Top tips to a successful New Year's Eve Party with the kids (and their friends):
1) A cotton candy machine. I'm not sure which was more fun for the kids, making the cotton candy or eating it.
2) Lots of snacks. The nice thing about kids is that they are pretty easy when it comes to party food. One of the biggest hits was the individual chip bags.
3) Games. In addition to the air hockey and wii, we broke up the night by coming together for party games like "Spoons" now and then. We also assigned each kid a number and drew from a bowl every 15 minutes for prizes.
4) Origami. I just discovered that Michael's is a good place to stock up on origami paper -- 200 sheets for $10. Sophie checked out a bunch of books with instructions from the library and the kids went crazy folding.
5) Geometric shapes. After writing a story for the newspaper last month about activities for the kids with cranberries, I bought a few bags (but, then never did any of the things I was planning to do). Last night, I busted out the cranberries and a box of toothpicks and was amazed at how the kids -- especially the Kindergarten crowd -- sat mesmerized for hours building elaborate bridges and pyramids. Pure magic.
6) Music. We kept the music pumping with tunes the 9-11 year-olds loved. This created a nice party atmosphere and I think it was a hit, since the volume was increased every time my back was turned. Plus, the two-year-olds and I made up a new dance in which we all held hands and jumped up and down repeatedly. It was awesome to see their giggles and I think it may have been good for my calves as well.
7) A fire. We've started using the fireplace in our front room and it is everything I ever dreamed about when I imagined having a home with a nice cozy fireplace. Around 9 p.m., Katie Jane curled up with her blankets and pillows and fell asleep watching the flames dance about. It was so sweet. And, I couldn't believe she never stirred with all the partying going on nearby.
8) A movie. Even with all the music, treats, games and prizes, it was still a long night. At 9:30 p.m. we popped in the DVD of the newest Spy Kids movie and nestled the kids in with soft blankets and buttered popcorn. Then, some of our friends showed up (Brian's brother who is visiting from Boston was also brave enough to join our crazy house full of kids), so while the kids were quietly entertained with a movie, the grown-ups had a rousing game of Cranium in the next room. I will never forget the moment when -- right before our super smart friends won the game like they always do -- one of them accidentally blurted out "Three fish, four fish" to finish the phrase "One fish, two fish . . . " Maybe you just had to be there. (side note: their nursery is decorated in Dr. Seuss with the correct phrase stenciled on the wall!).
9) Sparklers. At 11:50 p.m., we gathered up the ten out of the fifteen kids who had stayed awake long enough to see the new year and helped them put on their coats and shoes. We decorated them heavily with glow bracelets and necklaces, armed them with poppers and herded them outside where we counted down to midnight and lit sparklers. All ten of the kids were lining the balcony overlooking our driveway waving their sparklers while I was stood below watching their smiling faces. It was a lovely way to start 2012.
10) Fireworks. Just as our crew was waving their sparklers and blowing their horns, a neighbor launched a gorgeous fireworks display into the air. Unexpected and oh so perfect!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
2011 Holidays
On Christmas Eve, I was wrapping gifts all day. Isaac wanted to wrap some "gifts" to put under the tree as well. I gave him some paper, scissors and tape and he and Katie sat cutting, wrapping and taping the same item for over an hour. I thought they were so darling working on their project together. The next day, I looked at Katie and immediately noticed that she had bangs. And, I think you know what kind of bangs I'm talking about. The uneven kind, cropped up close to the hairline. I gasped in surprise and blurted out, "Who cut your hair?" Without even blinking she replied, "Isaac did it."
Further questioning revealed that wrapping paper wasn't the only thing Isaac was cutting on Christmas Eve.
It could have been much worse. I guess since Katie never wants me fixing her hair (and, she always rips out any barrettes I manage to sneak in), the bangs will suit her once they grow out a little. What can I say? She is still so stinking cute and I just smile a little at those bangs every time I see them.
We had a very fun Christmas that included a Kindle and four way radios for Sophie, the long anticipated "Skopio" -- a super bionicle -- and a remote control airplane for Ian, walkie talkies, a hot wheels track and lego set for Isaac and a "Melissa and Doug" ice cream set, tiny tea dishes and a baby doll in a cradle for Katie.
