Livin' in the fast lane....

Yes, we are all still alive and kicking, though some are kicking more than others. I have no great singular reason for being such a blog slacker. But here might be a few contributing factors:
*all settled in (unpacked) except for 3 rooms: office, guest room and storage room
*hosted a successful visit with my parents for 6 days and celebrated an early Christmas with them

*been out and about to the Royal Alberta Museum a couple times and loved it, buying year passes to a tune of $30 for the family (GREAT deal!!)
*been out to the Muttart Conservatory a couple times and had a blast (yes, purchased passes as well)
*been to our local library a couple times and have read umpteen good kids' books, then brought them all home to do it again.
*been to the Valley Zoo one morning, but didn't see many animals, so decided it'd be better in nicer weather when the animals return outside
*picked up our new dishwasher whiiiich we can't use until we renovate our kitchen after Christmas (after we upgrade our electrical aaaaand call a plumber... hmm.)
*had playdates with Lucas, Kassidy and India at various locales
*been to the first monthly meeting of our new bookclub and started the book Sweetness in the Belly to be read by the beginning of January: how exciting to be surrounded by other intelligent gals without kids for a whole evening!
*been to the mall to see our "local Santa"

*we all went to a Christmas open-house of a girl who's in the book club... and had a good time (despite being in a new location with many new people: this type of situation is not my forte.)
*went to this fabulous institution to bring home six tasty dishes for the holiday season
*took Natty to a potential new pre-school (or "pretty-school" as he calls it) to check it out one morning. He LOVED it: now he just needs to get toilet-trained over the holidays. Prime time, n'est pas?
*been to see our potentially new family doctor about Natty's newly diagnosed peanut allergy (just in time for the holidays...)
*been to the pharmacy to purchase his Brand New EpiPen
*surfed the net and found a whole whack of cool allergy items for kids (well, as cool as this situation permits) like this or these or even these simple reminders. Lots to see. Lots to take in. I just never thought I'd be one of those parents. But I am. Just like that. What a scary position to be in.

Just a few off the top of my head. But maybe I'm just blowing smoke. I'm sure you all are crazy-busy this time of year too. Well, just in case I remain apathetic where blogging is concerned, I do wish you all a wonderful Christmas. May you relax, laugh, eat good stuff, hang with loved ones, and just enjoy life. Love to you all.

....and we're in!

We made it! Sure we're living in a state of disarray and too many boxes, but we are all here, in one place, being a family...together. And I wouldn't change it for anything. Even the part where the Uhaul got stuck 2x on our street for hours at a time {before and after unloading}, the part where the other people's lawyer's were late getting the whole deal together and we waited out front of a locked house for hours with a full Uhaul waiting for the keys and watching our sunlight disappear, and when we found all the junk and old appliances the people left us. But I loved how loved and welcome we felt by all our friends and family that came to help us, care for our boys, chauffeur us and feed us. Thank you! You guys are the best.

The boys have taken quite well to being here: their bedrooms are "up and running" and are a big hit, as is the massive "toy room" (i.e. basement) that they have both taken over. Dan is still trying to actualize that we're here: he takes a while to internalize things. Poor Natty keeps asking if Dada is going for "a couple days" every time Dan leaves the house. It will take him a while to get it, I think. I am busy, busy, busy like a little hen. Peck, peck, pecking all around. I have trouble making myself relax and stop. Understandable, n'est pas? But I am so content here. I love this little house. It has so much potential. I love our location. I love the view out all our windows. Lucky, lucky us.

Yesterday we bundled up and walked all around the Legislative Grounds to view the Christmas decorations. Very fun, albeit cold. Then we made it to Boston Pizza for a warm dinner. Natty ate more spinach and artichoke dip than all of us, and all in all, another successful restaurant experience. A great end to a great evening. Then home to our new house!

My parents are flying here from Ontario this Friday for a six-day stay. It's proving great impetus for cleaning and unpacking. I'm looking forward to their visit. Especially when my mother sets up my kitchen for me... the part I'm procrastinating! And I thank ya, Mom.

At any rate, here are a few shots of our life of the past few days. A picture is worth a thousand words after all.


Angie's Dan and real-estate agent Brent trying to unstick the Uhaul.


The packed-to-the-hilt Uhaul and pickup (and our new home!)


Living room mayhem. I couldn't go to sleep until it was resolved.


...resolution!


Messes don't matter; there's music in the air.


A place to eat breakfast our first morning: very important.


Natty and Maya watching Dan go to work the first day from "home." : )

lesson learned

*leave all permanent markers out of reach
*employ another (husband) to scrub surfaces if you're too angry to think
*"Off-Skintastic" takes marker off of the fridge, washer, dryer, dishwasher, and oven, but not the cupboard
*VIM works on the wood cupboards
*Sunlight detergent and a dish-brush gets marker out of curtain fabric

more lessons learned...

*U-Haul is not a dependable company
*thinking bitterly that you'll probably have to drive to S.E. Calgary to pick up your U-Haul will bring bad fortune: as a penance, the only truck available for pick-up is located in Stettler; a mere 500km round-trip excursion. like it or lump it: there are other people without a truck who are willing to drive and pick up this coveted truck.

separation is over!

