Tuesday, April 28, 2009

in which i am prevented from indulging in one of my hobbies

Well, our home inspection is scheduled for this afternoon, so I guess this is really happening. Holy moly. I am so anxious and nervous and nauseated and scared...oh, and excited. But mostly those other things. Oy.

I think I'll take Daughter over during the inspection so she can check out her new digs. We might as well go all-out and measure some windows, too, so I can see if my old window treatments will work or if I have to make some new ones.

I have the strongest urge to sew stuff just now. I especially want to make a wee quilt for my boy, as I did not make one before he was born. Unfortunately, my fabric stash is in bins and hidden away at the very back of a storage unit. Frick. Would it be wrong to take some of our precious savings and go to Joann's for a few yards of fabric? *sigh* Yes, I guess it would be wrong, considering how much fabric I already own. Frickety-frick!

Sunday, April 26, 2009

new house

Holy crow, it seems we've purchased a new house.

We still have to close this week on our OLD house, but our agent assures us everything is now in place and they just have to schedule the meeting to sign the paperwork. Aargh! I wish they would hurry it up.

But anyway, we got this swingin' 60s split level, right smack in the middle of the town we want, the schools we want, the shopping, our families, etc, etc...it's truly everything we are looking for, updated and nice. We will just have to buy a fridge and a new sofa (the old ones were not fit for human use any longer), and move on in. The guy was asking a price well above our upper limit, so we went back and forth a couple times before finally saying, look, this is our highest price, we understand if you can't meet it. And guess what? Dude met our price. We got the hizz-ouse!

Note, though, that I said he met our highest price. We are going to be somewhat house-poor for awhile as we adjust to this new mortgage situation in a few months. So expect to see me heading back into seamstress mode as I sew up lots of dresses and jumpers for Daughter, and simple pull-on pants for both kids. I expect you'll also see plenty of kid socks made from the scraps of socks I've knit in the past, mixed with solid heels/toes to stretch the stash. (That is, if I ever get it in gear and take some photos.) We'll be up against it making this new lifestyle work, and the budget will not be large for clothes! I was moaning about my fabric and yarn stashes when we were moving out of our old house, but now I'm feeling awfully thankful to have all those supplies.

Well, anyway, we still have to go through the whole inspection process and mortgage application and all that crapola, so it will be awhile before anything really happens. But I feel pretty excited that things are moving forward. It will be kind of scary, and kind of financially tight, but we will be putting our lives back together, and that feels very good indeed.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

good job!

Yesterday I fell down the stairs. Of course it was while I was carrying my baby. My foot went out from under me on the landing and I fell down the last 4 steps, bouncing on my tailbone all the way. I smashed both forearms, the left on the steps and the right on the railing/banister. But I think, other than a wee tiny bump against one of the banister posts, that my son escaped unscathed. It scared the bejeebers out of him, as evidenced by the crying, but that might have been related more to the scream I let out than the actual fall.

Today I have a huge bruise on my butt, bruises on both arms, my back aches, my right leg is kind of tingly, and I can't quite turn my head to the left. It sucks, but overall I am pretty amazed that I was able to protect my son as well as I did. It could have been much worse.

So, you know. Awesome. Good job, mom.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

random things

Last night, my now 4 year old daughter read me "green eggs and ham" in its entirety. It took a solid half-hour, running her little finger under each and every word, but she read that entire g-d book to me.

How am I supposed to find a preschool for this child?!?

***

Still haven't gotten a solid closing date from the peeps buying our house. We've moved our crappe out, signed all the papers on our end, and now we are just.............waiting. The anxiety is going to give me an ulcer. Please don't let this fall through, Lord.

In related news, I still haven't found a house I can afford in the area where we want to live that ISN'T a dump. Or 1000 square feet. Hubs has found us several foreclosures that are 2500 square feet-ish, but neither of us has the ability or the inclination (or the funds, actually) to make the necessary repairs these homes would need. Yes, the huge square footage is tempting, but replacing the siding that the former owners apparently used for target practice, or the windows that were installed in 1973, or the 3 layers of kitchen floor, or the rotting deck, etc, etc. is not really within the realm of possibility.

It's kind of like saying we'll quit shopping for clothes and I will make my family's entire wardrobe from now on. Yeah, it's physically possible and technically feasible, but come on. I don't have all the necessary ability, it would be hella-expensive (compared to my usual Kohl's/Target/Old Navy bargain hunting) and I would have to spend all my free time sewing from now until eternity. We would all end up irritated, naked, and miserable. So, too, with a ratty foreclosure. We just can't make it happen.

So that leaves me with trying to squirrel away as much money as possible, praying for extra side work for Hubs, and praying for the miracle of some sort of bargain house that's in the 1700-1800 square foot range, doesn't need mega repairs, and falls within our price range. Fun!

***

My sweet, darling baby boy is not eating much. I've been in a constant state of worry and anxiety for months over this, but now that he is approaching 8 months of age, the worry is ramping up. He is growing and gaining on his formula and breastmilk diet, but almost entirely refuses the bottle, and only eats a few nibbles of cereal or pureed foods. He seems to enjoy a teething biscuit occasionally, and will play with a sippy cup but doesn't drink anything. I hope and pray that we are able to look back one day and say, "ha, remember when he had that feeding tube and that's how we had to feed him all the time? phew, glad that's over!" but we are nowhere near that yet. It makes me kind of sad.

***

At least I have a chicken roasting in the oven, a happy child playing with little people in the family room, a sweet baby napping upstairs, and some knitting to curl up with.

One day at a time. One hour at a time. One minute at a time.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

where am i?

Are you serious? I haven't posted since March 22nd? Well, we are in the midst of closing on our house, and my husband is harassing the hell out of me to find a new home ASAP, and I'm working through a few complications with my son's feeding issues, and desperately trying to figure out what to do about preschool for Daughter considering I don't know where we will be living come September...

In other words, I'm drowning. Just trying to hang on while also doing the everyday stuff of life. Blogging is obviously taking a waaayyyyyy back seat.

Hope everyone is having a nice Spring. I'll be in-and-out around here for the next several months as we sort our lives out and get settled in a new home.