Whew! What a busy few weeks it's been... Wrangling a toddler, newborn, and recovering from a c-section is full-time work. No joke. Thankfully Shayne took a week off, then my mom came by on the days he was working to help me keep it together. And then, about 3 weeks postpartum, I suddenly felt normal again. It wasn't a gradual recovery; one day I was tired and sore, then the next morning I woke up and felt great. I can still tell I've had a major surgery, but I don't feel crummy and exhausted like I did. I feel like myself for the first time in over a year, and I'm loving it.
With my newfound energy, I'm starting to really clean and organize the house. It was never dirty (I do have some standards!), but it has certainly gotten cluttered. I'd also not been able to keep up with some of the things that get cleaned only occasionally, like the windows and baseboards. But it's starting to come together. Last week, I completely cleaned and reorganized the dining room. The buffet and secretary are clean and organized, and all surfaces are clutter-free. I also finally came up with a storage solution for our laptops (cloth-lined basket under the secretary), so it's a snap to clear the table for dinner or company. I even had a friend unexpectedly stop by last week, and I didn't have to cringe over the condition of my house. How's that for progress?
I still don't quite have it together enough to cook every night, so the meals I put in the freezer have been a lifesaver. It's so nice to be able to just thaw something on the days I'm stressed or exhausted. I definitely need to keep up on the freezer stash; it has almost entirely kept us from eating out, which has really helped us live within our new, tight budget. We're still dipping into savings a bit here and there, but we've been on our "austerity measures" for less than a month, and we're still working out the kinks.
I still think daily about returning to work. I'm so happy and busy here at home, but I want to move so badly. It will be very, very hard to find the money to finish our renovations with any sort of speed unless I go back to work. But going back to work means other expenses too, like childcare (for two!) and meals eaten out. I'm not sure it makes complete sense once everything is factored in, but it's hard to shake the logic of two incomes meaning more money. I still have 7 months to figure it out, so I'm trying very hard to just let it be. It's not working, but I'm trying. I'm hoping that once we get used to our new budget, we'll still find ways to save. I'm also hoping that we'll find time to work on the house ourselves, saving the expense of hiring out work.
There will be bumps in the road, but for right now I'm very happy to be right where I'm at. Everything else will fall into place.
Showing posts with label general. Show all posts
Showing posts with label general. Show all posts
8/19/2012
6/22/2011
Happy solstice!
It's officially summer. Shayne and I celebrated by doing a bunch of yard work this morning. We had a big tree limb come down about a week ago after a semi truck bumped it. Luckily, our neighbor has a chainsaw, and he came over to help out. We gave him the cut-up pieces to use as firewood. Then, two days later, about a quarter of the tree came crashing down. It's been struck by lightning several times, and I'm guessing that the shock from the semi was just the straw the broke the camel's back. This section was HUGE, and we had to call a tree trimmer. Thankfully, the trimmers cut everything into small-ish pieces, and Shayne loaded them in the truck and took them to a friend of ours.
We finished mowing, trimming, and cleaning up the front, then I went out to work on the garden. There was tons of crab grass mixed in with the onions, but I think I managed to only pull grass and no bulbs. The tomato bed was surprisingly weed-free, and the bed with the cukes and sweet potatoes only had a few.
The chickens are about a month old and pretty well feathered. I've been letting them have the run of the coop, instead of confining them to the hen house. Today, I'm allowing them to venture outside. They're staying right by the coop, happily eating bugs, mulberries, and grass. I worry that they'll get eaten, but I feel bad if I keep them inside the coop. I suppose that even if they are killed, at least they've lived happy lives just being chickens. However, I want them to live long, happy chicken lives, so I'm keeping a close eye on them.
Much of the rest of the yard looks like a jungle. The mosquitoes have been terrible, so it's been hard to get out there to take care of things. We are seriously considering spraying, even though I'm generally against that kind of thing. Now that the chicks are running around, I'm even more hesitant. We'll see.
Strawberries have finally come in, and I've been gorging myself on fresh fruit. My local eating has gone out the window a little bit; I've bought pineapple, cantaloupe, and watermelon so that I could make a fruit salad. I'll use pregnancy as an excuse. I don't want to eat many veggies, and fruit just sounds soooo good. I've been having a hard time with food, so I figure I'll just eat what I want, when I can.
I found a bread machine on ebay for about $25 last week. I can and have made bread without, but I figured I'd give it a go to see if it's easier. Since the bread we buy is almost $4 per loaf, if I can quickly and easily make my own, the machine will pay for itself in a week or two. I thought it might be a worthwhile purchase that will help us save money when I'm off work.
We still have so much to do before the babies get here. I'm 12 weeks along, and it seems like this pregnancy is just flying by...
We finished mowing, trimming, and cleaning up the front, then I went out to work on the garden. There was tons of crab grass mixed in with the onions, but I think I managed to only pull grass and no bulbs. The tomato bed was surprisingly weed-free, and the bed with the cukes and sweet potatoes only had a few.
The chickens are about a month old and pretty well feathered. I've been letting them have the run of the coop, instead of confining them to the hen house. Today, I'm allowing them to venture outside. They're staying right by the coop, happily eating bugs, mulberries, and grass. I worry that they'll get eaten, but I feel bad if I keep them inside the coop. I suppose that even if they are killed, at least they've lived happy lives just being chickens. However, I want them to live long, happy chicken lives, so I'm keeping a close eye on them.
Much of the rest of the yard looks like a jungle. The mosquitoes have been terrible, so it's been hard to get out there to take care of things. We are seriously considering spraying, even though I'm generally against that kind of thing. Now that the chicks are running around, I'm even more hesitant. We'll see.
Strawberries have finally come in, and I've been gorging myself on fresh fruit. My local eating has gone out the window a little bit; I've bought pineapple, cantaloupe, and watermelon so that I could make a fruit salad. I'll use pregnancy as an excuse. I don't want to eat many veggies, and fruit just sounds soooo good. I've been having a hard time with food, so I figure I'll just eat what I want, when I can.
I found a bread machine on ebay for about $25 last week. I can and have made bread without, but I figured I'd give it a go to see if it's easier. Since the bread we buy is almost $4 per loaf, if I can quickly and easily make my own, the machine will pay for itself in a week or two. I thought it might be a worthwhile purchase that will help us save money when I'm off work.
We still have so much to do before the babies get here. I'm 12 weeks along, and it seems like this pregnancy is just flying by...
6/14/2011
Ever since finding out that we're pregnant with twins (TWINS!!), any sort of progress on just about everything has ground to a halt. I'm tired, cranky, nauseous, and all-around pathetic. I can barely go into the kitchen without vomiting, and not because of the awful wallpaper and nasty ceiling tiles. It's all I can do to keep up with Ethan right now, so everything else is just on hold.
I have managed to get the garden planted, though I bought all my plants from the nursery. We have 40 roma tomatoes, about 50 spanish sweet onions, 4 peppers, 8 broccoli, 2 cucumbers, and 2 sweet potato vines. I would have liked to grow some lettuces, but the idea of salad right now makes me feel sick. Maybe in the fall.
We're also trying to plan out how we'll get by on one income. Thankfully, our mortgage payment is fairly low, our car is paid off, and we have no debt. Unfortunately, our car just needed $1400 worth of work. Also unfortunately, before we knew we were pregnant, we bought my step-daughter a car. We did pay cash for it, but it still put a sizable dent in our savings account. But now that she has reliable transportation, hopefully she can find a job and support us (ha-ha!).