Break out the bubbly... Dan made it home yesterday and is now with us for the long haul up to Edmonton. No more days apart. Doing it all myself is finally over. A second set of hands to help with the zillion things that need doing. Sweet, sweet, sweet.

ecstasy

My neighbour let Natty play at her house all morning (9am-12pm!) with her grade 3 & 5 kids. Sweet marie. The amount of work I accomplished this morning is staggering. Bless him, but my little helper isn't condusive to productive moments. Luckily Isaac just crawls around wherever I'm packing and isn't a helper like Natty is. And the best part? He has a standing invitation to go back, and a playdate is set up for the morning. : ) Heavenly.

Losing my mind.

Today I:

*grilled a grilled cheese sans cheese
*lost Isaac's (life-giving) soother and clip and had to go buy a new one
*gave many time-outs
*packed 15 boxes
*stuffed and mailed all our Christmas cards (insanity at its prime)
*forgot to eat supper (fed boys...no worries; even if it was Dora canned noodles)
*heard the words "yucky" and "no" more times than I care to count
*exemplified super-mom status and let Natty watch his "Piggy-the-Pooh" movie
*took Natty (& Isaac) to the doctor for his allergy blood test (he was so brave)
*turned every room into a disaster zone with more "packing"
*got both boys bathed and to bed.

Phew.

I'm going to eat. And watch an hour of TV. Four more packing days.
Deadlines be damned.

No kids ears allowed.

Make sure your little darlings are far, far, far away. This, my friends, if you haven't had the pleasure of watching before, is "Curb Your Enthusiasm." It's an HBO show starring Larry David, the creator of Seinfeld. It is the other show that is tied for my #1 favourite show (Arrested Development being the other, as previously mentioned.) It's crude, yes. Very crude. Delightfully crude. Apologies if you are offended, but damn it... it's damn funny. If you need any reminders after you view this video of what is appropriate or not, please refresh yourself with this practical entry on cursing.

Bits of us

There go more bits and pieces into boxes. Boxes and boxes and boxes. Never-ending boxes. Our whole lives packed neatly. Packed securely. Packed with love, though haste. Is it that easy to piece us away? Ship us away? Be done with life as we know it? Will it (we) all arrive in one piece? Now there's the million-dollar question. Time will tell. Did the packing hold the pieces together? Did time unravel us? Break us into non-recognizable pieces? Be careful. More tape. More wrap. More boxes.

Well, maybe not this bad...

Chaos.

I think I can honestly say that I had one of my worst mornings ever with the boys. I had this great idea to go into the city to have the boys craft up a little special somethin'-somethin' for their Dad's Christmas present at a special somethin'-somethin' place. (I have to be vague as there's the off-chance he might read this!) Reasons it didn't go well include: Isaac crying and angry screaming almost the entire time; Natty wanting to do everything himself and making mess after mess; Natty not listening to anything that I was saying and actually screaming (very loudly) in the full workshop; things being thrown all over the floor by Natty and Isaac; hands coming repeatedly dangerously close to shelves upon shelves of breakables; Natty crying; Natty throwing his body on all over the floor in the shop in a tantrum; Natty hitting... you can see how this went. But damn it, I drove into the city to get this done, and we weren't leaving without a finished gift. I just sure hope that when I look at the gift in years to come it won't trigger frustration and anger in my mind. Boy oh boys.

Lid, Lid in my hands...

Who's the fairest in the land?

how embarrassing.

Two simultaneous video links playing at the same time on that previous post-gone-bad. Sorry to all who tried to figure it out. Silly computer. Silly me.

But here's something exciting! I bought a new book called "The Memory Keeper's Daughter" by Kim Edwards, which is endorsed by Jodi Picoult AND Sue Monk Kidd! Two of my favourite writers; if I can't trust them, who can I trust?

I feel so hopeful and giddy just before I start a new book. I've even prolonged starting it, just so the feeling would last. Ah, let's hear it for delayed gratification and all the dysfunction that surrounds it.

in tandem, no less

As I sat down at the computer, both boys started hacking simultaneously. I wonder if they are linked somehow. Something big. Something unexplainable or mysterious. Or maybe it's just that they've both had colds now since October 18th with no end in sight. Twenty-one days of rivers of snot, hacking nights, and slightly "off" behaviours. 21? That seems somewhat obscene and alarming. Maybe it's time to go to the doctor again. I always fear that I look like a pansy mother who just can't handle a common cold, who rushes their child in at the first sniffle. And I hate being told in that slightly condescending and patronizing way (even when I'm sure it's something *big* this time) that I just have to wait it out. But I guess I more so fear being told, "Why the hell didn't you come in earlier?! This could have been prevented if you just acted more responsible." Ok. I'll call in the morning.

In a nice, long, juicy phone call tonight with my "no holds barred" friend (and another tip of my hat to you, my friend, for the all-out purging), I came to realize that I am absolutely stressed out to the nth-degree, but am damn good at repressing a whole bunch of things for extended periods of time.

Must work on that. Later. Much later.

On an underlying related note: 22 days, 12 hours, and 52 minutes until we get possession of our new home.

laughter's good for the soul

Have I ever mentioned to you that Arrested Development is tied for my favourite show ever? If you haven't seen it, I strongly recommend going to the video store and renting it all, starting (of course) with the first season. I come dangerously close to peeing myself from laughing every time I watch an episode. You will not be disappointed. : )



Ok. One more.

ahhhhhh. all sorts.

