Yesterday we had another appointment with the developer of the subdivision our home will be built in. V and I both expected this to be a "pick out your finishes" appointment. Not so much, we reviewed the blueprints (again), asked for one small change that won't affect the blueprints really and basically gave our approval. Ugh. Two weeks wasted. You see the developer didn't put in a request for our permits yet, he'll do that now and it will be 2-4 (or more) weeks before they break ground. As it pours rain right now. It's a miracle it hasn't snowed yet and there is no frost to break so I'm anxious (to say the least) for them to break ground. So far this *shouldn't* effect our move in date which is now a firm March 29th 2013.
I know this process is going be a big test in patience for me but right in this very moment it's just adding to the enormous amount of stress I'm already under. For the last week I've been right on the verge of throwing up. I would love nothing more than a long hot bath right now, something that is not an option in our current home. I'm counting the days until I can at least start packing and truly day dreaming of settling into our forever home.
The countdown is on, even if I spend more than a few days stuck at some numbers.
Much Love,
Jen
Showing posts with label our home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label our home. Show all posts
November 30, 2012
November 14, 2012
Building Our Home: Offer Accepted
Oh my tummy turned a little as I type that, in a good way of course. I literally just received an email from our realtor that our offer will be countered in the morning, the developer will pay 70% of our closing, good enough for us! I called V and we agreed we would accept his counter......holy cow, we are really building our first home!
So it begins, I can not wait for all the things we get to pick out, I know it will be totally overwhelming at times but I think I'm ready!!! I know I'm more than ready for Liam to have more room to run and play!
So it begins, I can not wait for all the things we get to pick out, I know it will be totally overwhelming at times but I think I'm ready!!! I know I'm more than ready for Liam to have more room to run and play!
November 13, 2012
Building a House: The Waiting Game
Perhaps God is using this experience as another opportunity to teach me to be patient. I wonder how that is going.....cuz I'm not a patient person.
Something I didn't expect about building a house; because we are building in a subdivision we picked a model and some upgrades and I thought you just paid the listed price, like buying boots at Target.
Apparently not, the developer even told us "let me know what your offer is". Later in the conversation he also mentioned the builder wanted permission to build a spec. home through the winter to keep his crew busy. Two key things that led us to believe there was some wiggle room on the price. Here's the thing though, I don't want to offend this guy, he seems very on the straight and narrow. After speaking to our realtor he suggested that we ask him to pay our closing costs and use that money to purchase upgrades to our home (we planned on the upgrades anyway)....so we did. We officially placed our offer this morning....so the waiting begins. The developer has until Thursday to get back to us, I wish he'd just accept the offer as is so we can break ground!!
I'm so ready for this whole process to get rolling!!!
Something I didn't expect about building a house; because we are building in a subdivision we picked a model and some upgrades and I thought you just paid the listed price, like buying boots at Target.
Apparently not, the developer even told us "let me know what your offer is". Later in the conversation he also mentioned the builder wanted permission to build a spec. home through the winter to keep his crew busy. Two key things that led us to believe there was some wiggle room on the price. Here's the thing though, I don't want to offend this guy, he seems very on the straight and narrow. After speaking to our realtor he suggested that we ask him to pay our closing costs and use that money to purchase upgrades to our home (we planned on the upgrades anyway)....so we did. We officially placed our offer this morning....so the waiting begins. The developer has until Thursday to get back to us, I wish he'd just accept the offer as is so we can break ground!!
I'm so ready for this whole process to get rolling!!!
November 10, 2012
Building a Home: Selecting Our Lot
Last night after work V and I scurried over to a meeting with the developer of the subdivision where we plan to build our home. Our realtor is out of town so one of his associates went with us, unfortunately we arrived before her. BUT fortunately the developer was waiting for us and one of the nicest people I have ever encountered! He even shared with us a story about how he came up with the names of a few of the floor plans, the cheapest one was for his father and when he told his father about that he said "that was alright" with a smile....the floor plan we like is after his mother because she would have liked all the storage and the vaulted ceilings!