The problem with living frugally is that when you need to, there aren't many places left to cut. We've already ditched cable for Netflix, we unplug all our electronics when not in use, and we buy almost everything secondhand. Granted, we also live way below our means, but when you're looking at cutting your income by more than half, it's still a little intimidating. We're obviously trying to save as much between now and when I quit working as possible. We're still eating out more than I'd like, since cooking (or even going into the kitchen) is almost certain to make me throw up. I'll be rectifying that as soon as my hormones settle down and I can cook again. We cut our trash service to the bare minimum, since I doubt we'll be renovating anything any time soon. We're also working on building up our food storage further as things go on sale or are in season.
While part of me is scared to cut our income by so much, part of me is intrigued by the challenge. It will be interesting to see just how far we can get Shayne's salary to go. And since I'm taking a leave of absence from work, we still have a safety net. When I was on maternity leave last time, I was amazed at just how little money we spent. After all, there's no eating out with 2 newborns and a toddler! It might be a bit rough, but it'll definitely be an interesting ride!
I have managed to get the garden planted, though I bought all my plants from the nursery. We have 40 roma tomatoes, about 50 spanish sweet onions, 4 peppers, 8 broccoli, 2 cucumbers, and 2 sweet potato vines. I would have liked to grow some lettuces, but the idea of salad right now makes me feel sick. Maybe in the fall.
We're also trying to plan out how we'll get by on one income. Thankfully, our mortgage payment is fairly low, our car is paid off, and we have no debt. Unfortunately, our car just needed $1400 worth of work. Also unfortunately, before we knew we were pregnant, we bought my step-daughter a car. We did pay cash for it, but it still put a sizable dent in our savings account. But now that she has reliable transportation, hopefully she can find a job and support us (ha-ha!).
The problem with living frugally is that when you need to, there aren't many places left to cut. We've already ditched cable for Netflix, we unplug all our electronics when not in use, and we buy almost everything secondhand. Granted, we also live way below our means, but when you're looking at cutting your income by more than half, it's still a little intimidating. We're obviously trying to save as much between now and when I quit working as possible. We're still eating out more than I'd like, since cooking (or even going into the kitchen) is almost certain to make me throw up. I'll be rectifying that as soon as my hormones settle down and I can cook again. We cut our trash service to the bare minimum, since I doubt we'll be renovating anything any time soon. We're also working on building up our food storage further as things go on sale or are in season.
While part of me is scared to cut our income by so much, part of me is intrigued by the challenge. It will be interesting to see just how far we can get Shayne's salary to go. And since I'm taking a leave of absence from work, we still have a safety net. When I was on maternity leave last time, I was amazed at just how little money we spent. After all, there's no eating out with 2 newborns and a toddler! It might be a bit rough, but it'll definitely be an interesting ride!
2/20/2011
The uncertain future
As much as I want to move right now, obviously reality dictates that is not going to happen. I'm not sure it will happen any time in the next 5 years, simply because there is so much uncertainty in the world right now. The Middle East and north Africa is in major turmoil. Governments across Europe are implementing "austerity measures". And the United States has its head in the sand, with our leader telling us that we can save money in the future by increasing our defecit this year. Huh.
I really don't see things in this country improving much in the near future. I fully expect housing prices to decrease again (side note: housing prices from the 1890s through 1990s increased at an average of 3% per year. In order to get back onto that average trend, prices still need to contract another 20%. Ouch. Thankfully, that's a national average, not local. So we may only contract another 3-5%, since we were never all that inflated to begin with.). Loan rates are increasing. Food prices are rising. Gas prices are climbing. Unemployment is hovering around 10%. Remind me again why I should be optimistic?
I've said this before, and I'll say it again: It's so important to increase your family's self-sufficiency! So many skills from our grandparents and great-grandparents are on the verge of being lost. How many people know how to butcher their own meat? Render lard? Make soap from tallow? Use herbs medicinally? Grow and can their own produce? I can see that we're in the midst of a movement to regain these skills, but how many people out there are really doing it? By connecting with like-minded people on the internet, it sometimes feels like everyone is involved. And then I go to work and talk with people who don't even know how to cook something that isn't from a box. There are children who don't realize that food must be grown or raised and slaughtered before it appears in the store. We've surrendered our freedom in exchange for purchasing power; America has become a nation of consumers.
I'm not saying that there's anything inherently wrong with buying your soap from a store instead of making it yourself, or getting carrots from the market instead of from your garden. But when you buy something, at least do it mindfully: consider where it came from, how it was made or grown, the negative effects its production had on people and the earth, and whether it's something you're willing/able to learn how to do yourself. You'd be amazed at the satisfaction you can get looking at a few jars of freshly canned applesauce or a blooming garden. Seeing my chickens outside destroying my flowerbeds honestly gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling. I raised them, they're mine, and they make food for me. All in exchange for my table scraps and a bag of chicken feed every few months. I'm grateful that we have started ourselves down the path to homesteading, especially with the state of affairs in the world.
I'm feeling very conflicted, though. All of the uncertainty is exactly why I want to leave the Prairie Box and buy a farm or some property on which to build our farm. Especially after talking with the realtors, I think about the improvements we planned on making to the house, and I just feel so discouraged. I was really expecting to make money on this house. Not a lot. We aren't house-flippers, and that was never the plan. But I was expecting that our sweat equity would translate into about $10K after closing. Looking at just breaking even after closing, even with 5+ years of payments behind us and paying extra on the principal... just makes me sad. I have a major "why bother?" complex.
I don't want to fix up the house for us, since we aren't planning on staying here. I don't want to fix it up for someone else, because it's not worth my time and money. I feel like I'm smacking up against a wall, and I'm not sure how to get motivated again. I suppose I just have to look at it as a necessary step on our way to moving. I just wish I could be excited about it. Maybe once we start making progress, I'll find some enjoyment in it. Hmmm.
I really don't see things in this country improving much in the near future. I fully expect housing prices to decrease again (side note: housing prices from the 1890s through 1990s increased at an average of 3% per year. In order to get back onto that average trend, prices still need to contract another 20%. Ouch. Thankfully, that's a national average, not local. So we may only contract another 3-5%, since we were never all that inflated to begin with.). Loan rates are increasing. Food prices are rising. Gas prices are climbing. Unemployment is hovering around 10%. Remind me again why I should be optimistic?
I've said this before, and I'll say it again: It's so important to increase your family's self-sufficiency! So many skills from our grandparents and great-grandparents are on the verge of being lost. How many people know how to butcher their own meat? Render lard? Make soap from tallow? Use herbs medicinally? Grow and can their own produce? I can see that we're in the midst of a movement to regain these skills, but how many people out there are really doing it? By connecting with like-minded people on the internet, it sometimes feels like everyone is involved. And then I go to work and talk with people who don't even know how to cook something that isn't from a box. There are children who don't realize that food must be grown or raised and slaughtered before it appears in the store. We've surrendered our freedom in exchange for purchasing power; America has become a nation of consumers.
I'm not saying that there's anything inherently wrong with buying your soap from a store instead of making it yourself, or getting carrots from the market instead of from your garden. But when you buy something, at least do it mindfully: consider where it came from, how it was made or grown, the negative effects its production had on people and the earth, and whether it's something you're willing/able to learn how to do yourself. You'd be amazed at the satisfaction you can get looking at a few jars of freshly canned applesauce or a blooming garden. Seeing my chickens outside destroying my flowerbeds honestly gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling. I raised them, they're mine, and they make food for me. All in exchange for my table scraps and a bag of chicken feed every few months. I'm grateful that we have started ourselves down the path to homesteading, especially with the state of affairs in the world.
I'm feeling very conflicted, though. All of the uncertainty is exactly why I want to leave the Prairie Box and buy a farm or some property on which to build our farm. Especially after talking with the realtors, I think about the improvements we planned on making to the house, and I just feel so discouraged. I was really expecting to make money on this house. Not a lot. We aren't house-flippers, and that was never the plan. But I was expecting that our sweat equity would translate into about $10K after closing. Looking at just breaking even after closing, even with 5+ years of payments behind us and paying extra on the principal... just makes me sad. I have a major "why bother?" complex.
