Still waiting.

The addendum. I realized I mentioned it in my last post, but didn't explain. We received our inspection report back on Mon and, as we expected, there are a lot of things that need to be fixed. A few of those things, including the roof, are items the VA will insist be repaired before they will approve our mortgage. So, we submitted an addendum asking for that the VA necessary items be repaired (just those items that a licensed contractor needs to repair; anything a do-it-yourselfer can do we'll do ourselves. With this womans track record of shall we say "inventive" work, we don't want her doing anything herself) and asked that our closing date be extended to allow for the repairs. We haven't heard back yet and she has until Tue to reply. According to our realtor they are getting estimates, but I came home from church today to find a message from the seller stating that she would call back later. There was no explanation for her call and she didn't even identify herself (thank goodness for caller i.d.). I have no clue what that was about. Oh well, back to the waiting game.

Good news!

We had two showings of the house here in MN on Wed and from all accounts it went well. I also talked to our realtor and he said he's expecting to get an offer from a couple that saw the house last week. Their realtor mentioned the state of the carpet might be a problem, but I had already told Scott (our realtor) that we were changing it so he was able to tell them and voila! we have a viable couple. It does mean we will not be willing to consider much by the way of closing costs, etc since we've done so much to the house, but I have some ideas worked out and it shouldn't be a problem. Hopefully by Mon-Tue of next week we'll have an offer. I don't know if we'll take it, if I remember correctly this couple has a house to sell too and we can't afford to wait around for a few months for them to do so, but the fact that there is interest in the house is awesome. If they get pre-approved to buy the house even if they don't sell theirs first and the offer is reasonable, we'll accept. So, still the waiting game, but it looks like the end is in sight. Now if only our seller would contact us with info about our addendum!

I finished!

Our paperwork is done; yep, you heard me right. I said, "Our paperwork is DONE." I mailed the last few documents today and I should have a break from paperwork for the next few weeks. We still have details to work out, such as changing our interest rate and the amount of points we'll pay (none) since this house hasn't sold yet. But overall, we should be pretty good. I'm worried about the sellers reaction to the repairs she's being asked to do and the closing costs she's being asked to pay (closing costs I was assured we had already asked for, but apparently not) but all I can do now is wait. I hate waiting.

Ok, not quite time to move.

We got the results of our home inspection for the new place today and it wasn't very pretty. Fortunately for us, most of the things on it are repairs that the VA will insist be done before the purchase of the house. Meaning, the seller has to pay for them. Which includes the roof, something we had wanted to replace anyway! It also means our closing date has been moved back to Nov 13, which gives me a good bit more time to finish this paperwork. I'll get it all done this week, hopefully tomorrow, and then spend the next three weeks packing things the way I really want them.

Almost time to move.

October 30th is coming up fast and I'm just not ready. We don't have an offer on the house, so we have to redo our mortgage to take that into consideration, which means my loan agent is not thrilled with me. Doing this amount of paperwork in 2 wks is a hassle for everyone. On the other hand, as of October 30th, everything will be worth it. There are a lot of ugly paint colors in the house at the moment, but we can easily fix paint so I thought I would post a few pictures of the house so everyone can get an idea of what it's like. The first is a picture of the horrifyingly ugly pink Pepto-Bismal master bedroom and the second photo is of the gym located on the first level of the third basement.

School conferences

School conferences are a lot easier this year, what with Jordan and Jared homeschooling. Joseph is an absolute angel at school, and is always well ahead of his class. Teaching him has always been easy for me and his teachers. James on the other hand... James' reading lessons with me have gone well, he's picked things up very quickly, and he has no problem academically at school. But his intelligence has never been in question. Problem is, James is a rebel. He doesn't like to be told what to do and expects you to have a very good reason if you interfere. His feelings get hurt very easily, he is scared of pain (though there are times when I could swear he doesn't feel it), and he has a hard time empathizing with others. He can be very ego-centric and hard headed and even occasionally a parents worst nightmare. On the other hand, he can also be very loving and is crazy smart. If we can survive childhood and (heaven forbid I even think about it) the teenage years, he will be an adult that is a force to be reckoned with. I can't wait to see what common sense and accountability bring to his character! Here's a picture of James from a year or two ago after he got in my mascara.