Finally bought a bag from the bulk isle at Safeway. I couldn't get them out of my mind no matter how hard I tried. It's a fine assortment, if I do say so. I even got to pick out all the solid black licorice pieces. Pure bliss. It doesn't take much. : )

post-pregnant feature sheet

I was thinking about it over the past few days (not too sure how it all got started in my mind), and I have realized that this poor bod of mine has really taken "a few for the team" in housing and growing two human beings. Here is a list of what is no longer the same as it used to be:

*my once thick hair is now fine and flimsy
*I lose my hair by the handfuls
*I actually sweat (honest: I never did before)
*my nails are brittle and are always breaking and flaking
*my fingers will hurt and tingle if I repeat an action too long
(i.e. holding a spoon to feed Isaac or writing with a pen)
*I get cramps (again: a new experience)
*I have a shorter memory and temper

Of course, it almost goes without saying, but I will anyway, that "it is all worth it" (of course, of course...). But still. What about you?

All Hail, All Sorts.

1 kilogram.

KI-LO-GRAM.

2.205 pounds.

You'd think that would last me a good week or so.

You'd *think.*

***Thursday, 12:48pm: SOLD OUT. Probably for the best.***

I love a good deal.

Somehow this site found me. It sells a bit of everything. It's Canadian. Prices on toys are really good (all 30% off), but the best part is... shopping from home, and all the shipping is absolutely FREE. It's their Christmas special. Not bad. Not bad at all. Go take a gander.

http://www.ecozyshop.com/
(sorry, I'm on a mac--no hyperlink capabilities for me.)

new look.

just foolin around.

maybe it will stay the same, maybe it won't.

kind of like life.

gone.

The dreaded moment has come and gone. John, Paige and the twins are gone. Gone, gone, gone. We had a teary goodbye (which seemed to drag on the whole day) until they finally arrived at 4:30 for the final, final goodbye. My poor heart. It's bad enough for me to go through this thinking only of myself, but to know how it is going to affect Natty, with Paige being like a second-mother to him, crushes my heart into a pulpy mess.

I had to drive Natty by their house after they left as even though we just said goodbye, he asked to go to their house. The new people were there already. I'm not sure if he even got it then. It will be like someone kicking me in the stomach every time Natty asks to go to his Auntie Paige's (and it's multiple times a day). It's not that we are just family. We are best friends. How do you say goodbye to your best friends? How many times will I have to stop myself from automatically dialing her number just to chat (for the eighth time that day)? There go those damn tears again. What a draining day. Sleep will hopefully obliterate any thoughts or feelings. Until tomorrow.

37 days left to...

*spend quality time with near-by friends
*enjoy my beautiful mountain sunsets and views
*feel "settled" in my home of four years
*walk to the grocery store out my back door for "something fun" to do
*enable Granny Bubbles to enjoy play, play, playing with the boys
*get winter tires for Dan's truck (although sooner would be better)
*deliberately and methodically shop for Christmas
*pack the rest of our things in a non-harried fashion
*go to our favourite parks
*not have to worry about cooking full meals every night
*print out lists of things to do for our move without everything
being pre-marked "overdue" and feeling like I'm starting in a hole
*call my local friends as a local call
*watch whatever movies or programs I feel like
*facilitate playdates for Natty and his best buds
*enjoy receiving and reading every last bit of our small weekly newspaper
*drive by John and Paige's deserted house and remember the good times
*look out my back window at the giant Canadian flag to see the wind
patterns at any point in the day (I secretly want to be a meteorologist)
*also look out my back window to be able to check the gas price
*plan, measure, dream and order things for the new house
*be a week-day single mom
*have my evenings all to myself to do whatever I feel like
*eat all the unhealthy things I feel like without feeling guilty
*contemplate being a fully-functioning family again

my new book.

I think when all is said and done, I will publish a book entitled, "Real-Estate: How NOT to Buy and Sell." Such a wise, wise woman I will be...

The latest? And I don't begrudge you one bit, dear friends, for letting out the inward groan as you had hoped this entry might be something else OTHER than real estate matters. But I will carry on with my point... The latest is that the people we are buying our new home from have decided to stay on until what we had in writing: November 30th, despite numerous reassurances during the writing of the contract on their part that they were moving to Ontario the end of October. Shame on us for not getting that in writing. 100% our fault.

We have to be out of our place November 17th. I have gone so far as to even call our realtor and have her ask our buyer if she could or would push her move-in date to November 30th. Now that's desperation talking. ; )

In my mind I am planning a wonderful 2-week vacation for the overlap time. Money be damned. Kennel costs be damned. Storage costs be damned. But, mind you, that's just in my mind.

All that and Paige, John and the twins are moving away in two days. And both boys are sick with a nasty cold and miserable. We make a wonderful gang around here, I tell ya. Class-A1.

This too shall pass. Thirty-eight more days. The official count down is on.

****4:40pm***** A small miracle for us: our buyer agreed to put off her possession date of this place until Nov. 30th. We are not on the street. Big sigh of relief, although 5 & 1/2 more weeks of single-parenting and commuting is not our desired outcome. Guess we can't have our cake and eat it too, right? Mmmm. Cake.... Guess I'll just have to be happy with the bag of licorice all-sorts that I've bought for myself to devour this evening. Ah, depression eating at its best. : )

the colour red

I am beginning to like red more and more in life. It makes a statement. It's bold and bright. It catches people's eyes and demands their attention.