Once our stand-in-realtor arrived we began discussing all of our options. V and I already knew what floor plan we want because it's the same as the home we made the unaccepted offer on. We will make a few changes to differentiate our home from that one. Then we reviewed the upgrade options and were given a list of options for our lot. We all agreed that V and I would drive out over the weekend and select our lot then we'd write up our buy-sell with a closing date roughly 120 days out.
This morning V let me sneak away for a workout, I got home just in time for Liam to snuggle and go down for a 3hr nap. Once Liam finally woke up we all ate lunch and headed out to look at lots. Since we had reviewed them the night before I *thought* I knew which one I liked but we both wanted to look and make sure. I am SO glad we did! We drove up and down the street, through the ally, parked and looked at the homes surrounding each lot and took into consideration distance to the park.....and we BOTH agreed on one. Can we just take a minute to soak up the fact that we both agreed on something with ease?! Whew! I have a lot of peace about it, I really (REALLY) like our lot.
So now we just need our realtor to get home and write up our buy-sell agreement so they can break land! Good thing he gets home tomorrow because it's snowing as we speak!
After that we'll have a million decisions to make on decor, so far V says it's all in my hands but I don't buy that for a minute, he's too opinionated!
Once our stand-in-realtor arrived we began discussing all of our options. V and I already knew what floor plan we want because it's the same as the home we made the unaccepted offer on. We will make a few changes to differentiate our home from that one. Then we reviewed the upgrade options and were given a list of options for our lot. We all agreed that V and I would drive out over the weekend and select our lot then we'd write up our buy-sell with a closing date roughly 120 days out.
This morning V let me sneak away for a workout, I got home just in time for Liam to snuggle and go down for a 3hr nap. Once Liam finally woke up we all ate lunch and headed out to look at lots. Since we had reviewed them the night before I *thought* I knew which one I liked but we both wanted to look and make sure. I am SO glad we did! We drove up and down the street, through the ally, parked and looked at the homes surrounding each lot and took into consideration distance to the park.....and we BOTH agreed on one. Can we just take a minute to soak up the fact that we both agreed on something with ease?! Whew! I have a lot of peace about it, I really (REALLY) like our lot.
So now we just need our realtor to get home and write up our buy-sell agreement so they can break land! Good thing he gets home tomorrow because it's snowing as we speak!
After that we'll have a million decisions to make on decor, so far V says it's all in my hands but I don't buy that for a minute, he's too opinionated!
November 9, 2012
Juggling
Some days I think I rock at this whole super-wife, rockstar-working-mom gig. Then there are weeks like this one. Oy vey! I'm sitting at work sipping a much needed latte and I could easily fall fast asleep right here, right now.
Some weeks I can rock out five or six healthy dinners, get lots of quality time in with Liam, have the whole house fairly well organized, all the bills paid early and even get a workout or two in. Not this week, it's Friday morning and I haven't gotten a single workout in, there is hope for tomorrow...kinda. The bills that are due this week are paid but I'm not ahead of the game like I want to be. Some of the house is clean and I made....one healthy dinner. In all fairness with Liam's fever that lasted Monday-Thursday morning I was just making him things I knew he would eat so he would eat something (homemade mac and cheese with peas). I haven't skimped on the quality time with Liam because it's always at the top of my priority list. I only straightened my hair today because we have a meeting with the builder right after work, otherwise I'd be rocking wet-hair-pulled-into-a-ponytail style.
I'm exhausted. I feel like I'm just barely keeping up and no where near getting ahead. I feel like I'm juggling but I keep dropping all the balls. I don't feel like a failure though because I'm still trying, you only fail if you give up. All I can do is make a list and start checking things off one-by-one.
I'm sure all moms feel this way at times, maybe we put too much pressure on ourselves, who knows. I don't think I'll ever be a "whatever" kind of mom, I'm always going to want to have it all; tons of quality time with Liam, clean house, healthy dinners, finances in check, happy family, career....I want it all and damn it I'm going to bust my ass until I have as much of this dream as I can.
Not entirely sure if there is a point in there, just a healthy dose of honesty about this week. I'm just glad the election is over, we all know the result know so maybe people will keep a few more opinions to themselves, one can hope!