Flimsy excuses.

I may be one of a small minority, but I hate A Baby Story. Oh, and don't get me started on Deliver Me. So my rant doesn't get too long, I'll just focus on A Baby Story and what set me off today. While flipping channels, I passed the beginning of one of todays shows. The parents have moved while two weeks away from their due date and are working out the getting settled in and unpacked, knowing the baby could come any day. No worries, it happens to the best of us. Then the mom goes on to say that her doctors have suggested they schedule an induction. Her first baby delivered in a relatively short 8hrs and now they are an hour away from the hospital they are worried she won't get there in time. Throw in the big baby card and Voila! you have a birth with a set start time, and due to induction procedures in most hospitals, a pretty good idea of when it will end and no sign of evidenced-based practice in sight. I just ran out of time (school conferences), but this is definitely a subject I will be revisiting.

I know the date I will go insane.

Most people can't say that. I'd say most people don't even know they are going off the deep end before it's too late, but I am one of the lucky ones. I know the day that I will lose my mind (if it doesn't happen before then) and I even know why. We are supposed to close on our new house on Oct 30th and our current home has not sold. Not only has it not sold, it also hasn't had any activity at all this last week and we have nothing planned for the coming week as well. I am literally going to go crazy if something doesn't happen within the next two weeks because after that, I have no idea what we will do. We have a lot invested in this house purchase and it just might kill us if it doesn't go through.

My poor baby.

Well, I prayed and hoped that Jasmine wouldn't get sick but it looks like nothing was going to stop it. She's been battling a fever since last night, and has spent a good bit of the day sleeping in my arms. Which actually makes this a lot better than I thought it would be. So far she hasn't been too miserable; she's been drinking, occasionally eating with a good appetite, and occasionally feeling well enough to play. And sleeping a lot, too. If she has to get sick, this has been amazingly easy on her. It certainly doesn't hurt that John was able to take most of the other kids to church and give her a few hrs of uninterrupted sleep (Jordan stayed home because he has his annual cold and I wasn't sure if it was the flu or not), and then everyone went to his parents for dinner tonight and she had a few more hrs of Mommy time. Overall, not too bad.

Snow? Already?

Yep, you read that correctly. We had our first snow of the season this week. It hasn't stuck yet and won't for a little while to come, but it's looking like we'll definitely have a white Thanksgiving, let alone Christmas. I enjoy snow actually; I like shoveling it because it gives me a guilt-free chance to get out in the fresh air, I like how much the kids enjoy it, and I love how fresh and beautiful a new fallen snow is. I don't, however, like the mud and slush that gets tracked in and how long it can take to get people bundled up and out the door. Oh well, there's trade-off's for everything.

Ughh, flu season.

Wow, what a fun week. Last week, week before last?, my niece came down with H1N1. She recovered quickly and easily, but then her sister caught it. Then Joseph caught it.... Now it's my turn. The kids recovered in 2 days and I am currently on day 3 and I think the fever has broken for good, so tomorrow I should be a lot better. I usually get sick twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall. This spring I missed it (and the seasonal allergies I have at that time as well), so I guess I'm making up for it all at once. I'm praying that Jasmine doesn't get it for several reasons, one of those being I know how miserable she would be (from first hand experience) and I am dreading the thought of dealing with a baby that miserable. Especially on top of my own recovery. I'm just grateful no one else has gotten it so far. John is currently working 60 or so hr weeks again and truly can't afford to miss out on any work time. The kids don't have school next week because of conference, so if Joseph gets sick again or James becomes ill it won't matter too much. And with Jordan and Jared homeschooling it won't matter for them at all.

Foot in my mouth.