I don't want to fix up the house for us, since we aren't planning on staying here. I don't want to fix it up for someone else, because it's not worth my time and money. I feel like I'm smacking up against a wall, and I'm not sure how to get motivated again. I suppose I just have to look at it as a necessary step on our way to moving. I just wish I could be excited about it. Maybe once we start making progress, I'll find some enjoyment in it. Hmmm.
2/13/2011
2/12/2011
More thoughts on selling
We decided to cancel the third realtor's appointment since we liked #2 so much. He came in and spent 45 minutes looking at the house and discussing our plans. He also brought a fairly detailed market analysis. And, he spelled Shayne's name correctly. Major bonus points.
The jist of the conversation is that we can't sell for much more than we owe. We can put money into the house, but we probably won't get a great return on it. Housing prices in our area aren't too depressed from the real estate bubble fallout, but we do have high-ish unemployment, and it's definitely a buyer's market. Bottom line is that he advised not to put more than $5K into the house, unless we're doing it to make our lives here more enjoyable.
While that's not what I was hoping to hear, it also wasn't the worst news we could have gotten. Thankfully, we aren't underwater, but after realtor fees and closing costs, we'd be lucky to clear what we owe. After another year of payments (plus the extra principal we pay), we'll be in a bit better shape. And since that's what we were tentatively planning anyways... I guess it works out.
My only real concern is that I've read in a few places that the market is going to take another dip in 2011. But since there's nothing at all I can do about that, we'll just have to wait and see what happens. At worst, we'll continue living here another few years. While that's not what we want, it's obviously no worse off than we are now!
We are continuing with our plans to buy a chunk of property. After examining the numbers and a probable selling price, I've found that we can swing it while still making our current house payment. I plan on saving the amount we'd be spending on our land payment for the next year. This will serve two purposes: 1) we'll make sure that we can make the payment in reality, not just on paper, and 2) it will help us save an even larger down payment. And extra money in the bank never hurt anyone.
The rest of the plan is to buy the land next spring, fix up the pole barn that is already there, and store any salvaged items (windows, cabinets, flooring, etc) until we are ready to build. We may be able to rent out the land to the current owner, or we can start planting pasture forage on the south part and a wildflower meadow to the west. I want to give the land a chance to heal from all the not-so-natural fertilizers and such that the previous farmers have used for who-knows-how long. Once we get settled out there I'd like to raise grass-fed beef, maybe Dexters or Galloways. And chickens, of course. :)
But for now, we're just going to keep on keepin-on. We'll finish the two bedroom closets, get rid of the paneling in the dining room, and remodel the bathroom. Hurry up, spring! I want to get started!
The jist of the conversation is that we can't sell for much more than we owe. We can put money into the house, but we probably won't get a great return on it. Housing prices in our area aren't too depressed from the real estate bubble fallout, but we do have high-ish unemployment, and it's definitely a buyer's market. Bottom line is that he advised not to put more than $5K into the house, unless we're doing it to make our lives here more enjoyable.
While that's not what I was hoping to hear, it also wasn't the worst news we could have gotten. Thankfully, we aren't underwater, but after realtor fees and closing costs, we'd be lucky to clear what we owe. After another year of payments (plus the extra principal we pay), we'll be in a bit better shape. And since that's what we were tentatively planning anyways... I guess it works out.
My only real concern is that I've read in a few places that the market is going to take another dip in 2011. But since there's nothing at all I can do about that, we'll just have to wait and see what happens. At worst, we'll continue living here another few years. While that's not what we want, it's obviously no worse off than we are now!
We are continuing with our plans to buy a chunk of property. After examining the numbers and a probable selling price, I've found that we can swing it while still making our current house payment. I plan on saving the amount we'd be spending on our land payment for the next year. This will serve two purposes: 1) we'll make sure that we can make the payment in reality, not just on paper, and 2) it will help us save an even larger down payment. And extra money in the bank never hurt anyone.
The rest of the plan is to buy the land next spring, fix up the pole barn that is already there, and store any salvaged items (windows, cabinets, flooring, etc) until we are ready to build. We may be able to rent out the land to the current owner, or we can start planting pasture forage on the south part and a wildflower meadow to the west. I want to give the land a chance to heal from all the not-so-natural fertilizers and such that the previous farmers have used for who-knows-how long. Once we get settled out there I'd like to raise grass-fed beef, maybe Dexters or Galloways. And chickens, of course. :)
But for now, we're just going to keep on keepin-on. We'll finish the two bedroom closets, get rid of the paneling in the dining room, and remodel the bathroom. Hurry up, spring! I want to get started!
2/11/2011
The Long Winter
Have you ever read the Little House on the Prairie books? They were my favorite when I was little, and I read them again when I was pregnant. As an adult, I was much more impressed with how simple the Ingalls' lives were, and how much joy they felt from the small pleasures in life. I was really struck when reading "The Long Winter". As a child, I didn't really realize that the family was slowly starving to death; all I remembered was that the snow was over Pa's head. I also remember wondering why we didn't ever get that much snow, since I thought it would be great.
This winter has been something like that. We've gotten 97.2" of snow so far this season (average is 57"), most of which fell after Christmas. In early December we had a brief thaw, but it started snowing again the same day that it all melted. Granted, it's compacted over time, so we don't have 8 feet of snow outside the door, but I have at least 3 feet out in the yard. The fire station down the street had to plow our driveway so Shayne could bring his car home and I could get mine out to go to work after the most recent blizzard. We have 4.5' high piles of snow all along the driveway, along the entire front of our 120' wide lot, and in the back next to the garage. Shayne snowblows a path out to the chicken coop after every snow, since it always drifts. It's nuts.
I love winter, but I'll definitely be ready for spring when it gets here. It's been a long, cold winter. Usually we have a pretty regular freeze-thaw cycle, which tears up the roads, but is a nice break from the frigid temps. This year, it got cold and stayed there. The last time I remember a temperature above 40F is early December. The past two days, it's been about -10F at night. The water line to the laundry room froze (again), and I had to take my diapers over to a friend's house to wash. Thankfully it thawed this afternoon and didn't burst. This is the 5th year we've been lucky. I still can't find where it freezes. It must be the 8" or so of pipe that runs under the porch, through the foundation, and into the basement. I can't even access it to wrap it with heat tape, so l try to remember to shut it off when it's going to be below 0. Sometimes I forget.
The chickens don't seem to mind the recent weather. About 10 days ago, production suddenly increased, and now I get 3 or 4 eggs per day. I've eaten over-easy eggs 3 times so far this week and still had enough eggs to give some to my mom, plus have a dozen sitting in the fridge. The yolks aren't as orange as they were in the summer when the girls were free-ranging, but still darker than a supermarket egg. Maybe because my hens' diet is supplemented with kitchen scraps? In the summer I don't have to give them chicken feed more than once a month; they eat grass, bugs, and whatever else they find. Now I fill their feeder once a week. At least. I'm grateful that none of them have gotten sick or had any health issues in their unheated coop. I do turn on a lamp with a red bulb (not a heat bulb) when it's going to be below 5F at night, but that's it. I'm glad my coop design provides enough passive ventilation to keep it from getting too damp in there. I've seen a few specks of frostbite on their combs, but nothing major.
Only about a month of cold weather left. Almost there...
