We had a wonderful Christmas, and you?
It feels more like fall than winter here in the South. I have to admit that while I would enjoy a good snowfall, I like being able to use medium coats at most... all that bundling up must be a pain with little ones!
The sky is clear, sun is shining, and kiddos are out of trouble. :) Mostly.
I've got some ponderings and wanderings in my brain, but not ready to post them all.
Still investigating home-buying options... big payment for what we would like and all that responsibility are not appealing when you have maintenance on call and are able to spend/save with less stress.
The kids and I are hoping to visit some friends who I knew in college. We weren't super close, but I am enjoying getting to know them online, and have been praying for them during their adoption journey. They live in IN now, but were matched with a baby here and are staying a little over an hour away til they are cleared to go home. Yay!!! They have had quite the roller-coaster ride and I am so excited for them as they have been longing to be parents for so long!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
still dreaming/drooling/praying :)
Ok, so I am SO obsessed with one neighborhood that I took the map of the lots that was given to me and wrote an S on the ones that are sold as listed online, and made notes on the ones I am curious about. I even labelled the lots that border the 100 year flood plain. Ha! I think I will e-mail the sales rep and ask for a link to the CC&R's. I did see someone with a garden in their back yard.... not just containers, a real garden.
I REALLY want a place that is big enough for family to come visit and not have to stay in a motel/hotel/campsite/the driveway. It doesn't have to be huge, just have enough rooms to work with, you know?
Of course, technically hubby has not done a lot of actual work with his new job yet, and technically we don't like the commute, so we should technically probably wait to jump into home ownership again. (and the only way the commute would be better is to move to an entirely different metro area.) Thanksgiving at Caslon's made me itch for breathing room, well, outside at least. We were kind of crowded inside, but that's just cozy when you are with the people you love. And honestly, they have ample space for daytime, it's just sleeping that gets tricky when all of us invade.
so now I am praying for wisdom... when, where, etc... that tax rebate is sounding mighty attractive. I am loving quaint things about the town we have currently chosen for now. Perhaps we SHOULD drive around and consider other areas, but I am itching to feel settled.
However, the good news is that hubby will be home with us on Tuesday. Tech Mom and Dad are coming tonight, and we'll drive down to where hubby is tomorrow. Graduation is Monday. Yahoo! I am so proud of him and ready to have him home!
Ok, so I am SO obsessed with one neighborhood that I took the map of the lots that was given to me and wrote an S on the ones that are sold as listed online, and made notes on the ones I am curious about. I even labelled the lots that border the 100 year flood plain. Ha! I think I will e-mail the sales rep and ask for a link to the CC&R's. I did see someone with a garden in their back yard.... not just containers, a real garden.
I REALLY want a place that is big enough for family to come visit and not have to stay in a motel/hotel/campsite/the driveway. It doesn't have to be huge, just have enough rooms to work with, you know?
Of course, technically hubby has not done a lot of actual work with his new job yet, and technically we don't like the commute, so we should technically probably wait to jump into home ownership again. (and the only way the commute would be better is to move to an entirely different metro area.) Thanksgiving at Caslon's made me itch for breathing room, well, outside at least. We were kind of crowded inside, but that's just cozy when you are with the people you love. And honestly, they have ample space for daytime, it's just sleeping that gets tricky when all of us invade.
so now I am praying for wisdom... when, where, etc... that tax rebate is sounding mighty attractive. I am loving quaint things about the town we have currently chosen for now. Perhaps we SHOULD drive around and consider other areas, but I am itching to feel settled.
However, the good news is that hubby will be home with us on Tuesday. Tech Mom and Dad are coming tonight, and we'll drive down to where hubby is tomorrow. Graduation is Monday. Yahoo! I am so proud of him and ready to have him home!
Sunday, December 06, 2009
"Dream Building"
So, a few years ago, when we were first married, we were conned, I mean lured, I mean naive enough to get into an MLM company that was big into "dream building." The problem with the particular company was that it was all about recruitment, sales of their products were secondary to recruitment. Um, sorry, but ya gotta have a customer base to be able to earn those commissions, etc...
ANYWAY, one of the things we liked to do was walk through various homes in neighborhoods that were way out of our price range. We were living with my in-laws at the time, and the dream of more space (although our space really was adequate and the savings we made by living with them while hubby finished his degree was priceless), well, it was fun.
One of our pastimes is still looking at homes, moreso now that we are in an apartment and I am getting stir crazy.
The problem? The ones that are built to our desires for quality and space are either way too pricey or in the wrong school zone. But we found one yesterday that had a perfect big yard with plenty of room for the kiddos to roam... the high school it is zoned to is the best in the county, the elementary and middle schools are not. :( The floor plan is not perfect, but would be workable, and it's in a small neighborhood on a beautiful cul-de-sac, FLAT lot. CLICK HERE to drool.
Other good points? 5-10 minutes from the interstate AND our pediatricians and grocery shopping.
Immaculately built, lots of extras included, like extra shelving in the master closet, tile backsplash in kitchen and master bath.... family run company that according to the State website of business registration has been around since '63, and the realtor we met was also the VP of the company/builder.
So then there was another neighborhood, not far from this one, a little bit further down a countrier road. Another regional builder, similar style homes and lots, significantly lower price point... but when we looked up that company, even though the sales rep said he had been around for a while, according to the state this particular business entity must have restructured because the date listed was much "younger." However, that being said, this company actually offers homes in our preferred price range.
Hubby looked in the attics of both builders' homes..... looked well constructed compared to the ones we looked in in Woodstock last month.