Chjsdfklio. Whay dsfih? Nofakseiugas? Oh, you said you can't understand what I am saying? That's because my foot is in my mouth. Thank you Kimberly for pointing out that my last post could have been misconstrued. When stating that I occasionally think about the scary black breast scenario, I wasn't referrring to John as the person I wanted to scare away. Frankly, I wouldn't mind if he had more boobie time but Jasmine's head is always in the way!

Just paint them black.

Some of you know that my youngest, 19mth old Jasmine, is still nursing a limited number of times a day. Some of you also know that I'm not so thrilled about it. Truth to be told, this got old for me a long time ago but Jasmine is very attached and since I don't have a pregnancy looming on the horizon I've just let her keep going (to a point). My mother is one of those people that knows I'd rather Jasmine be weaned right now and has been subject to some of the screaming that can happen when Jasmine gets tired or crabby and wants to nurse to pacify. The last time this happened while she was on the phone, my mother told me I should paint them black. What? Paint what black, and with what? "You know, with the paint that you use for kids faces on Halloween. Paint them black and it will scare her out of nursing." And then what? Pay for her therapy bills for the next 30yrs? "No, it won't scare her that way. It will just look strange and different to her and she'll decide she doesn't want it anymore." I'm like, you don't know my daughter. This is the child that will nurse through a shirt and has even given my hickies because she has latched onto the wrong body part and didn't care enough to stop nursing and had to be forcibly disengaged and relatched. Now John on the other hand, painting them black just might scare him off the breast for good. The saddest thing of all? There are some times when I even consider it.

Open house anyone?

Yesterday was our turn to put on the dreaded open house. Leaving your home for hours, letting total strangers (possibly a LOT of total strangers) traipse through your home, the cleaning and air freshener spraying, and decluttering. It's a lot of work and at the end of the day, it may have all been for nothing. Ours yesterday wasn't quite as successful as we had hoped. Two couples did come by and view the house, but both were looking for larger places. I will say, however, it was unbelievably nice to wake up and know that there was nothing for me to do. No dishes waiting or bathrooms desperately needing to be scrubbed. Of course my kids have been up for the last few hours and that means the cleanliness will quickly disappear, but I at least got to savor it for a little while.

Call me crazy but..

Has anyone seen the trailers for the new Drew Barrymore/Ellen Page movie Whip It? Got to say, I love Ellen Page. Juno is definitely on my high list of movies. But back to Whip It, or more accurately, roller derby. I've been interested in roller derby off and on, not a card carrying member mind you, but I used to love roller skating as a kid (still do, no matter how uncool that makes me) and the thought of getting to roller skate AND legally hit people at the same time appeals to the inner mean kid in me. I mean, c'mon, what better way to burn off steam than moving fast and participating in a contact sport? That's what football and hockey are all about, right? So, just out of curiosity, I looked up roller derby for Montana and found a league right there in Billings. I even went so far as to email one of the league owners for info. Nothing will probably come of it, at least one team practices on Sundays and that's a no go for me, but it doesn't hurt to check it out right? Right????

Picture Trouble

While looking at my blog, I have come to the conclusion that I need to stick a photo up. Makes it more personal, etc, etc. Problem is, I can't find almost a single picture of me on my computer. Yeah there is the occasional one where I'm in the background, but pictures meant to be of me? Not so much. Apparently I've been avoiding the camera for so many years it has become second nature. For those of you that have seen our Christmas photos, you may have noticed that John and I haven't been in them for the last 3 yrs or so. This yr a client is taking professional photos for us as partial payment for my fee; I can't say as how I'm looking forward to the thought but I suppose years from now my kids would like to be able to show their grandkids what their parents looked like. As it is now they're stuck with photos where I couldn't manage to get out of the shot in time. "Oh look, here's one with the back of great-grandma's head, and in this one you can actually see a bit of her profile." I vowed to never allow myself to send out a family photo with me in it until I've gotten down to my prepregnancy weight (not Jasmine's prepregnancy weight, I've already made that, I'd like to be at my preneverhadababy weight) and it looks like I'll be breaking that vow this year. I wonder if they have all over body slimming control top suits?