We also got a wii for the family and our kids said they now "know for sure that Santa is real" because he left a full size air hockey table in our family room (or, as we like to call it - the party room). Sophie and Ian said they are positive that Brian and I would never have allowed such a thing as that.
Brian had Monday off from work. We wanted to look for organizational nick knacks for our home at IKEA but we didn't know who to leave the kids with all day the day after Christmas. Then, I remembered hearing once upon a time that there is a free supervised play area at IKEA. A little on-line investigation confirmed this thought. So, we hauled all four kids along for the ride.
Upon arrival, we discovered that the only one of our kids who could go in the play area was Isaac. Sophie and Ian were a few inches too tall and Katie was just barely too short. Also, Isaac could only play for one hour, which is like five minutes in IKEA shopping time.
The good news was that Sophie and Ian could check out game boys to play and Katie could sit outside of the play area and watch a movie on a big screen T.V. from a kid size chair. The other good news was that kids twelve and under could eat at the cafeteria for free all day! Apparently, they can always eat for free on Tuesdays, but we happened to come during a week long special.
Brian did some work on his laptop while three of our kids hung out playing games and watching movies and Isaac had his hour in the play area. I speed shopped through the showroom. Then, we all ate lunch in the cafeteria and all six of us raced through the showroom area together. It wouldn't have been so bad except that Katie was way beyond nap time by the time we got downstairs for the actual shopping. And, I would like to forget about how much Sophie and Ian acted like they were being tortured absolutely to death from the moment we checked the game boys back in until the moment we arrived at the check out stand.
In the end, Brian and I got some ideas and we are hoping to return soon (without the kids).
This morning, I got a great surprise which was that Brian got to have another day off from work! He started his day by fixing the hot water faucet in the main bathroom and hanging pictures on the walls (yay!). His family started arriving by 2 p.m. (for his side of the family's Christmas party) and then Brian led several aunts, uncles and nearly all of the cousins on a long hike toward Malan's Peak. I love that they could walk right from our front door to the trail head.
After that, there was all sorts of revelry -- food, crafts, cookies, a fire in the fireplace, games, white elephant exchanges for the kids and lots of visiting and good times.
Next up -- hosting a 15-kid New Year's Eve party (I'm letting my kids invite their friends over this year).
Further questioning revealed that wrapping paper wasn't the only thing Isaac was cutting on Christmas Eve.
It could have been much worse. I guess since Katie never wants me fixing her hair (and, she always rips out any barrettes I manage to sneak in), the bangs will suit her once they grow out a little. What can I say? She is still so stinking cute and I just smile a little at those bangs every time I see them.
We had a very fun Christmas that included a Kindle and four way radios for Sophie, the long anticipated "Skopio" -- a super bionicle -- and a remote control airplane for Ian, walkie talkies, a hot wheels track and lego set for Isaac and a "Melissa and Doug" ice cream set, tiny tea dishes and a baby doll in a cradle for Katie.
We also got a wii for the family and our kids said they now "know for sure that Santa is real" because he left a full size air hockey table in our family room (or, as we like to call it - the party room). Sophie and Ian said they are positive that Brian and I would never have allowed such a thing as that.
Brian had Monday off from work. We wanted to look for organizational nick knacks for our home at IKEA but we didn't know who to leave the kids with all day the day after Christmas. Then, I remembered hearing once upon a time that there is a free supervised play area at IKEA. A little on-line investigation confirmed this thought. So, we hauled all four kids along for the ride.
Upon arrival, we discovered that the only one of our kids who could go in the play area was Isaac. Sophie and Ian were a few inches too tall and Katie was just barely too short. Also, Isaac could only play for one hour, which is like five minutes in IKEA shopping time.
The good news was that Sophie and Ian could check out game boys to play and Katie could sit outside of the play area and watch a movie on a big screen T.V. from a kid size chair. The other good news was that kids twelve and under could eat at the cafeteria for free all day! Apparently, they can always eat for free on Tuesdays, but we happened to come during a week long special.