This winter has been something like that. We've gotten 97.2" of snow so far this season (average is 57"), most of which fell after Christmas. In early December we had a brief thaw, but it started snowing again the same day that it all melted. Granted, it's compacted over time, so we don't have 8 feet of snow outside the door, but I have at least 3 feet out in the yard. The fire station down the street had to plow our driveway so Shayne could bring his car home and I could get mine out to go to work after the most recent blizzard. We have 4.5' high piles of snow all along the driveway, along the entire front of our 120' wide lot, and in the back next to the garage. Shayne snowblows a path out to the chicken coop after every snow, since it always drifts. It's nuts.
I love winter, but I'll definitely be ready for spring when it gets here. It's been a long, cold winter. Usually we have a pretty regular freeze-thaw cycle, which tears up the roads, but is a nice break from the frigid temps. This year, it got cold and stayed there. The last time I remember a temperature above 40F is early December. The past two days, it's been about -10F at night. The water line to the laundry room froze (again), and I had to take my diapers over to a friend's house to wash. Thankfully it thawed this afternoon and didn't burst. This is the 5th year we've been lucky. I still can't find where it freezes. It must be the 8" or so of pipe that runs under the porch, through the foundation, and into the basement. I can't even access it to wrap it with heat tape, so l try to remember to shut it off when it's going to be below 0. Sometimes I forget.
The chickens don't seem to mind the recent weather. About 10 days ago, production suddenly increased, and now I get 3 or 4 eggs per day. I've eaten over-easy eggs 3 times so far this week and still had enough eggs to give some to my mom, plus have a dozen sitting in the fridge. The yolks aren't as orange as they were in the summer when the girls were free-ranging, but still darker than a supermarket egg. Maybe because my hens' diet is supplemented with kitchen scraps? In the summer I don't have to give them chicken feed more than once a month; they eat grass, bugs, and whatever else they find. Now I fill their feeder once a week. At least. I'm grateful that none of them have gotten sick or had any health issues in their unheated coop. I do turn on a lamp with a red bulb (not a heat bulb) when it's going to be below 5F at night, but that's it. I'm glad my coop design provides enough passive ventilation to keep it from getting too damp in there. I've seen a few specks of frostbite on their combs, but nothing major.
Only about a month of cold weather left. Almost there...
2/09/2011
Thoughts on selling
Since we're planning on selling our house sometime within the next 3 years, we've really started to think about how to enhance resale value without sacrificing old house character. It's something of a tightrope walk. We had a realtor out to the house last week, sho told us that if we redo the bathroom and spruce up the kitchen, we should be able to sell at about $10K over what we paid. Given today's market conditions, I'm not too unhappy with that assessment. But because he really didn't spend any time looking at the house and its improvements, and didn't seem interested in hearing about any lot or outbuilding features, we've decided to ask for a second opinion. Seriously, that particular realtor spent about 7 minutes in the house. I understand that I just asked for a market analysis, but if you want us as your clients, spend some time with us!
We have another realtor coming out this afternoon, and another tomorrow. I guess we're interviewing, LOL. I'm looking for someone who is willing to sit down with us and spend some time talking about how to sell our house. I think this time I'm going to frame the essential question a little differently: If we only have $5000 to put into this house, how can we best spend it to enhance resale value? I'll post their responses and my impressions on Friday.
Talking to the first realtor made me realize that we are in danger of over-improving for our neighborhood. The houses immediately around ours are all nice and well-kept. The area to the north and south is nice as well. But the area to the east and west, the homes are a little junky. It's sort of up-and-coming; as new folks move in, they are fixing up the houses, but there are definitely some hold-outs. Nothing too awful, as obviously we moved here, but it's definitely not a suburban utopia.
We really don't want to put too much more money into the house, but we need to redo the bathroom, spruce up the kitchen, and get rid of the ceiling tiles and paneling in the dining room. I'm not sure we can do all that for $5K or less...
We have another realtor coming out this afternoon, and another tomorrow. I guess we're interviewing, LOL. I'm looking for someone who is willing to sit down with us and spend some time talking about how to sell our house. I think this time I'm going to frame the essential question a little differently: If we only have $5000 to put into this house, how can we best spend it to enhance resale value? I'll post their responses and my impressions on Friday.
Talking to the first realtor made me realize that we are in danger of over-improving for our neighborhood. The houses immediately around ours are all nice and well-kept. The area to the north and south is nice as well. But the area to the east and west, the homes are a little junky. It's sort of up-and-coming; as new folks move in, they are fixing up the houses, but there are definitely some hold-outs. Nothing too awful, as obviously we moved here, but it's definitely not a suburban utopia.
We really don't want to put too much more money into the house, but we need to redo the bathroom, spruce up the kitchen, and get rid of the ceiling tiles and paneling in the dining room. I'm not sure we can do all that for $5K or less...
1/25/2011
The basement organizing spree: Stuck
We've ground to a halt on the basement reorganization of 2011. All of our house decorations, personal mementos, and things are organized and in bins. Shayne's LED stuff? Not so much. Some of it is in bins, baskets, and bags. Some of it is strewn on the shelves. There are a few things on the floor. I'm trying not to rip my hair out, because the man insists that it is organized. *snort*
Seriously, though, it is much better. It's not photo-worthy yet, but we have made lots of progress. We need to figure out exactly what's going on with the "family room" portion of the room, because that will dictate where we put things away over on that side.
Progress is so slow when you don't ever have time off with your spouse. But speaking of that... I have something in the works that may solve it. There's a good chance that I'm going to transfer into an IT position at work and be on day shift. I have seriously mixed feelings about this. It will, unfortunately, take me off road patrol for a while, but the trade-off is that when I get pregnant again (this summer??) I won't have to worry about "light duty". I'll also have a position where I can pump at work and not worry about the logistics. I'll also have my evenings with Shayne and Ethan. We'll be able to have dinner together, and I'll actually get to cook it!
I'm a bit sad about it, though. I'll really miss my guys from the road. We have lots of fun, and I missed them a lot when I was pregnant last time. I'd also miss the feeling of directly making a difference in people's lives. Granted, not all of them are exactly grateful for our interference, but sometimes... sometimes you know that you have truly helped someone. Or when everything comes together and you catch the guys that held up the pizza delivery person. Or the chronic shoplifters from a pharmacy. Or even just a drunk driver that could have killed someone. When everything happens just right, there's such a rush of accomplishment. Even if you're not instrumental to making it happen, just being a part of it and knowing you're making the world a safer place is a great feeling.
I should know what's going on by March. I guess it's already been approved for me to transfer, but we're waiting on our new recruits to be done training so that our manpower is up where it needs to be. We'll see what happens!
Seriously, though, it is much better. It's not photo-worthy yet, but we have made lots of progress. We need to figure out exactly what's going on with the "family room" portion of the room, because that will dictate where we put things away over on that side.
Progress is so slow when you don't ever have time off with your spouse. But speaking of that... I have something in the works that may solve it. There's a good chance that I'm going to transfer into an IT position at work and be on day shift. I have seriously mixed feelings about this. It will, unfortunately, take me off road patrol for a while, but the trade-off is that when I get pregnant again (this summer??) I won't have to worry about "light duty". I'll also have a position where I can pump at work and not worry about the logistics. I'll also have my evenings with Shayne and Ethan. We'll be able to have dinner together, and I'll actually get to cook it!
I'm a bit sad about it, though. I'll really miss my guys from the road. We have lots of fun, and I missed them a lot when I was pregnant last time. I'd also miss the feeling of directly making a difference in people's lives. Granted, not all of them are exactly grateful for our interference, but sometimes... sometimes you know that you have truly helped someone. Or when everything comes together and you catch the guys that held up the pizza delivery person. Or the chronic shoplifters from a pharmacy. Or even just a drunk driver that could have killed someone. When everything happens just right, there's such a rush of accomplishment. Even if you're not instrumental to making it happen, just being a part of it and knowing you're making the world a safer place is a great feeling.
