Boxes

To box or not to box... that is the question. With three weeks until we get the keys, I guess I had better start packing things up. My only dilemma is that it is just across town... so do we really need to box everything up only to have to unpack? David claims boxes fit better in a truck, and I guess he is right, but it is so much work.
We have been collecting boxes and we have stacks of them to fill, but they are all super small boxes. The kids toss them all over the house and use them for boats, castles, or whatever they see fit. Not only do I have a messy house to pack, but now boxes are everywhere. I also have to pack in "secret" because when the kids see things going into a box they are suddenly interested in it and yank it out of the box to play with.
I have also been getting rid of things as I pack. I donated five bags of stuff last week and I had to sneak that out to the car so Alexis didn't throw a fit. When we dropped off the bags she saw some of her toys through the plastic and I was caught. I then had to explain that we were going to give other little boys and girls some of her toys because she has plenty to play with at home. That seemed to do the trick, but she still has a hard time parting with things. I guess we all do though.
Alexis LOVES to cut up paper and make cards and pictures and feels we need to keep ALL of them. It has become so bad that I've had to create a secret trash can that she can't see into. I've tried in the past to throw away papers and she will see them in the trash and be devastated. My solution was a trash can on top of the dryer that she doesn't know about. We still have little pieces of paper all over but I am slowly making a dent.
I guess I better go pack a few more boxes. I keep putting off the inevitable... but I have to do it. But at least now I don't have to worry about cleaning the apartment before we move. I was informed that I have to present proof that it was professionally cleaned and carpet cleaned. Nice... more money out the window. Oh well... moving on, and forward.

House high hopes

Yesterday we had our home inspection. With how things work in the real estate world, I am a little leery of saying that getting the house is official. Our agent assured us that if the inspection went well that we could make plans. So... we are making plans. The inspection went well. There are only a few minor things that need to be fixed. What a relief. After the inspection we drove around the community a bit.
Above is a picture of the pool that is within walking distance of the house. It was cold outside so the pool was empty... and I'm hoping that it doesn't get to crowded. The picture below is of the fishing pier at one of the ponds. It is so picturesque isn't it? There were kids playing at the park, the ducks hanging out in the shade and it was just a great day.
Here is a picture of the back of the house. Re-visiting the house reminded me that the yard is going to be the perfect size. I plan on having a raised garden bordering the yard. Alexis plans of having a "play ground" as she calls it. She wants a swing set fort. Maybe that will be the kids Christmas this year.
Here is the kitchen. I LOVE this set up, especially the island. I've always had the kids who want to help in the kitchen with cookies or other things. I've always had the issue of being too close to the stove or not having the counter space for both of them to help. The island fixes that. Now they can sit on one end and help stir, measure, and make a mess. I'm also excited about 10 pull out drawers! YEAH! A place to put things and no more storing everything on the counter.
This is a view of the family room from the kitchen/dining area. Where there is currently carpet we plan on continuing the tile. I can already see food migrating onto the carpet, so might as well put in tile with an area rug. The nice thing is that they are still building on our street so we can go to the builder to match tile.
Here is the front of the house. I love the front porch. I can't wait to plant flowers and do landscaping. I know it is on the bottom of David's list... but I love to dig in the dirt and watch flowers bloom. After our Tucson house I also wanted a porch so when people are at the front door in rain they are not being drenched. I also wanted to be able to see the street from the house. Interesting the things we prefer after not having them. Things that don't seem important are. I like knowing what is going on in front of my house... and who is out there.
Here is a picture of the front formal living/dining area. The lighting is awesome isn't it? Painting these rooms is going to be lots of fun. I guess that is what ladders are for. The stairs are on the left of the room.
I guess you could say I am excited about the house, painting, cleaning, and finally settling in. In all our previous houses we've had plans to sell and move within a few years. With this house... we plan on staying awhile and don't have plans to move any time soon. This is a feeling I've not had before and I like the thought of unpacking boxes and planting some roots. So now comes the colors... Hmmm... so many options and possibilities... Fun Fun Fun!