We're not in a rush, per se, but after walking through spacious homes I feel a bit stir crazy and cramped in my cozy apartment.
So, a few years ago, when we were first married, we were conned, I mean lured, I mean naive enough to get into an MLM company that was big into "dream building." The problem with the particular company was that it was all about recruitment, sales of their products were secondary to recruitment. Um, sorry, but ya gotta have a customer base to be able to earn those commissions, etc...
ANYWAY, one of the things we liked to do was walk through various homes in neighborhoods that were way out of our price range. We were living with my in-laws at the time, and the dream of more space (although our space really was adequate and the savings we made by living with them while hubby finished his degree was priceless), well, it was fun.
One of our pastimes is still looking at homes, moreso now that we are in an apartment and I am getting stir crazy.
The problem? The ones that are built to our desires for quality and space are either way too pricey or in the wrong school zone. But we found one yesterday that had a perfect big yard with plenty of room for the kiddos to roam... the high school it is zoned to is the best in the county, the elementary and middle schools are not. :( The floor plan is not perfect, but would be workable, and it's in a small neighborhood on a beautiful cul-de-sac, FLAT lot. CLICK HERE to drool.
Other good points? 5-10 minutes from the interstate AND our pediatricians and grocery shopping.
Immaculately built, lots of extras included, like extra shelving in the master closet, tile backsplash in kitchen and master bath.... family run company that according to the State website of business registration has been around since '63, and the realtor we met was also the VP of the company/builder.
So then there was another neighborhood, not far from this one, a little bit further down a countrier road. Another regional builder, similar style homes and lots, significantly lower price point... but when we looked up that company, even though the sales rep said he had been around for a while, according to the state this particular business entity must have restructured because the date listed was much "younger." However, that being said, this company actually offers homes in our preferred price range.
Hubby looked in the attics of both builders' homes..... looked well constructed compared to the ones we looked in in Woodstock last month.
We're not in a rush, per se, but after walking through spacious homes I feel a bit stir crazy and cramped in my cozy apartment.
Thursday, December 03, 2009
improvisation
What do you do when you have an idea for a project but lack the exact things or measurements you need? When it comes to cooking, I improvise. (When it comes to other things, I just put it off until it becomes a distant memory of an idea.) Well, between my searches for Christmas activities and friends' status updates and links on FB, and considering the fact that many of our beloved Christmas ornaments are in storage and will probably stay there this year, I thought we could make some ornaments of our own this year. Specifically: cinnamon applesauce ornaments.
I had applesauce in the fridge and cinnamon in the cupboard, so I should be all set, right? The problem was I did not have the exact amounts that any of the recipes called for. The simplest one said one part cinnamon to one part applesauce. I tried that. It was sticky. That's where the improvisation came in. I added flour. I should say, Bear and I added flour. So while I can't give you the exact recipe if you are interested, I can tell you that our mission was accomplished. We mixed applesauce, cinnamon, and flour and kneaded it to make a "cookie dough." We rolled the dough out flat on our cutting board, and used the only two cookie cutters that I could find to make bells and stars. (They happened to be in the play-dough kit. The other ornaments are probably buried in storage somewhere.) Conveniently, our tree is tiny, so the size should work out perfectly. We had to keep sprinkling with flour to keep the dough from sticking, but in the end we came out with at least 20 shapes. After we placed them on a foil-covered cookie sheet, I took a skinny straw and punched a hole in the shapes. I baked them on 200 for about 20 minutes, turned them over, then baked them for 20 more minutes. they are cooling on the stove, and the best part is the house smells wonderful!
Now Bear wants to make cookies we can actually eat. She tasted this dough and said it's kind of yummy but mostly yucky.
What do you do when you have an idea for a project but lack the exact things or measurements you need? When it comes to cooking, I improvise. (When it comes to other things, I just put it off until it becomes a distant memory of an idea.) Well, between my searches for Christmas activities and friends' status updates and links on FB, and considering the fact that many of our beloved Christmas ornaments are in storage and will probably stay there this year, I thought we could make some ornaments of our own this year. Specifically: cinnamon applesauce ornaments.
I had applesauce in the fridge and cinnamon in the cupboard, so I should be all set, right? The problem was I did not have the exact amounts that any of the recipes called for. The simplest one said one part cinnamon to one part applesauce. I tried that. It was sticky. That's where the improvisation came in. I added flour. I should say, Bear and I added flour. So while I can't give you the exact recipe if you are interested, I can tell you that our mission was accomplished. We mixed applesauce, cinnamon, and flour and kneaded it to make a "cookie dough." We rolled the dough out flat on our cutting board, and used the only two cookie cutters that I could find to make bells and stars. (They happened to be in the play-dough kit. The other ornaments are probably buried in storage somewhere.) Conveniently, our tree is tiny, so the size should work out perfectly. We had to keep sprinkling with flour to keep the dough from sticking, but in the end we came out with at least 20 shapes. After we placed them on a foil-covered cookie sheet, I took a skinny straw and punched a hole in the shapes. I baked them on 200 for about 20 minutes, turned them over, then baked them for 20 more minutes. they are cooling on the stove, and the best part is the house smells wonderful!
The ornaments were still slightly doughy on the bottom, which turned out useful for making the holes a little bit bigger on about half of them.
Another plus side to this recipe it's non-toxic, so if a 15 month old gets ahold of one and decides to munch on it, no harm done.
Another plus side to this recipe it's non-toxic, so if a 15 month old gets ahold of one and decides to munch on it, no harm done.
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