Brian did some work on his laptop while three of our kids hung out playing games and watching movies and Isaac had his hour in the play area. I speed shopped through the showroom. Then, we all ate lunch in the cafeteria and all six of us raced through the showroom area together. It wouldn't have been so bad except that Katie was way beyond nap time by the time we got downstairs for the actual shopping. And, I would like to forget about how much Sophie and Ian acted like they were being tortured absolutely to death from the moment we checked the game boys back in until the moment we arrived at the check out stand.
In the end, Brian and I got some ideas and we are hoping to return soon (without the kids).
This morning, I got a great surprise which was that Brian got to have another day off from work! He started his day by fixing the hot water faucet in the main bathroom and hanging pictures on the walls (yay!). His family started arriving by 2 p.m. (for his side of the family's Christmas party) and then Brian led several aunts, uncles and nearly all of the cousins on a long hike toward Malan's Peak. I love that they could walk right from our front door to the trail head.
After that, there was all sorts of revelry -- food, crafts, cookies, a fire in the fireplace, games, white elephant exchanges for the kids and lots of visiting and good times.
Next up -- hosting a 15-kid New Year's Eve party (I'm letting my kids invite their friends over this year).
Monday, December 5, 2011
We Are In!
On October 25th we signed closing papers on our new home. The evening of the 28th, we received the keys. That meant we had just over 24-hours to move our entire collection, twelve years in the making, of stuff from one house to the next. We were so grateful when friends and family members showed up one after another to help us get it done.
Since Brian's first order of business was to overhaul the entire plumbing system, we packed a few suitcases and moved into my parents' guest room. The morning after we moved (Sunday), I was carrying Isaac down my parents' driveway when I rolled my ankle and sprained it. I felt like I was too busy to take care of it, but now that it's still swollen and bothering me more than a month later, I'm thinking that the next time I sprain my ankle I will put my feet up and get some crutches so it can heal properly.
Probably that will only happen if I'm retired and living on my own private island by then, right?. But, from a sensible standpoint, that is what I would do.
Brian took the week of Halloween off from work to focus only on the plumbing. And, then, the magic began. Our quiet, old house that has sat vacant for so many years was suddenly all abuzz with action. A friend brought over a big digger and made a 4-foot deep trench from the road to the house so Brian could replace the main water line. Brian wasted no time ripping out all of the downstairs ceilings so he could promptly rid the house of all its old galvanized pipes. Next came a series of holes in the walls upstairs (those freshly painted walls - ouch).
Brian is amazing. I can't believe he replaced all of our plumbing! He has been a powerhouse of energy since he began. For the first week, he worked 14-hours straight through every day including Saturday. The next week, he had to go back to work, but he has stayed busy every moment of his free time working on projects.
It took 2-weeks to get the water turned back on and flowing through the new pipes. During that time we were given the royal treatment at my parents' house. One night, they even treated us to a feast of fresh crab that my dad caught in Oregon on a crabbing trip the month before.
We were having such a nice time staying with my parents that we might have stayed indefinitely, except that we realized (with surprise) that it was already almost Thanksgiving. Since, my parents would be having a new slew of house guests for the holiday, we decided we'd better move along to give them a little reprieve in between. On November 12, we spent our first night in the new house. We didn't go to our new church until the following week, since our kids performed in their primary program on November 13. The next day, Ian turned 9 and we surprised the kids by taking them all out to breakfast at Karen's Cafe early in the morning before school.
I met with my girl scouts right after school and then I left the other three kids with a sitter so that Brian and I could take Ian out to dinner. When I asked him what he wanted, he said "Steak and shrimp" (I should also note here that when I asked him what snacks he wanted for his friend party, I expected him to say something like "Doritos" but he surprised me with "Crab and lobster" -- he got Doritos and muddy buddies). So, we took him to Sizzler. I was thinking it would be a cheap option for steak and shrimp, plus I could get the salad bar. And, he loves Sizzler after we took him there when he got a free meal gift certificate from school. I was amazed at how hopping busy that place was! And, on a weeknight. Wow. Sizzler? I had no idea.