Some weeks I can rock out five or six healthy dinners, get lots of quality time in with Liam, have the whole house fairly well organized, all the bills paid early and even get a workout or two in. Not this week, it's Friday morning and I haven't gotten a single workout in, there is hope for tomorrow...kinda. The bills that are due this week are paid but I'm not ahead of the game like I want to be. Some of the house is clean and I made....one healthy dinner. In all fairness with Liam's fever that lasted Monday-Thursday morning I was just making him things I knew he would eat so he would eat something (homemade mac and cheese with peas). I haven't skimped on the quality time with Liam because it's always at the top of my priority list. I only straightened my hair today because we have a meeting with the builder right after work, otherwise I'd be rocking wet-hair-pulled-into-a-ponytail style.
I'm exhausted. I feel like I'm just barely keeping up and no where near getting ahead. I feel like I'm juggling but I keep dropping all the balls. I don't feel like a failure though because I'm still trying, you only fail if you give up. All I can do is make a list and start checking things off one-by-one.
I'm sure all moms feel this way at times, maybe we put too much pressure on ourselves, who knows. I don't think I'll ever be a "whatever" kind of mom, I'm always going to want to have it all; tons of quality time with Liam, clean house, healthy dinners, finances in check, happy family, career....I want it all and damn it I'm going to bust my ass until I have as much of this dream as I can.
Not entirely sure if there is a point in there, just a healthy dose of honesty about this week. I'm just glad the election is over, we all know the result know so maybe people will keep a few more opinions to themselves, one can hope!
September 24, 2012
Our First Time Looking at Homes
Oh my gosh, had it been an episode of House Hunters it would have been the funniest episode ever! V picked out the first house (my first choice sold, boo) and I selected three others one of which was a foreclosure because hey why not?
V's cousin's husband is a successful realtor so we asked him to be ours on this journey, boy am I glad we did. For starters he has educated us every step of the way and handled our multiple emails with such grace and he was fun to look at homes with, I totally understand why he has been so successful even though the recession.
We looked at V's #1 pick first and both fell in love. The home is essentially move in ready. The main floor has a open concept living/dining/kitchen, a bedroom and bathroom that will be Liam's as well as a great master suite. The backyard is almost complete minus a little sod and covers for the egress windows. The yard is smaller than I'd like but there is room enough to play, patio with room for a bbq is already installed. The two car garage already has an automatic opener in stalled as well. The house also has an unfinished basement with room for two more bedrooms and a bath (or a master suite, and large family room), there is also an existing laundry area. It's a really nice house that is comfortably in our budget.
The next three houses are were the comedy comes in. I just have to say that realors are sneaky with their pictures! Or maybe I need to pay closer attention to what isn't pictured! The second house had a fantastic yard but the kitchen was so small, SO small! it was galley style with only two inches on either side of my hips! And the livingroom was more like an entry way. The third house was occupied by renters (though they were not home as we scheduled the viewing), those renters were clearly 5-6 guys, the house was nasty dirty and while the layout was amazing....it was on the edge of a drainage ditch! Um, in the middle of town, what?! Not only that the ditch ran along the side and back of the house with no fence, and no room for a fence! Can you say rejected?! The last house was the foreclosure......and a mobile home on a basement, I didn't even know you could do that! Ugh. The pictures were so sneaky with a big deck and mature maple free, also the layout of the pictures was confusing, sneaky! I kept singing "queen of my double wide trailor" to V. Haha!
After the final house V and I went for some frozen yogurt (the grandparent's were enjoying some Liam time). We talked over our options and basically came to the conclusion that we both really love the first house. Crazy. We agreed to take a little time to pray on it before making any more decisions. I really hope the answer comes to us soon, this house could sell really fast and I think I'm getting attached! Ek!
V's cousin's husband is a successful realtor so we asked him to be ours on this journey, boy am I glad we did. For starters he has educated us every step of the way and handled our multiple emails with such grace and he was fun to look at homes with, I totally understand why he has been so successful even though the recession.
