I have been trying to find a place to rent the past week.
I am thinking my expectations may need to come down a bit.
I am also thinking that people pay WAY too much to rent. It's crazy!
I am also thinking I may have been in outer space when I thought I could pack up our home in a week.
My List...
1. find a place to rent for the next 6mo (oh it is not as easy as it seems)
2. get a new drivers license
3. get our new address changed for mail
4. change over and transfer ALL utilities
5. pack our 5 bedrooms, living, family, office, kitchen, playroom, food storage, and storage which is full with STUFF.
6. Possibly find a storage unit
7. Attempt to fulfill my calling as Relief Society President at my church
8. I have a funeral today and a church activity tomorrow
9. Attempt to make dinner for my family each night
10. Attempt to be half way sane for my four little ones.
11. Oh and since we close on Monday the 30th we probably need to move out Saturday the 28th. The day of my daughters Violin recital.
Better sign off and get moving, right?!
Friday, April 20, 2012
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Claire-ism #4968
Setting: Dinner on a crazy evening at 7pm and kids eating whatever was thrown together. Specifically cheese quesadillas, apple sauce and cottage cheese. Mom had been to late lunch that day at Olive Garden and didn't feel the need to eat much, So she grabbed a little applesauce in a small ramekin...
Claire: Mom's can eat whatever they want but kids have to eat the food.
Mom: What Claire?
Claire: Mom's can eat any food for dinner but kids have to eat all the food.
Mom: (under breath) Crap!
Claire: Mom's can eat whatever they want but kids have to eat the food.
Mom: What Claire?
Claire: Mom's can eat any food for dinner but kids have to eat all the food.
Mom: (under breath) Crap!
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Claire-ism #4468
Setting: 8:45pm and Erik is setting at the kitchen table on his lap top. I just walked in the door. Claire is standing at the table in her nightgown...
Claire: Dad will you read me another book?
Dad: No, I read you one. Go get in bed.
Claire: (Confidently) Dad, I'm going to keep bugging you until you read me another book.
Erik: (Small smile and look for help from Mom) ???
She DID NOT get another book from Erik.
She DID get a song from me.
Claire: Dad will you read me another book?
Dad: No, I read you one. Go get in bed.
Claire: (Confidently) Dad, I'm going to keep bugging you until you read me another book.
Erik: (Small smile and look for help from Mom) ???
She DID NOT get another book from Erik.
She DID get a song from me.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Tuesday Tip: Over spray
I saw this on Americas Test Kitchen and thought, why didn't I think of that? It was a great idea so I thought I'd share.
Do you use Pam or Cooking Spray?
Don't you hate when the over spray gets on you counter, stove, floor, or child sitting at the bar?
I usually spray over the kitchen sink so the over spray gets there and can be washed down. But it still makes you kitchen sink messy, and you still need to wipe it out of the sink. OR not.
So the brilliant and forever forward thinking people at America's Test Kitchen, pulled out all their resources and brains and decided if you open your dishwasher, like this...
And place your pan on the open door, you can spray away to your hearts content and when you close the door and start the dishwasher the next time... all that messy, slick, oily residue will just wash away.
Great idea huh?
Monday, April 9, 2012
DROPBOX Love
Many of you may be fans of Dropbox.
But if you are not using it, let me tell you why I love it.
Once you set up a FREE account you install it on your computer, laptop, tablets or other devices and you can easily share files between the devices.
So... if I am working on something on my laptop, I close it and save it in dropbox. I can pick it up in the office on the PC and finish working on it. Then I can then open the file up on my ipad and take it on the road or wherever I might like to access it.
It's great and if you are not using it you should open an account here:
DROP BOX
If you share the love with others you will get more storage...again for FREE.
Check it out!
But if you are not using it, let me tell you why I love it.
Once you set up a FREE account you install it on your computer, laptop, tablets or other devices and you can easily share files between the devices.
So... if I am working on something on my laptop, I close it and save it in dropbox. I can pick it up in the office on the PC and finish working on it. Then I can then open the file up on my ipad and take it on the road or wherever I might like to access it.
It's great and if you are not using it you should open an account here:
DROP BOX
If you share the love with others you will get more storage...again for FREE.
Check it out!
Friday, April 6, 2012
Do you Houzz?
Today I will share a terrible, horrible website called Houzz. Many of you may have heard about it before but if you haven't I will explain.
I came across this site a while back. It's basically pinterest for home architecture and interior design.
It is like a catalog of all your favorite photos from home magazines in ONE SPOT!
You search by category...
"Kitchens"
You can search by a few specific words...
"Coffered Ceiling"
At the home page you can search a self forwarded slide show of recently posted pictures and get all kinds of random coolness...
You can create an account and make your own ideabooks.
You can tag your pictures with little green labels so as you scroll across the picture you can see notes like...