He ordered his steak medium rare and ate it in bite size pieces by stabbing it with the plastic pointy thing that tells how the steak is cooked. I remember doing that when I was a kid. I sure love that boy.
He and Sophie are having a terrible time transitioning to the new house and going to a new church. You would think they would love having a bigger place and a bigger yard. But, they are so sentimental about our last home. You would think they would be elated at not having to change schools, but instead they are broken-hearted (and, I do mean that lots of tears have been and continue to be shed) to go to a different church (even though they know almost all of the kids already from school and Ian is now in a scout troop with his best friend). I suppose they will adjust eventually. It's hard to see them so sad. Isaac and Katie on the other hand are as happy as can be about the move and I suppose in a few years they will have forgotten all about our old house for good.
I loved our old house too and shed a few tears at our parting. But, I love our new house so much that I just can't bring myself to feel anything other than uncontrolled excitement and gratitude for our good fortune. I do miss going to our old church where we had many good friends. But, I believe we will stay in touch (we only moved a few blocks after all), and our new church seems wonderful too. Our neighbors have been so welcoming and kind to us. For the first few weeks, there was a non-stop parade of visitors dropping off goodies and welcoming us to the neighborhood. It seems this is a great place for us to live.
The thing we love most about our new home is the breathtaking views. We have huge windows that face west and we can see all the way out to the Great Salt Lake. The sunsets are stunning. The other thing we love is actually having space!
It's so nice to not be living right on top of each other. We are still close. The boys still share a room and the girls share a room too. Our bedrooms are close, but not within inches of each other. We are cozy, but at least we can fit two beds and two dressers in each of the kids' rooms. And, the closet in the master bedroom is lovely (his and hers). I honestly don't know how we ever fit everything in our old closet that was 1/4 the size. It's not so huge that we never see each other, but the space is just right so that the kids can have friends over and not annoy each other the entire time.
We are so very, very happy here. Even if the yard is dead, and the ceilings are ripped out, and it needs a new roof and the radiant heat sprung another leak just last night necessitating even more holes in the walls to get to the source. It's nice to be able to dream again. We had maxed out at our old house and it had been apparent for a few years that there was just no place left for us to go. It's going to take a lot of time to get this one fixed up, but, I know we will get it there.
When I turned in my November invoice to the newspaper, I realized I had written 11 stories (requiring 29 interviews). I also started a new job working as a grant writer on November 1. Sheesh! No wonder I haven't had a moment to unpack. Halloween, Thanksgiving, out of town friends, birthday, work, work, work . . . It's a pretty big mess over here. We finally unpacked half of the kitchen on Saturday (attempting to feed my family was interesting up until then). We haven't hung any pictures, curtains (still need to buy some of those) or even the hooks to hang up our towels in the bathroom. Everything is on the list of things to be done. But, the problem is that the list has about 30 things that need to be done NOW. So, we are being very patient and knowing that eventually it will all be done.
A gal from my new church has been asking to come and see our work in progress. Last night, I told her to come and see it and I wanted to see her house too. She bought an amazing house down the street from me 5-years-ago. I remember when that house was for sale. Brian and I were driving through the neighborhood and suddenly we came upon a huge (6000 square foot) home which was so very, very fancy and pink every inch from top to bottom (and the fancy fence was pink too). I had seen the amazing transformation that had taken place on the outside. It is just a gorgeous taupe and white home now with a black roof and shutters and amazing landscaping (nearly an acre plus a pool).
Last night, it was my treat to get to see the house on the inside. They have put about 200K into renovations and her decorating style was so beautiful. The house was such a unique piece of work to begin with. The entire thing is laced with the most unique fancy moldings. It feels like the inside of a palace! Even the bathrooms have elegant chandeliers and stained glass partitions. After going through that home, my own home felt absolutely plain. And, so it goes. There is always something better! Haha. Not really though. I'm quite happy with the deal we got on this home and not at all envious of the work they've had to put into theirs.
Now we have the rest of our lives to make ours unique and beautiful too.
Though probably never quite that fancy. It was really fun to see it though! She was such a good friend and kept it real by telling me that their heating bill is $400/month -- on level pay!!! We have yet to see the price tag of our single pane windows that frame the sunsets so beautifully for us (no reliable billing history since it was vacant for so long).