It's the colour of my new super-soft and fuzzy robe from Costco that I just bought. No good reason to buy it (other than the worn-through patches on my robe from highschool days). Just felt like a fuzzy warm treat. And it's brought me comfort and joy.

It's also the colour of Christmas, which is quickly approaching. Costco triggered that for me as well. I'm so excited about it this year because Natty finally understands and is super-excited for Christmas "to come to his house." I believe I'll be giddy with excitement this year watching Natty drink in the sights, smells, tastes, sounds, and feelings of Christmas. This is what they are talking about when they say having children lets you relive your childhood experiences!

It's the colour of Dan's truck that came rolling in the driveway tonight just after dinner: in enough time to have a little play with Isaac, and fun evening of wrestling and laughter with Natty. It's so wonderful having him home again, making our family whole. Existing in a parallel-reality to what we know day in and day out. Imagining in my mind that this will be my re-established reality in due time.

But what is the most cherished thing tonight that is the colour red? The letters on the sticker spelling out SOLD on our sign on the front lawn.

sweet things

Had a great sleep last night, and a nap this afternoon. Sweet, sweet sleep. My dear friend. : )

Had a much better day today, despite the unsettled matter of affairs. Might be because the bank appraiser finally came through our place today and was very impressed and "saw no problems." Don't know what that means appraisal amount-wise, but I'm hoping like hell that it's a good thing and this will all be done by the end of the week. But, at the same time, not letting myself hope to hard. You know. Self-preservation.

Natty's started this new thing at night where he knows it's time to be put to bed and he asks if he can cuddle. He sits ever so still in the chair with me, hugging me and burrowing his soft head into my neck, while whispering such wonderful little words, stories and observations to me, and sweetly stroking my hand or face. He has me hook, line and sinker, that boy. I'd sit there all night with him... as long as he was that sweet, quiet, loving, cuddly little boy. He seems to have the sixth sense that as soon as he gets loud or starts moving around lots, the party's over, and so he's ever so talented at keeping the activity-level just below the level of detection. ; )

And dear, sweet Isaac is treating me to many smiles, belly-laughs, squeals of delight, and his favourite words "star" and "da-da" umpteen times a day despite presently breaking through two molars and one front tooth. What did I do to deserve such wonderful little boys? I am crazy in love with them both: they are just what I need.

hello sleepless nights.

Just when I was starting to breathe again. And sleep again. I just talked to our real estate agent here, Iris, and she told me to contact our lawyer and see how we should be proceeding. What?! A lawyer, you say? I'm just as stunned as you. Let me take you back a bit...

I called Iris at 9:25am Friday morning to see about conditions being removed from our buyer. She had the paperwork sitting in front of her. All conditions were removed, the buyer's signature was there, and it had been faxed in. Done and done, I was told. Firm sale. There was rejoicing in our home. : )

1:15pm: I received a call from the buyer (yes, direct to me. She thought it'd be ok since we had talked before since this was a we-list caller). She told me how she just had an operation and couldn't get around well, how she owned her place outright and just needed an appraisal on it for the bank to forward her x-amount. That was running behind, especially since she was so sick, and could we please give her one more week to lift her conditions (i.e. get a bank appraisal). She called me directly thinking if she described her situation directly to me, I would be more likely to be lenient to her personally, rather than just a name on a sheet. I told her that there must be some mistake somewhere since her realtor had faxed in her removal of conditions sheet that morning and as far as we were concerned, we had a firm sale. And to call her realtor. She was shocked: she had signed the paper, but only because she was sick and could only get out the previous day to do it. She told her realtor to hold on to it. Her realtor didn't. There is the error. The larger-than-life error for this poor buyer. She assured me that's what she was going to do.

After many back and forth calls with my realtor, we were told we had a choice: (1) we could allow her the extra week, but that would keep it as "conditionally sold" and she could walk away at the end of the week if the appraisal didn't work the way she wanted it to, leaving us at square one. OR, (2), we could just say sorry, but it's a firm sale. By law, it was faxed in and it's a done deal.

Dan and I wavered a bit, angry that we had to make a choice and that even though it was her realtor's fault, we were the ones who were going to have to pay the price for it. Dan told me, "You know, an apology from her realtor would go a long way here. Just some humility saying they made a mistake, and can't we all work together to fix it."

At that moment the phone rang and it was Iris saying she had just got a call from the buyer's realtor saying that the buyer and us had just got off the phone and worked everything out and agreed to give her the extension, and to please send over the paperwork. This was at 3:45pm. Iris said she had no knowledge and she had to call us on it. Of course, it wasn't true and the other realtor was trying to pull a fast one. That really didn't sit well with either Dan or myself and so we said, no, keep it a firm sale. If it's got down to deception and lies, then we want no part in new dealings.

That's where it ended. Iris told them that it would remain firm. The buyer still owes her deposit, however, which was due on condition day (last Friday). She hasn't paid it and has been told by her realtor to talk to a lawyer on how to proceed. Iris told me to talk to our lawyer on how to proceed. Her realtor was angry that we wouldn't relent to a mistake being made. On one hand I feel like a giant bully saying that it's firm, and think, "it's only a week! Why make it all sour?" On the other hand, I don't want to open the possibility to us going back to square one again, and I don't want to deal with a lying realtor (hers). We have nothing to be ashamed of, we've done nothing wrong. We didn't make any errors. But it's looking like we're the ones to blame. This SUCKS!

