smart enough to learn but.... He is sweet and friendly. Didn't bark at any humans although he wasn't fond of seeing other dogs there. I have to say he was alert when we went in but was one fo three not barking. When youre that big I guess you don't have too!! I can tell there are a couple dogs an da cat in our future. I wish we knew if we were moving out of state first though.