Tag: Like steps to drop to another level in the back yard. Love the fireplace outside. Can we afford that?
I created this blog with some of my idea book photos to help us and contractors with building the new house...
To help them and drive them crazy with all my specific ideas. I'm sure they would prefer an... "I like white kitchen cabinets" but no...
I have an idea book with 78 kitchen photos with a handful of specific ideas and likes. "I want cabinets to go all the way up to the ceiling so the dust doesn't collect and I don't feel the need for Nick-knacks" "I like the trim on this photo" "I like the handles on this picture" "I like how they put lights in the top of this cabinet"...
See how annoying it is?
You can see just how annoying I am here...
Houzz is a great, fun, time wasting -- where did the hour go, money wasting -- there goes the retirement cause I've got to have that pool, I like that paint-- lets go to home depot, type of enjoyment!
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Yesterday our realtor called to let me know they were scheduling the Home Inspection.
Great! I said.
One step closer to checking an item off the list until closing.
You can be there, she said, but I'll warn you it will feel like a home invasion. He will go through everything, turn on all your appliances, check all the outlets, he will go up in your attic...
I had to laugh. Out loud.
Great! I said.
One step closer to checking an item of my bucket list!
Have a happy day.
I will.
Update: There is no one living up in the Attic. There was also no stack of hundred dollar bills. Or Andy Warhol drawings from when he was 10 yrs old.
Great! I said.
One step closer to checking an item off the list until closing.
You can be there, she said, but I'll warn you it will feel like a home invasion. He will go through everything, turn on all your appliances, check all the outlets, he will go up in your attic...
I had to laugh. Out loud.
Great! I said.
One step closer to checking an item of my bucket list!
Have a happy day.
I will.
Update: There is no one living up in the Attic. There was also no stack of hundred dollar bills. Or Andy Warhol drawings from when he was 10 yrs old.
Monday, April 2, 2012
7 and 14 and 2
We listed our home with a realtor (a FABULOUS lady) and had our house on the market for 7 days, and had 14 showings - if I counted right - which honestly about KILLED me! I started thinking I should move into a hotel, that way we could keep the house clean but I wouldn't have to go find something to do for an hour or two or three or four.
On the 7th day...we rested from showings... and woke up to 2 offers. And with tears and prayer we have accepted one. I think I may have a heart attack. We sort of thought it would take a couple months to sell, cause remember... it's a bad market for selling your home. So we started early. And it sold in one week.
Now... Nothing is final until it is...right? So we still have about three weeks for everything to finalize and "seal the deal" but things look really good and it is an exciting step forward.
And a heartbreaking one.
I brought all four of my babies home to this abode. I've watched them grow into the sweet little girls they are. I LOVE my home. I really do. We put a lot of pride into it. Building a play room where my girls have spent countless hours imagining and playing. We built an office/craft room with plenty storage so we could be creative as our hearts desired. We planted trees right when we moved in and have redone the play set area twice so it would be just perfect! We've spent hours in the summer under those lovely shade bearing trees. I've spend thousands of hours caring for this home and the people in it.
Insert random story:
When we first moved into this home and had the sprinkling system in and the sod down, it was time to fertilize. We headed to IFA and had a slightly heated debate about the benefits of the hand spreader vs. push. I grew up listening to my dad outside and the whirl of the hand spreader. So of course that was what I wanted to get. Erik grew up with his grandfather using a push variety. So he wanted to be wrong.
We drove away from IFA with the push kind.
Because Erik is stubborn.
And because I relented cause I wanted toenjoy seeing Erik wrong be a peacemaker.
We got home. Erik adjusted the setting on the PUSH SPREADER to the recommendations on the package and poured in the fertilizer. Then he began to walk.
Meanwhile... I started to screamed "RUN Erik!!!"
You see...what I viewed from my vantage point was a steady thick stream of fertilizer dumping out like the steady flow of water over Niagara Falls.
Erik could not. Thus the snail pace.
After my encouraging words of ... "HURRY! It's pouring out FAST! Your KILLING the lawn!!!"... Erik high tailed it... as fast as one can with a PUSH SPREADER... across the lawn.
Needless to say,I was right, Erik found sense, and made the decision to return to the store after the first row in the push spreader, and went and purchased a hand held spreader.
A few days later, despite our best efforts to rake and feather and water that first 6 feet of lawn, we had a distinct white dead strip or stripe, either one applies, of dead grass!
We still have the hand spreader. We donated the push one.
That hand spreader will move with us to the new home.
You forgot I was talking about how sad I am to leave this house.
But that is okay because I did not.
Right.
As sentimental as I get...I do realize what an exciting time this is for our family. We are excited to carry on with the friends we've made in our neighborhood and ward, and for the opportunity to build new ones in our future home.