I should know what's going on by March. I guess it's already been approved for me to transfer, but we're waiting on our new recruits to be done training so that our manpower is up where it needs to be. We'll see what happens!
1/09/2011
It seems to have snowed...
...about 3 feet! The South Bend Airport reported a total snowfall of 38" since Friday night. Since I work out in the rural areas, I was given a four-wheel drive TrailBlazer to drive at work yesterday. It was great to just cruise around the county looking at all the beautiful snow. I only had 3 calls, all crashes, but nobody was hurt. Well, except a deer, but a friend of mine is turning her into steaks, roasts, and burger, which he offered to share with us. Sweet!
Our house projects have come to a bit of a standstill this winter. The "new" door is at the carpenter's house getting plugged and redrilled for its hardware. I'm hoping it will be returning home by the end of the month. We also plan to entirely empty the utility side of the basement, build new shelves for my food storage, and examine and organize every bin and box. I think we'll end up getting rid of quite a bit, and the utility area should be much neater.
Also ahead on the radar is that the aforementioned carpenter is going to recreate our missing door and window headers. We need new ones for the closets we re-made in the two bedrooms, plus we have doors that need to be hung. I was going to have Shayne do it, but since door hanging is more of an art than a science, I think I'll leave it to a pro.
I know I've been saying it since we bought this house, but I really think we're going to get to the bathroom this year. We've had too many water issues, and I'm worried about letting them go any longer. Since by March we will be totally debt-free except for the house (joy!), we're going to really concentrate on saving our money. Toss in our tax refund money, and we will hopefully be good to go around May. I'm so nervous about this project that even writing about it gives me the jitters. I want it to be perfect, and I'm worried about being unhappy with the final outcome. I have good people lined up for everything but the plumbing, which will be fairly minor since we're only moving the sink. We might take the opportunity to run PEX upstairs as well. Still thinking on that one... At least we have a bit of time to try to hash it all out. For the thousandth time.
12/23/2010
Almost Christmas
Even though we started planning our gift-giving back before Thanksgiving, somehow Christmas has snuck up on me this year. We've barely decorated. Shayne brought our little Christmas tree out of the basement, the only fake tree I've ever loved, and found that it will not light except in a band around the top. I'm so very sad about it. I figured that maybe this would be the ideal time to transition to a real tree, which I've always planned on doing. And then I remembered that I have a toddler who LOVES to play in water. And shake pole lamps. So we're skipping the tree this year.
I wrapped lighted garland around the stair banister, and it looks very pretty. I also put out a wreath, some little decorations, and our nativity set. But it just doesn't feel quite like Christmas without a tree. I'm going to cut the lights off of it and re-light it after Christmas. But with everything else going on this week, I just don't have time to do it before. Plus, I want to wait for lights to go on sale.
I am excited about Ethan's Christmas. We got him two gifts: a Melissa and Doug wooden tool kit, and a set of colored pins that nest into matching cups. After reading some Montessori and Waldorf-y books, I'm more determined than ever to have as many natural toys as possible. We got a lot of plastic toys for Ethan's birthday, and I'm trying to rotate them in and out so he only has one or two at a time. The rest are wood. cloth, and other natural materials.
I'm also excited about the gifts we got for others. Since we started to early, we were able to really think about what each person might want or need. And since we are essentially debt-free except for our house (thanks Dave Ramsey!!), we got to spend quite a bit more than we have in the past. All cash. I'm so excited! Shayne and I really splurged for each other (he got a DeWalt drill set, I got a NookColor e-reader, and we replaced our broken Xbox with a new model with the Kinect sensor), but I don't feel guilty at all, since we could afford it. Such fun! We truly are blessed, and I thank God every day for the wonderful people and opportunities we have in our life.
I wrapped lighted garland around the stair banister, and it looks very pretty. I also put out a wreath, some little decorations, and our nativity set. But it just doesn't feel quite like Christmas without a tree. I'm going to cut the lights off of it and re-light it after Christmas. But with everything else going on this week, I just don't have time to do it before. Plus, I want to wait for lights to go on sale.
I am excited about Ethan's Christmas. We got him two gifts: a Melissa and Doug wooden tool kit, and a set of colored pins that nest into matching cups. After reading some Montessori and Waldorf-y books, I'm more determined than ever to have as many natural toys as possible. We got a lot of plastic toys for Ethan's birthday, and I'm trying to rotate them in and out so he only has one or two at a time. The rest are wood. cloth, and other natural materials.
I'm also excited about the gifts we got for others. Since we started to early, we were able to really think about what each person might want or need. And since we are essentially debt-free except for our house (thanks Dave Ramsey!!), we got to spend quite a bit more than we have in the past. All cash. I'm so excited! Shayne and I really splurged for each other (he got a DeWalt drill set, I got a NookColor e-reader, and we replaced our broken Xbox with a new model with the Kinect sensor), but I don't feel guilty at all, since we could afford it. Such fun! We truly are blessed, and I thank God every day for the wonderful people and opportunities we have in our life.
9/24/2010
Fifth Housiversary
I can't believe it's been 5 years since we bought the house. The actual date we took possession was August 24, 2005, so I'm a little late (imagine that!).
This has been by far the busiest year since we bought the house. First, and most important, we had a baby! Ethan is turning 1 next week, and I can't imagine my life without him. He has a wonderful, happy personality, and he's incredibly curious and adventurous. He crawls everywhere, gets into everything, and needs constant watching to ensure he doesn't inadvertently kill himself (which on some days it seems he's intent on doing!). Parenthood is awesome, and I'm looking forward to the next year of this never-ending project.
Our next biggest project was the upstairs closet shuffle, which is functionally complete but still a cosmetic nightmare. We installed Rubbermaid modular rods and shelving in both bedroom closets, and everything is painted. I have the doors for the office closet, but haven't yet found any for the bedroom. We also don't have the molding back up, although Shayne did fabricate matching trim for the doorways.
But we finally got the upstairs floors refinished!! I hired out the sanding but did the shellacking on my own. They look so much better. They were never truly awful (except for the office floor), but the polyurethane was really lacking in depth and color.
My favorite project of the year was one I did very little work on and has nothing to do with the house itself. We took the plunge and got chickens, so Shayne built me a beautiful, big chicken coop. My girls aren't laying yet, but should start soon. The neighbors all think they're entertaining, so we let them free-range. They do go a little farther than I thought... Thye've been sighted as far away as the bar or the church at the corner, and once in a while a neighbor will shoo them home. But they come running when they see me, which is nothing short of hilarious. They stick their necks out and run straight at me, clucking for treats. Our neighbors across the street laugh every time they see it, and Shayne calls me the chicken whisperer.
Shayne's favorite project is probably the shed. He's still building it, but he wanted a place to store the riding mower, push mower, and garden tools. Personally I think our garage is plenty big enough, but I'm not sure I have enough testosterone to say that with any authority. I'm not complaining. He's building it, it will match the chicken coop, and it makes him happy to build it. And the more building experience he gets, the less likely it is that we'll have to pay someone to help us with house projects.
In the past year, we've also managed to flood the kitchen twice more, resulting in laminate flooring that will never, ever be the same. Shayne bought some tiles to temporarily repair the messed up ceiling (I say "temporarily" because that entire room's days are numbered. I cannot wait to gut it. And the bathroom...), but Lowes no longer carries that particular color laminate. The boards themselved don't look awful, but the tongue-and-groove part is damaged from the water. We're going to try cutting off the tongues to see if we can just get it to lay flat until we totally remodel. And we're going to have a clean-out installed in the main drain to prevent future back-ups. And maybe a check valve in the dishwasher line so it can't back-up. Ever. Because if this had happened in my newly remodeled kitchen, I'd have a heart attack.