We looked at V's #1 pick first and both fell in love. The home is essentially move in ready. The main floor has a open concept living/dining/kitchen, a bedroom and bathroom that will be Liam's as well as a great master suite. The backyard is almost complete minus a little sod and covers for the egress windows. The yard is smaller than I'd like but there is room enough to play, patio with room for a bbq is already installed. The two car garage already has an automatic opener in stalled as well. The house also has an unfinished basement with room for two more bedrooms and a bath (or a master suite, and large family room), there is also an existing laundry area. It's a really nice house that is comfortably in our budget.
The next three houses are were the comedy comes in. I just have to say that realors are sneaky with their pictures! Or maybe I need to pay closer attention to what isn't pictured! The second house had a fantastic yard but the kitchen was so small, SO small! it was galley style with only two inches on either side of my hips! And the livingroom was more like an entry way. The third house was occupied by renters (though they were not home as we scheduled the viewing), those renters were clearly 5-6 guys, the house was nasty dirty and while the layout was amazing....it was on the edge of a drainage ditch! Um, in the middle of town, what?! Not only that the ditch ran along the side and back of the house with no fence, and no room for a fence! Can you say rejected?! The last house was the foreclosure......and a mobile home on a basement, I didn't even know you could do that! Ugh. The pictures were so sneaky with a big deck and mature maple free, also the layout of the pictures was confusing, sneaky! I kept singing "queen of my double wide trailor" to V. Haha!
After the final house V and I went for some frozen yogurt (the grandparent's were enjoying some Liam time). We talked over our options and basically came to the conclusion that we both really love the first house. Crazy. We agreed to take a little time to pray on it before making any more decisions. I really hope the answer comes to us soon, this house could sell really fast and I think I'm getting attached! Ek!
September 16, 2012
We're Buying Our First Home!
Well, soon we will be! V and I were just pre-qualified for our first ever home loan! I couldn't be happier! We are in a really good, stable place where home ownership is within our reach, I never thought we'd get here. We live in a area where incomes are lower and the cost of living is high, but the recession and current low interest rates have given us an amazing opportunity!
I've been looking at homes online for well over a year, it was my hobby and just a daydream. This weekend we went to a few open houses, looked at the newspaper and had some really great talks. It's so exciting! V's cousin is a realtor so he'll be helping us on this journey. Ideally we'd like a three bedroom, two bath single-family home.....by the end of this year. We'll see!
Homeowners, past and present, advice PLEASE!
Much Love, Jen
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| via google images |
Homeowners, past and present, advice PLEASE!
Much Love, Jen
July 29, 2012
Weekend Adventures
It's Sunday morning, Liam is napping and V is watching the Olympics. This weekend has been amazing! I mean no one doesn't love weekends but sometimes they are full of chores and obligations. As I type this I realize there is no chance of us making it to church, again. But ya know what? God knows the content of our hearts and I'm not waking my baby to race out the door, not today.
Friday morning G'ma picked up Liam and brought him up to the lake where most of the family had been for a good week. I was a bit hesitant at first because they wanted him to spend the night at the campsite but a chance for a date night after work and a little extra sleep on Saturday morning made the decision for me. We are very blessed to be surrounded by V's family, they love all of us but especially Liam and can't get enough time with him. I have been extra run down lately so letting Liam enjoy extra time with the family while I got extra sleep seemed like a win-win. And it was!
V usually let's me choose where we eat so that night I let him decide, he chose a local place, it was pretty good. I was just happy to have some time with my hubby! We had a nice time then decided to check out a new game place that had just opened. They have go-carts, games, lasertag and more but I can't remember it all, lol! We played some games, laughed a ton and gave our tickets to a little boy who thought he won the lottery. It was a wonderful time! We got home just in time to watch some of the Olympic Games opening ceremony celebration.
Sunday morning we got up, got ready and grabbed burritos from the healthy food store here and hit the open road (with V's sister in tow, oy). After a mere hour and half we arrived to my happy little boy beaming with joy! I hadn't been to this lake a years and forgot how beautiful it is. Liam needed a nap so the guys (plus V's sister) went fishing while MIL and I hung out. Everyone got back just before Liam woke up, we all ate quickly and headed off on a hike to the waterfalls in the area. I wore Liam in his framed pack, boy is he getting heavy! I was hoping to use this pack next summer but I think it's only going to make it though this one! Ek! I'm proud to say I was able to pack him both in and out! Go me for getting some cross training in! ;) Liam did great, he loves hiking and being outdoors! He even napped on the way out.