In other news, the windstorm on December 1st was one our family will never forget. We didn't sustain any damage, but dozens of our neighbors (and Brian's parents in Bountiful) lost enormous pine trees. All through the neighborhood, we saw tree after beautiful tree blown right over by the roots. The pine tree a few doors down from our old house went over too (this was a huge landmark for my kids all these years as in -- "I'm going to ride my scooter to the pine tree and back mom!"). The roots alone were taller than me when standing on end like that for most of the trees! I have never in my life seen anything like this. Our power was out for 24-hours. That is the longest I have ever been without power and it has made me ponder seriously the virtues of owning a generator. I'm just grateful it was only 24-hours since our neighbor directly across the street did not have power restored until yesterday (more than 72-hours). I think this area was especially hit hard because there are so many huge trees. It's one of the best features in the neighborhood (at least most of the time).
If you are reading this and you haven't been to the new house -- come on by! Most of our stuff is still in boxes, but it's going to be that way for awhile. So, I'm pretty relaxed about people coming over even though I would usually be mortified. Come on by, we'll have some pie ;-)
Since Brian's first order of business was to overhaul the entire plumbing system, we packed a few suitcases and moved into my parents' guest room. The morning after we moved (Sunday), I was carrying Isaac down my parents' driveway when I rolled my ankle and sprained it. I felt like I was too busy to take care of it, but now that it's still swollen and bothering me more than a month later, I'm thinking that the next time I sprain my ankle I will put my feet up and get some crutches so it can heal properly.
Probably that will only happen if I'm retired and living on my own private island by then, right?. But, from a sensible standpoint, that is what I would do.
Brian took the week of Halloween off from work to focus only on the plumbing. And, then, the magic began. Our quiet, old house that has sat vacant for so many years was suddenly all abuzz with action. A friend brought over a big digger and made a 4-foot deep trench from the road to the house so Brian could replace the main water line. Brian wasted no time ripping out all of the downstairs ceilings so he could promptly rid the house of all its old galvanized pipes. Next came a series of holes in the walls upstairs (those freshly painted walls - ouch).
Brian is amazing. I can't believe he replaced all of our plumbing! He has been a powerhouse of energy since he began. For the first week, he worked 14-hours straight through every day including Saturday. The next week, he had to go back to work, but he has stayed busy every moment of his free time working on projects.
It took 2-weeks to get the water turned back on and flowing through the new pipes. During that time we were given the royal treatment at my parents' house. One night, they even treated us to a feast of fresh crab that my dad caught in Oregon on a crabbing trip the month before.
We were having such a nice time staying with my parents that we might have stayed indefinitely, except that we realized (with surprise) that it was already almost Thanksgiving. Since, my parents would be having a new slew of house guests for the holiday, we decided we'd better move along to give them a little reprieve in between. On November 12, we spent our first night in the new house. We didn't go to our new church until the following week, since our kids performed in their primary program on November 13. The next day, Ian turned 9 and we surprised the kids by taking them all out to breakfast at Karen's Cafe early in the morning before school.
I met with my girl scouts right after school and then I left the other three kids with a sitter so that Brian and I could take Ian out to dinner. When I asked him what he wanted, he said "Steak and shrimp" (I should also note here that when I asked him what snacks he wanted for his friend party, I expected him to say something like "Doritos" but he surprised me with "Crab and lobster" -- he got Doritos and muddy buddies). So, we took him to Sizzler. I was thinking it would be a cheap option for steak and shrimp, plus I could get the salad bar. And, he loves Sizzler after we took him there when he got a free meal gift certificate from school. I was amazed at how hopping busy that place was! And, on a weeknight. Wow. Sizzler? I had no idea.
He ordered his steak medium rare and ate it in bite size pieces by stabbing it with the plastic pointy thing that tells how the steak is cooked. I remember doing that when I was a kid. I sure love that boy.