So, I put in the call to "our lawyer" but she wasn't available at the time of the call. Hopefully she'll call back soon, as I am turning into a mess all over again. Hello?! We've bought a house here! We're moving on! Oh, my heart, my nerves. I can't hack this. I think I may have a mental breakdown before this is all over.

Ah, what angst.

and the verdict is...

We're moving to our pretty little house in Edmonton!! : ) AND, We have have a "firm sale" on our house, which is turning out to be a story in itself. By law, it's a firm, done-deal. By the agent who made a mistake on the behalf of her buyer, it's a mess. I guess we'll see come closing day if it can all be straightened out or not. I'll share the details of the whole schimaze when it's not so early... or so tension-headche inducing. Yesterday was a very, very, very long day.

But we did end the day by going out to dinner, movie (Trailer Park Boys!), Marble Slab ice-cream, then Starbucks. The deliciously funny evening helped to abate my mind and the "celebration evening" was greatly welcomed.

More on it all later. I have two boys that need breakfast now! : )

Just telling stories, Mama.

It's embarrassing to say, but we have been working with Natty for months and months now that pooping in the tub in neither appropriate nor acceptable. I'm not sure what it is for him that is so enjoyable about it (perhaps the same sensation/ease that pregnant women feel when they opt to give birth in the water?) but we can't seem to impress on him enough that it is not the proper choice that he is making. It's been quite a few baths since this has happened last, and I had almost clear forgotten about this dirty little habit of his.

Here's where I'm not winning any super-mom awards: while Natty has his play time in the bath, I sit around the corner on the computer eagerly drinking up any computer time that is afforded to me! I frantically visit page after page, rapidly fire off emails, visit all the blogs, do our finances... whatever I can do in my little window. I realize that I should be present in the bathroom at all times with such a little person in the tub (and, please note, I never leave Isaac's side if he's in the tub!); but I know Natty is more than capable; I am told repeatedly by him, "No thank you Mama!" for me to leave; and although my eyes are focused on the screen, my ears are glued to the tub for any unusual noises or activities.

Here's where experience comes in. I know the noises of a boy that is getting ready to, or is in the midst of pooping in the tub. He's not very sly about it. If his toots and grunts don't give him away in enough time to save the situation, then his incriminating descriptive dialogue and play-by-play of his pooping does. Sadly, even though I know the method to his seeming madness (or rather, to my impending madness), I never seem to nip it in the butt (pun intended) early enough. I'll give that much to him.

But tonight he got me hook line and sinker. I was happily reading away an extraordinarily juicy blog and comment page, fully enjoying myself and thinking how well it was going for me: good friends to laugh about/with, time on the computer, one boy bathed and down to bed and the other playing so nicely; it bit me in the ass. Natty had been playing out and telling a cute little story in the tub with his toys and I was proudly thinking of how ingenious he was to come up with his ideas. Then the word poop entered his story and I flew into the bathroom frantically searching the tub with my eyes for the dreaded floating...er... pieces. Not one there! Had we crossed a bridge here? Had I got there in time? Had I one more item to add to my "look-how-well-my-life-is-going-right-now" pile? I asked him so nicely if he had to go poo--did he want to get out and try, since it wasn't acceptable to go in the tub--or was he just telling stories. "Oh, I'm just telling stories, Mama." Phew! As I turned to leave I saw the crime. Between the curtains, sitting so comfortably together in a cup were three fair-sized brown lumps. My resourceful little boy had corralled the offenders himself. The problem was, I didn't know how long he had been boy-handling them and using them as props in his story. Needless to say, as equally amused, disgusted and angered as I was, I ended his story right then and there, amidst many tears of complaint. But, secretly, I was so impressed he captured them all and had set them apart, or consecrated them, if you will. Now if I could only teach him how to clean out the tub with the cleaner.

waiting on pins and needles

Quick update here on the housing front:

1) Looks like the little Edmonton home should be ours. : ) We removed the inspection condition last night and have until Friday to remove the financing condition which shouldn't be a problem (as our lender has told us). So, my mind is very, very busy mentally moving furniture around in all the rooms and getting it set up "just right." : ) I am just giddy with excitement!! Possession will be firmed up on Friday after we lift our condition, but it can be as early as Nov. 1st. I believe Dan is going in then and will be doing some of the required work for upgrades (i.e. redoing the bathroom!) and we will follow when that is complete. I have suggested to Dan to enlist our good friend Sean (from previous posted fame) to help out there to expedite the whole process... and maybe also install a new dishwasher... and here's shooting for the stars: an additional 2-pc bathroom downstairs? I know, I know, I'm thinking high. A gal's got to hope, right?

2) Our home is still conditionally sold, with both conditions (inspection and financing) to be lifted this Friday as well. I am SUPER nervous about that. I realize all should be ok, but these things fall through all the time, and considering our luck thus far in the real-estate market, I'm a full-blown pessimist. The lady who's going to buy this place has opted to just look at our home inspection that we had done four years ago, which we happily provided with lots of sticky notes all through bringing all our repairs and upgrades up to date along-side the original inspection notes. I'm not sure if that will satisfy her alone, but it's a pretty positive report. Here's hoping it's that easy.