After we got back to the campsite we all snacked and hung out while for a while before Liam needed another nap (he was pooped!). I waded into the lake, oh how I regret not bring my swimsuit! The evening went by quickly and before we knew it the time to head home had come. We packed up Liam and all our stuff (MIL had brought quite a bit up for him) and headed back home for showers and bed time.
Today I'm tan, sore and so content! This is how all weekends should be! I hope each of you had a great weekend as well!
Much Love,
Jen
Friday morning G'ma picked up Liam and brought him up to the lake where most of the family had been for a good week. I was a bit hesitant at first because they wanted him to spend the night at the campsite but a chance for a date night after work and a little extra sleep on Saturday morning made the decision for me. We are very blessed to be surrounded by V's family, they love all of us but especially Liam and can't get enough time with him. I have been extra run down lately so letting Liam enjoy extra time with the family while I got extra sleep seemed like a win-win. And it was!
V usually let's me choose where we eat so that night I let him decide, he chose a local place, it was pretty good. I was just happy to have some time with my hubby! We had a nice time then decided to check out a new game place that had just opened. They have go-carts, games, lasertag and more but I can't remember it all, lol! We played some games, laughed a ton and gave our tickets to a little boy who thought he won the lottery. It was a wonderful time! We got home just in time to watch some of the Olympic Games opening ceremony celebration.
 |
| A pic I took of the view on the trail. I love this place! |
After we got back to the campsite we all snacked and hung out while for a while before Liam needed another nap (he was pooped!). I waded into the lake, oh how I regret not bring my swimsuit! The evening went by quickly and before we knew it the time to head home had come. We packed up Liam and all our stuff (MIL had brought quite a bit up for him) and headed back home for showers and bed time.
Today I'm tan, sore and so content! This is how all weekends should be! I hope each of you had a great weekend as well!
Much Love,
Jen
May 31, 2012
Desiring Disconnection
I am no relationship expert. Shocking? Nope. I've been on my own since I was 16 years old, my "childhood" was dysfunctional at best. Sometimes managing relationships is exhausting to me. Not all the time and not all relationships, my favorites are the one that just seem to work (like my bestie, E.)
I find the most challenging to be those of "family", specifically V's family. I have no personal experience to compare them to and while I love them dearly they can be utterly exhausting. Sometimes I just want to disconnect from it. I just want a break, I don't want to have to work so hard to manage these relationships. No I'm not going to throw my hands and walk off into the sunset with V and Liam (although sometimes I do daydream of it). I just find it so challenging sometimes, I mean I have my mother-in-law on my facebook, cell phone, work and personal email. There is no breathing room! Oh yeah did I ever mention that V's family owns our home! (we rent from them) Essentially everyone has a key to our house, they are good about not just coming over (that wasn't always the case). I just feel like they are a little too interlaced in every aspect of my being. I need room people!
Am I just being hormonal, am I the only one that goes through this? Is it just me? (someone say no!)
Much Love-
Jen
I find the most challenging to be those of "family", specifically V's family. I have no personal experience to compare them to and while I love them dearly they can be utterly exhausting. Sometimes I just want to disconnect from it. I just want a break, I don't want to have to work so hard to manage these relationships. No I'm not going to throw my hands and walk off into the sunset with V and Liam (although sometimes I do daydream of it). I just find it so challenging sometimes, I mean I have my mother-in-law on my facebook, cell phone, work and personal email. There is no breathing room! Oh yeah did I ever mention that V's family owns our home! (we rent from them) Essentially everyone has a key to our house, they are good about not just coming over (that wasn't always the case). I just feel like they are a little too interlaced in every aspect of my being. I need room people!
Am I just being hormonal, am I the only one that goes through this? Is it just me? (someone say no!)
Much Love-
Jen
May 10, 2012
1st Year Products We Loved Pt 1
This is part one because I know myself, I'll remember something I LOVE tomorrow! LOL!