We added 4 more raised beds to the single one from last year. I only planted a small garden this year, but harvested over 30 lbs of roma tomatoes. My broccoli kind of fried in the heat, but the plants are still alive, and I have some hope for a fall harvest. I also had a bumper crop of green beans. I put up strawberry and raspberry jams, strawberry ice cream or cheesecake topping, cherry butter, pasta sauce, applesauce, and apple butter. I still have corn and peaches left from last year. I didn't freeze anything except the 7 chickens my friend raised. We're in the process of rebuilding our food storage, since we've been using it more than rotating it...!
Another ongoing project (if you can call it that) is getting organized. We've now lived here long enough to know how we use the house, so we've really started to pare down our belongings. I'm saving 90% of Ethan's clothes, toys, and gear, but getting rid of most anything we haven't used in the past year. I thoroughly reorganized the bedrooms, kitchen, dining room, living room, and bathroom, and we're working on the back porch/laundry room and basement. Some of it is really difficult. There are things that you only use occasionally, but it would be silly to get rid of. And other things, like tools and renovation supplies (paint removers, sandpaper, etc) that I wish I didn't need, but I do. But we're getting there...
In the next year, I'd really like to finish the upstairs. Completely. And install our "new" prairie-style front door. That's all.
This has been by far the busiest year since we bought the house. First, and most important, we had a baby! Ethan is turning 1 next week, and I can't imagine my life without him. He has a wonderful, happy personality, and he's incredibly curious and adventurous. He crawls everywhere, gets into everything, and needs constant watching to ensure he doesn't inadvertently kill himself (which on some days it seems he's intent on doing!). Parenthood is awesome, and I'm looking forward to the next year of this never-ending project.
But we finally got the upstairs floors refinished!! I hired out the sanding but did the shellacking on my own. They look so much better. They were never truly awful (except for the office floor), but the polyurethane was really lacking in depth and color.
My favorite project of the year was one I did very little work on and has nothing to do with the house itself. We took the plunge and got chickens, so Shayne built me a beautiful, big chicken coop. My girls aren't laying yet, but should start soon. The neighbors all think they're entertaining, so we let them free-range. They do go a little farther than I thought... Thye've been sighted as far away as the bar or the church at the corner, and once in a while a neighbor will shoo them home. But they come running when they see me, which is nothing short of hilarious. They stick their necks out and run straight at me, clucking for treats. Our neighbors across the street laugh every time they see it, and Shayne calls me the chicken whisperer.
 |
| The girls in their run |
In the past year, we've also managed to flood the kitchen twice more, resulting in laminate flooring that will never, ever be the same. Shayne bought some tiles to temporarily repair the messed up ceiling (I say "temporarily" because that entire room's days are numbered. I cannot wait to gut it. And the bathroom...), but Lowes no longer carries that particular color laminate. The boards themselved don't look awful, but the tongue-and-groove part is damaged from the water. We're going to try cutting off the tongues to see if we can just get it to lay flat until we totally remodel. And we're going to have a clean-out installed in the main drain to prevent future back-ups. And maybe a check valve in the dishwasher line so it can't back-up. Ever. Because if this had happened in my newly remodeled kitchen, I'd have a heart attack.
We added 4 more raised beds to the single one from last year. I only planted a small garden this year, but harvested over 30 lbs of roma tomatoes. My broccoli kind of fried in the heat, but the plants are still alive, and I have some hope for a fall harvest. I also had a bumper crop of green beans. I put up strawberry and raspberry jams, strawberry ice cream or cheesecake topping, cherry butter, pasta sauce, applesauce, and apple butter. I still have corn and peaches left from last year. I didn't freeze anything except the 7 chickens my friend raised. We're in the process of rebuilding our food storage, since we've been using it more than rotating it...!
Another ongoing project (if you can call it that) is getting organized. We've now lived here long enough to know how we use the house, so we've really started to pare down our belongings. I'm saving 90% of Ethan's clothes, toys, and gear, but getting rid of most anything we haven't used in the past year. I thoroughly reorganized the bedrooms, kitchen, dining room, living room, and bathroom, and we're working on the back porch/laundry room and basement. Some of it is really difficult. There are things that you only use occasionally, but it would be silly to get rid of. And other things, like tools and renovation supplies (paint removers, sandpaper, etc) that I wish I didn't need, but I do. But we're getting there...
In the next year, I'd really like to finish the upstairs. Completely. And install our "new" prairie-style front door. That's all.
6/12/2010
Quiet Saturday night
Today is one of those days where I feel like I could live here forever. From where I sit in the dining room, I can hear frogs croaking out the open kitchen window. Oddly enough for a Saturday night, the bar isn't in full swing. Maybe it's the storms we had earlier. Whatever it is, I'm grateful. Even though I'm looking forward to the day when we own enough of our own property far enough away from "civilization" for frogs to be the main background noise, tonight I'm just happy to be where I am. The veggies are growing, the chickens are roosting in their coop, the baby is asleep (for now), and the hot and humid weather has been replaced with cool and clear.
I'm content.
I'm content.
6/03/2010
Vacation? What vacation?
Today's my last day of my 12 day vacation. I think I did everything but relax! The chicken coop is nearly done, and the house is secured for the chicks to stay out there instead of in the kitchen (YAY!!). Having them in the house was cute for about a week, then the constant peeping started driving me mad. We also had the floors sanded, and I applied 6 coats of dewaxed shellac (Zinsser SealCoat) to them. My knees and back were killing me for about 4 days. I'm still working on moving all of the stuff out of the living room, but the upstairs is MUCH more organized now. I have 2 Rubbermaid containers of things that I can't unpack yet, since we don't have a desk for office supplies or a bookshelf for the books, but I suppose 2 organized containers is better than 2 rooms full of unsorted junk, right?
Yesterday I got more tomatoes and the broccoli planted, and I found a volunteer lettuce that sprouted from seed in a flower pot. The peas aren't growing, and I'm not sure why. We've had plenty of rain...
Today... I don't know. I'd like to take it easy and relax, but it's kind of hard with all my chores staring me in the face...
Yesterday I got more tomatoes and the broccoli planted, and I found a volunteer lettuce that sprouted from seed in a flower pot. The peas aren't growing, and I'm not sure why. We've had plenty of rain...
Today... I don't know. I'd like to take it easy and relax, but it's kind of hard with all my chores staring me in the face...
5/23/2010
We don't meet with the realtor til tomorrow, but I already know that the 19 acre property isn't meant to be. I went to walk around it again a few days ago, and after I left, I just got this feeling... And I knew we should wait. So we will. But we're keeping our appointment anyways, since we want to talk with the realtor in person about exactly what we're looking for. As far as I know there's nothing on the market right now that matches it. Which is good, since we're obviously not ready to move. Or rather, we are, but the house isn't...
But we'll be at least one step closer by the end of the week! The floor sanders come on Thursday, so I should be done shellacking the upstairs by Sunday or Monday. It's going to be a huge mess with all of the upstairs furniture sitting in the living room and dining room. I think we're going to have to move in with my mom for a few days, since there won't be any room at all downstairs. That unfortunately means I can only apply one coat of shellac per day (otherwise I'd be driving back and forth way too much), but each coat will have plenty of time to dry.
I'm not looking forward to this, but at least we'll be done with the major work upstairs. One step closer...!
But we'll be at least one step closer by the end of the week! The floor sanders come on Thursday, so I should be done shellacking the upstairs by Sunday or Monday. It's going to be a huge mess with all of the upstairs furniture sitting in the living room and dining room. I think we're going to have to move in with my mom for a few days, since there won't be any room at all downstairs. That unfortunately means I can only apply one coat of shellac per day (otherwise I'd be driving back and forth way too much), but each coat will have plenty of time to dry.