So, Friday at 8:59pm we should definitively know about both places. And a sound sleep should hopefully follow! And then it's only a matter of time until we're finally all together as a family again!! The countdown could start... (cue "it's the final countdown" music here).

IF (x2)

What a ride, and yes, I am fully aware that the ride is not over yet. It has been a busy day at the Rietveld home (er--the Bullen home) today. I have talked to my parents about financing regarding the offer we had to rescind, the mortgage broker, our realtor back home, a different realtor back home, our realtor here, and then our realtor back home a few more times. My voice is growing weary, as is my poor head.

Last I updated we had to not accept the counter offer on my dream little home as we had to remove condition of selling our home and we just couldn't do that not knowing how long our house is going to drag on for. If we had signed, and not sold our house come possession, we could have lost our sizeable deposit as well as been sued for breach of contract (and probably lost both houses). However, since my brother and Paige listed AND sold their home in two days as of yesterday, they no longer need my parents to co-sign for them freeing them up to co-sign for us... and to lift the condition of selling our home off! Worst case scenario this way is that after two more months here if our house doesn't sell, we may have to carry two mortgages until it does. Definitely not as scary! (Although the thought of that still sends shivers down my spine). Anyway, we were pre-approved with my parents on and we went ahead and put the offer back to them (it still wasn't dead yet: our realtor told them we were just looking into some financing options to buy us time, knowing how much we wanted it and were trying to sell our home! So, that was nice to still have on the table.) But we had to add in subject to financing (by next Fri.) to cover our offer... and we still haven't heard back yet! My mind is racing around wondering if they are going to sign off on it and say we've conditionally bought their home or not! I go from imagining where I'm going to put all our stuff in the house to thinking about what other houses we will have to go look at, knowing that nothing we look at will sit in my heart the way this one does. So, tomorrow morning--oh wait! thanks to insomnia and an overactive mind, that's today!--I will call and ask what's going on. You'd think I'd be learning patience through this all, but I am an incredibly challenged learner in that area.

On a side-note here, are you the type of eater that eats a little bit of everything at once and likes things to be balanced or do you like to eat your least favourite thing and then work up to your favourite? (I am the former, and Dan is the latter--drives me crazy!) But, I do believe that I see how is mind-set is working on that one as I continue on in my lengthy recount of our real-estate goings on. (And I do apologize to you all that I haven't done anything half entertaining or stimulating lately... I know all this chat gets a bit tedious, but I do need to purge it out somehow. You're it, I'm afraid). Aaaaanyway, on to my saving my favourite for last theory...

Our Cochrane house sold conditionally this evening. : ) : ) : ) They have until next Friday to have the house inspection done and the financing condition removed, then it's a done-deal. Possession is set for Nov. 17th, which works out well if we get this house here, as although they wrote up possession of Nov. 30 for us (to give us time to sell our house), they are moving to Ontario the end of October and the house will be vacant and they are willing to let us go in early!! : ) So, we actually could have overlap in our favour. IF they accept our offer and IF our conditional sale goes through.

Two very big IFs that stand in the way of me and sleep tonight. I am ecstatic, just too spent to let myself revel in it. Or, maybe just too afraid to believe that it all could work out. I firmly believe everything happens in the right time and God is guiding us through this all. I just need to learn to lean back more in that promise. So many lessons for me yet to learn, although I've been taught them again and again!

oh, be careful little heart...

But didn't you see it? Did you not go in the same wooden screen door that I did and have your breath momentarily caught up in your chest because it was so beautiful? Because it felt so right and at home? Did you not notice every little nook and cranny that I did? The "fort" in the attic off of one of "the boy's" rooms upstairs? The half-door (like in the church nursery) in the other room upstairs? All the built in drawers? The jetted tub (which I've been secretly coveting for years)? The dark wood floors? The wonderful dark wood stairs that curl around ever so gently at the top to deliver the boys safely to their cozy rooms? The huge bright window in the kitchen facing over the backyard; did you know I can watch the boys playing happily in the back and simultaneously make supper--or even bake? And, hee-hee, did you know that with five bedrooms, I can finally have a place to do my stamping (while also looking out over the back yard) *and* also have a place for guests to lay their heads? Did you notice how everything is finished up so perfectly: no loose ends or sharp pieces for the boys to hurt themselves on? And what about the neighbourhood? On a dead-end cul-de-sac that they can go out and play street-hockey on, and a gorgeous tree-covered park a half a block away? No, this little house was ordered up custom just for me. I know I should be going into self-preservation mode here, as they haven't even accepted our offer yet, but I just can't help myself. Thanks for the warning, but I'm afraid I've already taken the plunge. I am head over heels in love with this little home.

scary realization...

We've put in another offer on another house and I've realized that I don't really even care anymore. Isn't that something? It's in Highlands, on a nice street, it's a really old home that needs EVERYTHING redone to it (but is oozing character!), so we've gone in lower with our conditions, and it's to the point where I say, "If it happens, then... great? We've got a hell of a lot of work ahead of us." If not? Maybe fourth time's a charm. So silly all this house stuff. Silly, silly, silly, and yet so damn necessary. Ah,what the hell, here's the picture:



***Wednesday 3:35pm: Another no-go. Too many conditions. We really, really need to sell our house to have any of these offers taken seriously! On to bigger and better--no wait, just on to other things. Well, who's keeping track anyway?