Easter 2010

So I realize that I have a TON of pictures to post and they are all stuck on the laptop. This is super annoying and my expensive paperweight is on my last nerve. Nonetheless we did celebrate Easter this year. Thanks to David's sister we were able to have an egg hunt at her house. They have an actual yard so we didn't have to try and hide eggs around the apartment. I have a feeling that we'd loose half of them with how quickly the apartment becomes a mess.
Alexis, Timothy and their cousin had a good time hunting for eggs and we found all of them. The last one was a group effort. Luckily they counted ahead of time how many eggs were hidden. Funny how easy it is to lose something you hid 10 minutes prior. All the kids were spoiled with goodies and treats. After the hunt we all sat around and dyed eggs. I think I made a bigger mess than both kids combined. We emphasised that we needed to be careful with the dye and every time I went to dye another egg I was also in search of a paper towel to clean up my mess.David's mom was also able to join us and it was a nice time. We enjoyed the beautiful weather and even greater sunset. (Oh yeah, it was an evening egg hunt.)As we decorated a plane was flying over with a message. We had never seen anything like it before. There was a LED scrolling message across the bottom of the plane. It was crazy. Just a random part of the evening.
Easter morning the kids were each treated to an Easter basket of treats. They were so excited and it gave them something to do during conference. Timothy got a collection of the cars from the movie Cars, and Alexis got the collection of fairies from Tinker Bell. Each of them have their favorites. Peeps are also a family favorite so they got those as well. In fact a few weeks prior to Easter we found some glowing Peep bouncy balls in the mall. They were in those arcade claw machines. David's dad has a collection of Peep stuff so we just had to add to his collection. We thought... we've got 50 cents... what would it hurt to try. Not only did we get a ball out on the first try, but when we tried our luck another two times, we got two more! So each of the kids got one as well as David's dad. Random... I know.Easter took place on Conference this year. Alexis did pretty good at listening and behaving. Second session on Sunday I started nodding off. Alexis kept watching me and saying, "Mom, don't fall asleep!" I did good until she brought her blanket over and snuggled on my lap and fell asleep herself. Once my "enforcer" fell asleep I was out too.To end the day we went to dinner at David's parents house. On the way over Katelynn called (she was visiting in Yuma) and said they just had a huge earthquake. They did in fact have a big earthquake (7.2 to be exact) but everyone was okay. They were all pretty rattled, figuratively and literally. They had no visible damage to the house but nearby areas did have some damage.

It was an eventful day and we are just grateful that everyone was okay. Also grateful for a Savior who sacrificed himself so that we can all be forgiven and return to live with Him again. What a blessing and miracle Easter is.

So Quaint!

Today I took my sister over to see the house. While there we also met our future neighbors. This place is going to be AWESOME! The neighbors have three kids ages 3, 6, and 9. She said the school is great and there are tons of kids on the street. This is exactly what I was looking for. I wanted a place that was family oriented.
I remember growing up playing with all the neighbor kids and having BBQ's with everyone around. This area has that feeling of "welcome home". There are even signs when driving through the streets that say stuff like, "have a nice day". For real? Is this place for real? My sister said it was eerily friendly. She said it must be like the movie Stepford's Wives Club. I hope she is wrong and that this really is just that nice and friendly. Everyone seems to know everyone. The neighbor started giving me the names of all the people that met at the park for play days and get together to just do things. I am so stinkin' excited!
While driving around there were people (families) out and about playing at the parks, going on walks or biking. People would wave or say hello. What a concept. And people know each other. In Tucson once people closed their garage that was it. No communication other than, "ask the neighbor if you need more details for your police report".
Wow. That is all I can say. I'll post pictures of the house next week when we go in for inspection.
Good day.

No good deed goes unpunished

Growing up my mom used to say , "No good deed goes unpunished". I never really understood this until I grew up and moved out of the house. Sometimes it feels more true than other times. Recently, someone I know has been down on their luck. Been without work for almost a year, family issues, health issues, car issues, and the list seems to go on, and on, and on. I do feel for people in such situations, but at the same time there is only so much you can do to help them with their situation. The hardest part is when you go out of your way, A LOT to help them and fail to see the effort on their part to try and change their situation. It is especially draining when they dump their problems on your lap because it is "too hard" and want you to deal with them instead. I am to the point where I am feeling sucked dry and when I see the number on my caller ID (which has become daily) I just want to hit the ignore button. I want to help, deep down I do... but at what point to you say enough is enough. Or do you? I want to help others, but when you feel so burned out it makes the desire dwindle. Is there a solution? How would you handle this? Have you had similar experiences? Help?