I'm not looking forward to this, but at least we'll be done with the major work upstairs. One step closer...!
5/20/2010
My brain hurts...
Well, we might be nuts, but we've set up an appointment to check out the house with 19 acres. I'm of two minds about it. On one hand, if it's a dump I can stop thinking about it. On the other... If it's livable and has potential, I'm going to drive myself more crazy than I already have been.
Here's the Good: The property itself is pretty much everything I could want. With 19 acres, there's plenty of room for a pond, livestock, outbuildings... whatever. With the little barn and the littler barn, we could get some of those livestock without having to build anything to house them. Two car garage, trees for shade, and no neighbors. The closest one is about a quarter mile away. No more bar, no more trains, no more Metallica at 2:30 am (Nothing against Metallica, but I don't like it blaring in the middle of the night when I'm trying to sleep). There's also a fireplace and a big mudroom/laundry area. It's within the 5 mile radius of town that allows Shayne to keep his take-home car, and it's also near the highway that goes into the city for easy shopping. Even though it's about 7 miles further out than our current house, they're all highway miles so it wouldn't be a hassle to run errands.
The Bad is that the house is quite probably a little smaller than the house we're in now. Only a partial basement, but there is a walk-up attic. No workshop outside, and I'm not sure there's space for Shayne to have his "Man Cave"/LED workshop inside. It's also a 1950s house, which here in backwards Indiana means it looks like a '40s house. I don't have a huge issue with that, but it just doesn't have the character of a bungalow. But since this house is in need of updating anyways, I could always add architectural details. And maybe raise the roof and finish the attic.
The Ugly: the septic. Just having walked around the property, I know the septic needs to be updated/replaced. The existing one is concrete block-lined holes in the ground. I know that's pretty much what we have in the Prairie Box, but at least ours is buried. These you can see into from the yard. Yeek...
I dunno if this house is "The One". But it's definitely got me motivated to finish work on the Prairie Box so that when The One comes along we'll be ready. It's also really solidified in my mind that I want a farm. My mental picture is of an old farmhouse or bungalow amidst rickety old outbuildings, but my logical side knows that would be too much work. A guy I work with bought a house with an old barn. The barn is in good shape, but there are lots of gaps in the siding where the boards have shrunk. The cheapest estimate to make it weathertight again?? $13,000. So large barns or many buildings would be very expensive to maintain, and aren't really worth the postcard look.
And as much as I love old houses, and am dying to own a bungalow or another foursquare, I'm willing to compromise if we can find the right piece of property. You can always change a house, but you can't make a piece of property bigger, or change the neighbors, or its proximity to bars and railroad tracks. When they say that location is everything, they ain't kidding.
Ugh. Lots to think about. I'm looking forward to Monday, so I can see what this stupid house looks like and get my head together. Even if I still want this property, at least it'll be with full disclosure instead of all this wondering.
Here's the Good: The property itself is pretty much everything I could want. With 19 acres, there's plenty of room for a pond, livestock, outbuildings... whatever. With the little barn and the littler barn, we could get some of those livestock without having to build anything to house them. Two car garage, trees for shade, and no neighbors. The closest one is about a quarter mile away. No more bar, no more trains, no more Metallica at 2:30 am (Nothing against Metallica, but I don't like it blaring in the middle of the night when I'm trying to sleep). There's also a fireplace and a big mudroom/laundry area. It's within the 5 mile radius of town that allows Shayne to keep his take-home car, and it's also near the highway that goes into the city for easy shopping. Even though it's about 7 miles further out than our current house, they're all highway miles so it wouldn't be a hassle to run errands.
The Bad is that the house is quite probably a little smaller than the house we're in now. Only a partial basement, but there is a walk-up attic. No workshop outside, and I'm not sure there's space for Shayne to have his "Man Cave"/LED workshop inside. It's also a 1950s house, which here in backwards Indiana means it looks like a '40s house. I don't have a huge issue with that, but it just doesn't have the character of a bungalow. But since this house is in need of updating anyways, I could always add architectural details. And maybe raise the roof and finish the attic.
The Ugly: the septic. Just having walked around the property, I know the septic needs to be updated/replaced. The existing one is concrete block-lined holes in the ground. I know that's pretty much what we have in the Prairie Box, but at least ours is buried. These you can see into from the yard. Yeek...
I dunno if this house is "The One". But it's definitely got me motivated to finish work on the Prairie Box so that when The One comes along we'll be ready. It's also really solidified in my mind that I want a farm. My mental picture is of an old farmhouse or bungalow amidst rickety old outbuildings, but my logical side knows that would be too much work. A guy I work with bought a house with an old barn. The barn is in good shape, but there are lots of gaps in the siding where the boards have shrunk. The cheapest estimate to make it weathertight again?? $13,000. So large barns or many buildings would be very expensive to maintain, and aren't really worth the postcard look.
And as much as I love old houses, and am dying to own a bungalow or another foursquare, I'm willing to compromise if we can find the right piece of property. You can always change a house, but you can't make a piece of property bigger, or change the neighbors, or its proximity to bars and railroad tracks. When they say that location is everything, they ain't kidding.
Ugh. Lots to think about. I'm looking forward to Monday, so I can see what this stupid house looks like and get my head together. Even if I still want this property, at least it'll be with full disclosure instead of all this wondering.
5/16/2010
The weather was perfect today, even early this morning, so I plopped Ethan on a blanket outside and did a little work in the garden. We got our truck fixed this week, so yesterday Shayne and I picked up and unloaded another truckload of dirt, which filled 2 of the beds. A third was nearly filled, so I think a half load will finish us up. Finally. This morning I planted my peas, carrots, and lettuce, plus leveled the beds. While I was messing around in them, I found lots of worms, so I know the soil is good! I'll be planting my tomatoes soon, and I'm planning on a fall crop of broccoli and maybe spinach. Not as much as I wanted to plant this year, but.... eh, life happened.
Shayne's also been busy on the chicken coop. It now is fully enclosed!! Only another week and the girls can take up residence!! I can't wait to have them out of the house, because Ares is about ready to climb into the brooder and eat them. Awful dog.
And in other news... We've scheduled our floor sanding for May 26. I'm off work for 12 days, and that falls right in the middle. If all goes well, we should have a newly shellacked upstairs floors and staircase by June!!
5/12/2010
This house is making me crazy. Seriously.
I love it so much I could sometimes cry, but I'm dying to own a farm. I want chickens and goats. I want a barn. I want to raise Ethan away from bars, and train tracks, and blaring radios.
I know that tonight I'll go home, walk in the house, and feel so comfy-cozy that I don't ever want to leave. But right now, sitting out in the middle of nowhere and looking at a house and 19 acres that's for sale (and conveniently has a small barn, a mini-barn/goat shed, and lots of mature trees... Plus lots of pasture with a little woods. Plenty of room to dig a pond. And did I mention that we can afford it?)... Ugh.
I'm not really sure how this happened to me. I had a normal urban/suburban upbringing. Of course I was obsessed with pioneers, native Americans, and such, but nothing was there to make anyone think that someday I'd have chickens living in my dining room and dreams of maybe raising grass-fed beef and pastured poultry and eggs.
And so now the fact that the house isn't done and ready to sell is making me nuts. I keep thinking of all the time I wasted before we had Ethan, since now it's so hard to get anything done. I suppose we're pretty close. If I'm lucky, maybe we can get it done by fall, then start thinking about moving on. There is a lot left to do, but it's all little things that can be done in baby steps (thankfully). Just brainstorming, here's what I come up with (in no particular order):
I love it so much I could sometimes cry, but I'm dying to own a farm. I want chickens and goats. I want a barn. I want to raise Ethan away from bars, and train tracks, and blaring radios.