Onwards and upwards....

Not to be on the little cute house. That must mean there's something better down the road for us.: ) Someone came in and counter-offered with no conditions. I can respect that.

We are in Edmonton for a week now; we just got in at lunch here. We're housesitting at the Bullen's in Highlands. Should be fun. It's near parks and paths with a nice yard to play in. I look forward to visiting with whomever I can while I'm here. : )

I'd better run--Natty's banging on the wall and crying (it's his "nap"). Ah, yes. We need to settle in.

Trying again.

Here's to our second attempt at buying a home. We have put in the offer just before dinner here, and are waiting to hear back if they accept it or not. It's not our "dream home" but it allows us to live comfortably while I'm at home, and also the opportunity to invest some of our house equity in the mean-time. Three bedrooms up with full bath, main floor has LR, DR, kitchen, another bedroom, plus full bath; basement is dirt. Hmm. It's old, but there have been many, many upgrades. Here's hoping? For you Edmontonians who may want to drive by if you're out and about, it's in the Alberta-Ave district: 11928 90 Street.

s'nice.

I'll miss this view when we move from here. Whenever that is. No news. They say no news is good news, but I'm not so sure that this is the case. We have showings, but no offers. Fill in pat saying here: "_______________________________ " Yup. What to do.... what to do. Our contract is up on Sept. 30th with our present realtor, and I do believe that will be the end of her! There are lots of options from there. I've got my hopes set in that direction. IF she manages to close a deal before then, well, hats off to her. I can secretly hope, I guess. : ) My fortitude is growing weary. So is my cleaning gene.

What a scattered woe-is-me entry. Yeish.

This one's for you, John.

My brother John is a full-blooded germ-a-phobe. As I was flipping through the Globe and Mail this weekend, I was drawn to this article like a person is drawn to a train-wreck. I couldn't look away; I had to digest every little detail in totally absorbed horror. Perhaps he isn't a freak afterall when it comes to the public bathrooms... My apologies, John.

I found it so engrossing (ha!) that I had to send it along to your eyes too. I believe my favourite parts of this diagram are the walls behind the middle stall and the urinal. Wowsers. That IS something, isn't it? (Make sure to click on the photo to read all the sordid details clearly!)



The toilet seat, eh? Who knew.

zits at 34.

Had someone told me when I was in highschool and suffering with dealing with acne that it would be sticking around, I don't think that I could have made it. I think I would have given up the fight. Just knowing that when you "grow up" your acne goes away helps one cope.

34 fricking years old and still getting "doosies." Seriously.

salve for the soul

It's Isaac's turn to shine.

or maybe the hours grow longer?

That's my newest line of thinking anyway. Nothing new on the home-front. We had another "almost offer" last week, but it didn't happen as the people left on vacation the day they were going to write it up, and they felt "too rushed" on it all and opted to see if it would still be around when they came back. Hmm. Right. But we had four showings last week, and three yesterday. Activity is picking up, but we can't buy a new house on "activity." You know. It's in the small things.

On a more exciting note, after 5 hours on the phone and 24 phone calls to secure a babysitter for last Saturday evening (no word of a lie), we went out with John and Paige for Dan's 30th birthday bash. It was amazing. We went to dinner at Joey Tomatoes, and the food and service were excellent, as were the fun drinks we all ordered, then to the movie "Little Miss Sunshine" (I don't want to over-do the recommendation, but I can't remember laughing so often and hard in a movie in a long time), then we went to the Marble Slab Ice Cream for the best ice cream I've had in a long time (a theme to the evening!). Other things that I haven't had in a long time: a night out with adults only, stimulating and funny conversation with other adults, feeling like life was "normal," great food I didn't have to cook, fanTAStic peanut-butter/skor ice cream, the feeling of not being responsible for watching over someone, the 'quiet' of an adult car-ride complete with conversation and good tunes, and then the not-so-nice feeling of watching my watch and knowing that the evening would have to come to an end sooner than I wanted it to as I had to get back to feed Isaac. But the time we had, oh, it was sweet. I have to make this note in my mind that this should not be a once-a-year treat, but rather, something we aspire to do a bit more often!

Well, I'm off to jump in the shower. Both boys are down---yes! : ) Our three showings yesterday did us in with all the running around and being out of the house (from 9-1:30, and then 4-7:15; you can't stay in a clean home with a toddler...). Isaac's sleeping was all over the map and he was all wonked out. We all need to decompress today. I'm so apathetic, I can't believe I actually got them both fed and dressed! My mind's mush, I say. Last night I was so fried I flipped between "World's Most Amazing Videos" (be sure to say that with the reverb in your mind) and "SuperNanny" and "Flip this House!" Doesn't get any more thoughtless than that! : ) Ok. Time's a tickin'. Boys will be up soon necessitating that I do mother jobs again. Must indulge while I can.

phew!

we're pre-approved by two different lenders!

thank the heavens above and on with the hunt. : )

super mom

I made it through today feeling like a super-mom. I haven't felt this relaxed and happy in a long time. I...