I've been meaning to do one of these posts and with so many expectant moms out there right now I thought it would be fun. In no specific order.......
Fisher Price Space Saver Highchair The name about says it all! I started using this at about 5 months when Liam was clearly interested in food, we never looked back. These days Liam hardly takes a bottle so he and the Space Saver are very close. The seat reclines if you wanted to give a small baby a bottle and not hold them (which is odd but each to their own), the tray comes off easy and the straps/cover come off easy to wash. You would have no idea my kid has had so much pasta and noodles, ours still looks brand new!
Playtex Bottles & Liners; I was only able to breast feed Liam until 3 months, then he ate through my stash until he was just shy of 5 months. I'm not the most green momma around but it saved my sanity to not wash bottles all the time.
Dr Oz's "You Raising Your Child" by far my favorite parenting book, but I'm also a huge Dr Oz fan. I read his "You having a Baby" while pregnant and really liked it as well.
3 Things for your Baby "Medicine Cabinet":
1. Tooth Brush & Tooth Paste...Liam loves having his teeth brushed, I think because we would brush his gums once and a while before he had teeth!
2. Gas Drops....You will need them and you will be thankful you have them, trust me!
3. Saline Drops....We've only needed these twice, Liam gets these yucky drippy nose issues when teething and without the drops he can't breathe well at night and does sleep.
Aveeno: Liam has a little sensitive skin, he really loves this lotion....I may like it a little too!
Baby Trend Jogging Stroller: By far my favorite FAVORITE item EVER! Our Baby Trend Jogging Stroller!! My dearest friend's mom gave this to me at my baby shower, I was shocked! Liam and I have put countless miles on it already! By the end of this summer it may need new tires!!
Lastly our Temperature Turtle! Being a first time mom I was always unsure about the water, no guessing with this guy! He just recently passed on and I'm confident in my bath-running skills to not need a new one....he sure is cute though!
Any momma's (or momma's-to-be) care to share what you loved?
Much Love,
Jen
I've been meaning to do one of these posts and with so many expectant moms out there right now I thought it would be fun. In no specific order.......
Fisher Price Space Saver Highchair The name about says it all! I started using this at about 5 months when Liam was clearly interested in food, we never looked back. These days Liam hardly takes a bottle so he and the Space Saver are very close. The seat reclines if you wanted to give a small baby a bottle and not hold them (which is odd but each to their own), the tray comes off easy and the straps/cover come off easy to wash. You would have no idea my kid has had so much pasta and noodles, ours still looks brand new!
Playtex Bottles & Liners; I was only able to breast feed Liam until 3 months, then he ate through my stash until he was just shy of 5 months. I'm not the most green momma around but it saved my sanity to not wash bottles all the time.
Dr Oz's "You Raising Your Child" by far my favorite parenting book, but I'm also a huge Dr Oz fan. I read his "You having a Baby" while pregnant and really liked it as well.
3 Things for your Baby "Medicine Cabinet":
1. Tooth Brush & Tooth Paste...Liam loves having his teeth brushed, I think because we would brush his gums once and a while before he had teeth!
2. Gas Drops....You will need them and you will be thankful you have them, trust me!
3. Saline Drops....We've only needed these twice, Liam gets these yucky drippy nose issues when teething and without the drops he can't breathe well at night and does sleep.
Aveeno: Liam has a little sensitive skin, he really loves this lotion....I may like it a little too!
Any momma's (or momma's-to-be) care to share what you loved?
Much Love,
Jen
May 31, 2011
Why I live where I do
It's not always easy to justify living here, my degree sits collecting dust, the cost of living is high and the income levels low (compared to other places). But then I see a picture like this and I remember not only how beautiful it is but how much I enjoy getting out into this great open space with V (and soon enough our little guy)!
I should mention I totally copied [er, "stole"] this photo from our news publication, it's not far from where V and I live but shows "here" so well!
I should mention I totally copied [er, "stole"] this photo from our news publication, it's not far from where V and I live but shows "here" so well!
November 13, 2010
Under Constuction!
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