Blessings in Disguise

Last week we lost a bidding war on a house that we really liked. It was in the perfect area, and was in our price range. It had a reasonable HOA and great amenities. I was SUPER sad and a bit frustrated we lost the house. This week it is a different story. Yesterday I received a call from our realtor stating that the people that out bid us had their financing fall through. She asked if we still wanted the house. Of course we did! We had the next best offer so our offer was sent to the bank and today we got news our offer was accepted and we can move forward with inspection and can close as soon as we want.What a blessing! We kept our bid within a price range we felt comfortable with and still got the house without going crazy on the price. It will fit our current and future needs and we hope to live there for at least the next 5 years. How exciting to have a "permanent" address and a backyard. The yard isn't as large as we hoped but with a community pool down the street (with a huge splash pool) and a huge park around the corner, we are okay with that. Someday we hope to get some property/land, but this will fit our needs for the time being. Below are just a few pictures of the community lake/clubhouse, pool, and one of 50 parks. This place is awesome and a whole different world compared to south Tucson. I can't wait. I'll take pics of the house and post when we go in for inspection.
I guess it is true that patience pays off and I need to show a little more faith that things will work out for the best. What a blessing.

Funny Things Say and Do - Feb.

2.11.10
While driving I scratched my head and Alexis pipes up from the back seat, "You need Scalpacin. It will fix the itch."

2.11.10
When talking to a ward member about car problems, she said she didn't know much about cars. Alexis says from the back, " I know about cars. I have that movie!"

2.2.10
Timothy will repeat the letters of the alphabet. At the park today he saw a circle and kept saying, "O, o, o."

To get him to smile for pictures if you say "happy" he will put on his happy face.

Compliments

Today I went to pick up some pictures that I printed from the wedding. Walgreens was having a sale for a free 8x10 print... and as we all know... "If it's free, it is for me!" When I went today to pick them up they had set them aside and were not going to let me purchase them because they claimed I was printing "professional pictures" and needed a photo release from the photographer. Best part about that... I AM the photographer. It was a pain to finally get the pictures, but at the same time it was a compliment... right? I at least had a few good prints. They suggested that for the future that I create and print out my own photo release to myself so I don't have to go through all the hassle. Guess I best finish up on my logo and business model, and portfolio.
Good day.

"My mouth is BURNING!"

The other night Kathy joined us for dinner and card making night. We ate some yummy modified nachos. Alexis is not a fan of "real" food so she did not eat much. After eating we had to run to JoAnn's and get some paper. When we were on our way back I stopped at Wendy's to get the kids some chicken nuggets to share. Alexis needed to eat something and I didn't want her to fall asleep in the car and go to bed without dinner.
As soon as I get the chicken nuggets I spread them on the center console to cool off. Alexis prefers her food nice and cold. I passed Timothy a nugget and he began eating with no problem. Then I handed Alexis a nugget and she takes one bite and starts yelling, "It's HOT!" I then took back the nugget and placed it in front of the A/C and it was cold when I handed it back to her. Again the same response, "It's HOT!" I was super irritated at this point and Kathy was laughing at how dramatic Alexis was being. Alexis is quite the drama queen about most things. Then I remembered that Wendy's has their spicy nuggets now. I didn't order spicy though.... So I took a bite of the nugget myself.... and sure enough... it was spicy. It wasn't just spicy, it was really spicy and deep in the throat spicy. The thing that threw me off was that Timothy wasn't complaining at all, but he did ask for some juice. He is such a funny kid.
I did apologize to Alexis. She was right, the nuggets were hot, but not temperature hot... they were spicy hot. I guess now is a good time to explain the difference to her.
Lesson learned: If there is a spicy option... make sure they get your order correct.

Lesson in Patience results

We didn't get the house. Boo.... That is all.

A lesson in patience

Our life lately could easily have the slogan, "Hurry up and wait". We have been house hunting and it is fun but hard at the same time. We found a short sale house awhile ago that we absolutely loved. We placed an offer only to find out four weeks later that the bank sent it to auction and sold it for less than our offer. How very frustrating. And the banks wonder why they are taking a blood bath? Maybe they should take the whole two seconds to look at the offer and realize it is more they will get at auction. Oh well. So after that house we took a break.
Currently we are looking at foreclosures. Some are in pretty rough shape, so when a good one comes along you have to move fast on it. We found another house (actually the exact same floor plan as the one we originally liked) and made an offer. We were not the only ones who made an offer though. The house was only on the market two days and it had several offers. The bidding war began. We submitted our offer and now we are still waiting to hear the results. Did we get it? Did we bid to low and if so did we just underbid by hundreds of dollars? The waiting is agonizing. I want to know NOW! I guess this is another lesson in patience. Stay tuned for the outcome.