*didn't lose my patience once (I'm very proud of that one; I seem to be so low on patience these days.)
*listened to both of my boys laugh and laugh because of silly things I was doing or saying
*sat out on our front deck drinking coffee while playing with a satisfied, happy Natty after supper
*cooked a kick-ass dinner of steak for Natty and I and fed Isaac new finger foods (cheese and tiny, tiny grape pieces: which he LOVED and was so proud of himself!)
*swung on our swings all by myself just because I felt like it.
*kept our house clean for tomorrow's showing
*got out of the house and did errands, while keeping a fairly good hand on both boys and their desires and happiness level (i.e. no meltdowns!)
*got in quality cuddle time with both boys
*laughed at Natty's funny great little observations and jokes
*delighted in Isaac's level of interaction with me in his facial expressions, noises, and little games he plays.

I did it. I'm an ok mom. I have to tell myself that every so often, ya know? : )

"My Party"

Those were the only words that I heard said from Natty's room after he was put down for the night after his third birthday party yesterday! What a blast. He totally understood this year that this was *his* party. : ) He even started his own "Happy Birthday" song when the cake was being brought in. His excitement was contagious and I remembered, even for a little bit, how darn exciting birthdays used to be. ; ) We had many friends and family over (12 adults, 11 kids), and everyone stayed outside the whole time (except to blow out the birthday candles, due to wind), and just ran around, roasted weenies, swang, rolled, hopped, sand-boxed, ran, visited, and laughed. Good for the soul. And good to have a purpose and focus aside from housing and mortgage, if for only an evening.

Update on that front: We have to start afresh with another mortgage broker. We are going to initially try the one our real estate agent thinks will be a good bet, but we have other plan of attacks too (thank you to all who recommended someone!). Surely we won't be on the street. That's what I've resolved in my head anyway. Monday morning I will get the stuff all faxed in and hopefully it won't take long to find out where we sit... again.

So, there's no offers on homes, really, until we can see if we can be approved for one. But we're still looking as both Dan and I are sure we'll get one one way or another. Just trying out different things, that's all. Our home here still hasn't sold, but our agent told us this weekend that she is still a firm believer in the price and situation, and that it will sell. O.k. Trying hard to believe that one. She said whoever goes through has nothing but positive things to say about the place, but that doesn't really put money in the bank, does it? Hmm. Wait and wait and wait and see. : )

Dan's gone again back up to Edmonton. It really sucks seeing him drive away. It gets harder and harder each week. I'm not a fan of doing all this alone. I am gaining a new awe and respect for all single parents out there! And to fathom that they have to work on top of this. Well, simply put, I can't fathom it. But I am glad, in a way, that I am going through this, as I hope that it makes me cognizant of others around that aren't in the same situation as I am, and hopefully developing some pactical empathy to go along with it.

Well, I'm drained, so I am off to watch some mindless t.v. Oh, but first I have to pay some bills. I really know how to get a party going!

Houston, we have a problem.

I'm really trying not to panic here, but for the last 4 and 1/2 hours, I have only extrapolated to the worst possible scenerio outcomes. My mind is having great difficulty wrapping itself around the latest development, and I feel like I am somewhat detached from it all, orbiting in a zero-gravity space, looking down on it all, seeing it happening. What is it, you ask?

Our mortgage broker causually mentioned the other day to find out if Dan is on probabtion for his new job, then to call back with the answer. I did. He told me he's on 3 month probation. I called and told them this today. Their response? "Oh, well, that changes everything. I'm sorry, but no one will lend you money if he's on probation. You'll have to wait until he's done probation to try to get preapproved and buy a house." Pardon me? I called our present mortgage holder and asked her again about a new mortgage, and because, on paper, Dan isn't guaranteed more than his 32 hours/week earnings, even if we put down in excess of $150,000 on a new home for a downpayment, they still wouldn't approve us for a loan.

You have got to me frickin' kidding me. I feel like pretty woman in the fancy shops (banks) with all the money crumpled up in my hands crying "I have all this money, and no one will help me." Our credit rating is excellent--they've all said so. We have absolutely no debt, except for our present mortgage.

So why the hell are they just telling us this now? After I've quit my permanent teaching job, we've listed our house, accepted a new job, even gone so far as to put an offer in on a home (yes, hindsight is thankful that fell through!), but HONESTLY! We have changed our whole lives based on their word that, "No problem, guaranteed, if you put 25% down, and with your good credit, there's not even a question of you being approved. It's a sure thing." And they forgot to mention the whole question of probation?! Is this not their jobs? Are we supposed to know all the ins and outs to watch for before changing around our whole lives?

And the kicker? Dan realized today that he's not on probation for three months, he's on for six months. Our present mortgage holder told us to go rent a house.

I can't even comprehend that this is happening. In my mind I keep thinking, obviously there has to be a solution. This can't end like this. This isn't it. But what's the solution? Beats me. I'll have to get back to you.

boy, it's late...

So I'll be quick about it. (Plus I'm super-sick of thinking about it.) Sean got in and looked around. Indeed, it *is* a mess. It almost has to be gutted and redone. Yikes. So, we're going to put in a low-ball offer and see what happens. If they don't want to take it, we tried, and we'll move on. That's that.

On a more fun note, Natty and Isaac had their first "together bath" tonight! I was very nervous as Natty has trouble listening when he gets really excited (which he was), and when Isaac is involved. But it turned out really, really well! How fun. Here's some visuals of their time...