I know that tonight I'll go home, walk in the house, and feel so comfy-cozy that I don't ever want to leave. But right now, sitting out in the middle of nowhere and looking at a house and 19 acres that's for sale (and conveniently has a small barn, a mini-barn/goat shed, and lots of mature trees... Plus lots of pasture with a little woods. Plenty of room to dig a pond. And did I mention that we can afford it?)... Ugh.
I'm not really sure how this happened to me. I had a normal urban/suburban upbringing. Of course I was obsessed with pioneers, native Americans, and such, but nothing was there to make anyone think that someday I'd have chickens living in my dining room and dreams of maybe raising grass-fed beef and pastured poultry and eggs.
And so now the fact that the house isn't done and ready to sell is making me nuts. I keep thinking of all the time I wasted before we had Ethan, since now it's so hard to get anything done. I suppose we're pretty close. If I'm lucky, maybe we can get it done by fall, then start thinking about moving on. There is a lot left to do, but it's all little things that can be done in baby steps (thankfully). Just brainstorming, here's what I come up with (in no particular order):
- Drywall kitchen ceiling
- Remove kitchen wallpaper
- Paint kitchen
- Lay some kind of new floor in kitchen and back mudroom/porch
- Frame in kitchen doorway
- Drywall new kitchen doorway wall
- Refinish dining room floor
- Shellac stairway and its trim
- Replace upstairs trim
- Refinish upstairs floor
- Remove bathroom wallpaper
- Repaint bathroom
- Replace basement carpet
5/07/2010
Still no house progress...
Baby + working full time = nothing gets done
There's so much that I want to do, I just don't have time. It's gotten a little easier as Ethan's gotten older (I can sit him on a blanket outside and do 30 minutes of yard work), but if I can't do it in 30 minute increments, it ain't happening. Like the floor sanding. We were going to do it a month ago. You can see how well that worked out... I'm going to be taking some time off at the end of the month. Floor sanding will happen then. I hope.
One thing we did accomplish is paying off our car! Yay! Having Ethan means that we're not following the Dave Ramsey plan to the letter; I'm not comfortable only having $1000 in the bank, just in case something happens with the baby and I can't work for a while. So even though we had enough to pay off the car before our tax refund came in, I just wasn't able to take the money out. But once we had our tax money, the car got paid off! Now I just have one student loan left. And again, we have enough money in the bank to pay it off, but I just can't seem to write the check. But that's okay. Within 6 months it'll be gone, and we'll be debt-free except for the house. [Picture me doing a happy dance here]
The other progress has been the chickens. I've wanted chickens for a few years, so just getting the chicks was a huge step. Even better is that Shayne has really warmed up to the idea. That's why I got chicks instead of adult hens. With cute little babies in the dining room, he's been picking each of them up at least once every day. I figured he couldn't resist their cute fluffiness, and I was right. I'm such an evil, scheming wife... :)
There's so much that I want to do, I just don't have time. It's gotten a little easier as Ethan's gotten older (I can sit him on a blanket outside and do 30 minutes of yard work), but if I can't do it in 30 minute increments, it ain't happening. Like the floor sanding. We were going to do it a month ago. You can see how well that worked out... I'm going to be taking some time off at the end of the month. Floor sanding will happen then. I hope.
One thing we did accomplish is paying off our car! Yay! Having Ethan means that we're not following the Dave Ramsey plan to the letter; I'm not comfortable only having $1000 in the bank, just in case something happens with the baby and I can't work for a while. So even though we had enough to pay off the car before our tax refund came in, I just wasn't able to take the money out. But once we had our tax money, the car got paid off! Now I just have one student loan left. And again, we have enough money in the bank to pay it off, but I just can't seem to write the check. But that's okay. Within 6 months it'll be gone, and we'll be debt-free except for the house. [Picture me doing a happy dance here]
The other progress has been the chickens. I've wanted chickens for a few years, so just getting the chicks was a huge step. Even better is that Shayne has really warmed up to the idea. That's why I got chicks instead of adult hens. With cute little babies in the dining room, he's been picking each of them up at least once every day. I figured he couldn't resist their cute fluffiness, and I was right. I'm such an evil, scheming wife... :)
3/23/2010
Preparing to have the floors sanded
Yep, I'm cheating again...! Since the baby came along, we actually have more time than money. We rarely go out, and between our work schedules, we don't have much time available where one of us can watch the baby and the other can work on a project. I don't want Ethan to grow up too fast, but I really can't wait until he can sit up by himself. At least I can get yard- and housework done by strapping him into the Beco carrier. I don't know how people functioned without a baby carrier of some kind. It's especially nice now that he can hold his head steady. I can just put him on my back like a backpack, then get busy with whatever needs to be done. 9 times out of 10 he goes to sleep. And if he doesn't, he's happy to just watch what I'm doing. It's a lifesaver.
But one thing I don't think I can manage is sanding the upstairs floors myself. Obviously the dust and noise would be bad for the kidlet, but time is definitely an issue. I think I can do the finishing myself. 3 coats of shellac over 3 days should be within my abilities, so long as it's on my days off. If I can do a coat each night before bed, we should be able to walk on it by mid to late afternoon. The only reason that's so important is because our only shower/tub is up there. I'll be making the appointment today, and hopefully they'll have something open the first week of April.
Too bad we'll have to move the entire upstairs into the living room for a week or so. Ugh. I am NOT looking forward to that part... To prepare, I spent part of Sunday cleaning out my closet and organizing the boxes of office stuff. I got rid of quite a bit, which was good. It's amazing how much crap you can accumulate. And in this case, where we never really unpacked all the office stuff after moving in, I'm amazed at how much we don't actually use. Obviously some things you need to keep even if you only use them twice a year (stapler, envelopes, thank-you cards), but I was able to pare it down.
Another thing I'm trying to pare down is our book collection. I LOVE books. But between the two of us, we probably have 6 bookcases full. I'm not exaggerating. We gots lots. So we've decided to donate all books that we don't think we'll ever read again. I'm teetering on the classics. Some of them I know I'll never read again. Some of the ones I have, I've never read. But every so often, I'll pick one up and read it. Which is how I read the Ann of Green Gables series as a 25-year-old. I suppose I'll keep them for now. They only take up two shelves...
But one thing I don't think I can manage is sanding the upstairs floors myself. Obviously the dust and noise would be bad for the kidlet, but time is definitely an issue. I think I can do the finishing myself. 3 coats of shellac over 3 days should be within my abilities, so long as it's on my days off. If I can do a coat each night before bed, we should be able to walk on it by mid to late afternoon. The only reason that's so important is because our only shower/tub is up there. I'll be making the appointment today, and hopefully they'll have something open the first week of April.
Too bad we'll have to move the entire upstairs into the living room for a week or so. Ugh. I am NOT looking forward to that part... To prepare, I spent part of Sunday cleaning out my closet and organizing the boxes of office stuff. I got rid of quite a bit, which was good. It's amazing how much crap you can accumulate. And in this case, where we never really unpacked all the office stuff after moving in, I'm amazed at how much we don't actually use. Obviously some things you need to keep even if you only use them twice a year (stapler, envelopes, thank-you cards), but I was able to pare it down.
Another thing I'm trying to pare down is our book collection. I LOVE books. But between the two of us, we probably have 6 bookcases full. I'm not exaggerating. We gots lots. So we've decided to donate all books that we don't think we'll ever read again. I'm teetering on the classics. Some of them I know I'll never read again. Some of the ones I have, I've never read. But every so often, I'll pick one up and read it. Which is how I read the Ann of Green Gables series as a 25-year-old. I suppose I'll keep them for now. They only take up two shelves...
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