Fact #1: We have not started to build our future home.
Fact #2: Fact number one sends me into a panic attack when I think of what is before us...
Fact #3: We need to find a home to rent in 30 days.
Fact #4: Fact number three sends me into a panic attack when I think of what is before us...
Fact #5: When I was driving home from dance with Claire I told her we were going to have to pack up all our stuff soon and move. She said "Well, that's gonna be crap!" She is one smart cookie.
Fact #6: Fact number one is not MY fault. Just sayin'.
Fact #7: Sometimes Erik decides to read this blog. Every 4 or 5 months, he might grab my laptop while I'm posting and see what I have had to say.
Fact #8: When Erik read this post, he started wearing the said jacked every few days.
You think I'm kidding.
The said jacket was in my medium dark load every blinking time for like two, no, three weeks. For all I know he just kept putting it in the dirty clothes basket when he saw it hanging clean in the closet.
So... if you see Erik coming home from the store with a PUSH SPREADER you will know that he read this.
Right.
New memories in a new place.
I just need to remember that a home is where ever your family is. And great memories can be made anywhere... as long as you are with those you love.
And MAN I love my little crew! They are my everything. It will all be okay as long as I we are together.
On the 7th day...we rested from showings... and woke up to 2 offers. And with tears and prayer we have accepted one. I think I may have a heart attack. We sort of thought it would take a couple months to sell, cause remember... it's a bad market for selling your home. So we started early. And it sold in one week.
Now... Nothing is final until it is...right? So we still have about three weeks for everything to finalize and "seal the deal" but things look really good and it is an exciting step forward.
And a heartbreaking one.
I brought all four of my babies home to this abode. I've watched them grow into the sweet little girls they are. I LOVE my home. I really do. We put a lot of pride into it. Building a play room where my girls have spent countless hours imagining and playing. We built an office/craft room with plenty storage so we could be creative as our hearts desired. We planted trees right when we moved in and have redone the play set area twice so it would be just perfect! We've spent hours in the summer under those lovely shade bearing trees. I've spend thousands of hours caring for this home and the people in it.
Insert random story:
When we first moved into this home and had the sprinkling system in and the sod down, it was time to fertilize. We headed to IFA and had a slightly heated debate about the benefits of the hand spreader vs. push. I grew up listening to my dad outside and the whirl of the hand spreader. So of course that was what I wanted to get. Erik grew up with his grandfather using a push variety. So he wanted to be wrong.
We drove away from IFA with the push kind.
Because Erik is stubborn.
And because I relented cause I wanted to
We got home. Erik adjusted the setting on the PUSH SPREADER to the recommendations on the package and poured in the fertilizer. Then he began to walk.
Meanwhile... I started to screamed "RUN Erik!!!"
You see...what I viewed from my vantage point was a steady thick stream of fertilizer dumping out like the steady flow of water over Niagara Falls.
Erik could not. Thus the snail pace.
After my encouraging words of ... "HURRY! It's pouring out FAST! Your KILLING the lawn!!!"... Erik high tailed it... as fast as one can with a PUSH SPREADER... across the lawn.
Needless to say,
A few days later, despite our best efforts to rake and feather and water that first 6 feet of lawn, we had a distinct white dead strip or stripe, either one applies, of dead grass!
We still have the hand spreader. We donated the push one.
That hand spreader will move with us to the new home.
You forgot I was talking about how sad I am to leave this house.
But that is okay because I did not.
Right.
As sentimental as I get...I do realize what an exciting time this is for our family. We are excited to carry on with the friends we've made in our neighborhood and ward, and for the opportunity to build new ones in our future home.
Fact #1: We have not started to build our future home.
Fact #2: Fact number one sends me into a panic attack when I think of what is before us...
Fact #3: We need to find a home to rent in 30 days.
Fact #4: Fact number three sends me into a panic attack when I think of what is before us...
Fact #5: When I was driving home from dance with Claire I told her we were going to have to pack up all our stuff soon and move. She said "Well, that's gonna be crap!" She is one smart cookie.
Fact #6: Fact number one is not MY fault. Just sayin'.
Fact #7: Sometimes Erik decides to read this blog. Every 4 or 5 months, he might grab my laptop while I'm posting and see what I have had to say.
Fact #8: When Erik read this post, he started wearing the said jacked every few days.
You think I'm kidding.
The said jacket was in my medium dark load every blinking time for like two, no, three weeks. For all I know he just kept putting it in the dirty clothes basket when he saw it hanging clean in the closet.
So... if you see Erik coming home from the store with a PUSH SPREADER you will know that he read this.
Right.
New memories in a new place.
I just need to remember that a home is where ever your family is. And great memories can be made anywhere... as long as you are with those you love.
And MAN I love my little crew! They are my everything. It will all be okay as long as I we are together.
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