He and Sophie are having a terrible time transitioning to the new house and going to a new church. You would think they would love having a bigger place and a bigger yard. But, they are so sentimental about our last home. You would think they would be elated at not having to change schools, but instead they are broken-hearted (and, I do mean that lots of tears have been and continue to be shed) to go to a different church (even though they know almost all of the kids already from school and Ian is now in a scout troop with his best friend). I suppose they will adjust eventually. It's hard to see them so sad. Isaac and Katie on the other hand are as happy as can be about the move and I suppose in a few years they will have forgotten all about our old house for good.
I loved our old house too and shed a few tears at our parting. But, I love our new house so much that I just can't bring myself to feel anything other than uncontrolled excitement and gratitude for our good fortune. I do miss going to our old church where we had many good friends. But, I believe we will stay in touch (we only moved a few blocks after all), and our new church seems wonderful too. Our neighbors have been so welcoming and kind to us. For the first few weeks, there was a non-stop parade of visitors dropping off goodies and welcoming us to the neighborhood. It seems this is a great place for us to live.
The thing we love most about our new home is the breathtaking views. We have huge windows that face west and we can see all the way out to the Great Salt Lake. The sunsets are stunning. The other thing we love is actually having space!
It's so nice to not be living right on top of each other. We are still close. The boys still share a room and the girls share a room too. Our bedrooms are close, but not within inches of each other. We are cozy, but at least we can fit two beds and two dressers in each of the kids' rooms. And, the closet in the master bedroom is lovely (his and hers). I honestly don't know how we ever fit everything in our old closet that was 1/4 the size. It's not so huge that we never see each other, but the space is just right so that the kids can have friends over and not annoy each other the entire time.
We are so very, very happy here. Even if the yard is dead, and the ceilings are ripped out, and it needs a new roof and the radiant heat sprung another leak just last night necessitating even more holes in the walls to get to the source. It's nice to be able to dream again. We had maxed out at our old house and it had been apparent for a few years that there was just no place left for us to go. It's going to take a lot of time to get this one fixed up, but, I know we will get it there.
When I turned in my November invoice to the newspaper, I realized I had written 11 stories (requiring 29 interviews). I also started a new job working as a grant writer on November 1. Sheesh! No wonder I haven't had a moment to unpack. Halloween, Thanksgiving, out of town friends, birthday, work, work, work . . . It's a pretty big mess over here. We finally unpacked half of the kitchen on Saturday (attempting to feed my family was interesting up until then). We haven't hung any pictures, curtains (still need to buy some of those) or even the hooks to hang up our towels in the bathroom. Everything is on the list of things to be done. But, the problem is that the list has about 30 things that need to be done NOW. So, we are being very patient and knowing that eventually it will all be done.
A gal from my new church has been asking to come and see our work in progress. Last night, I told her to come and see it and I wanted to see her house too. She bought an amazing house down the street from me 5-years-ago. I remember when that house was for sale. Brian and I were driving through the neighborhood and suddenly we came upon a huge (6000 square foot) home which was so very, very fancy and pink every inch from top to bottom (and the fancy fence was pink too). I had seen the amazing transformation that had taken place on the outside. It is just a gorgeous taupe and white home now with a black roof and shutters and amazing landscaping (nearly an acre plus a pool).
Last night, it was my treat to get to see the house on the inside. They have put about 200K into renovations and her decorating style was so beautiful. The house was such a unique piece of work to begin with. The entire thing is laced with the most unique fancy moldings. It feels like the inside of a palace! Even the bathrooms have elegant chandeliers and stained glass partitions. After going through that home, my own home felt absolutely plain. And, so it goes. There is always something better! Haha. Not really though. I'm quite happy with the deal we got on this home and not at all envious of the work they've had to put into theirs.
Now we have the rest of our lives to make ours unique and beautiful too.
Though probably never quite that fancy. It was really fun to see it though! She was such a good friend and kept it real by telling me that their heating bill is $400/month -- on level pay!!! We have yet to see the price tag of our single pane windows that frame the sunsets so beautifully for us (no reliable billing history since it was vacant for so long).
In other news, the windstorm on December 1st was one our family will never forget. We didn't sustain any damage, but dozens of our neighbors (and Brian's parents in Bountiful) lost enormous pine trees. All through the neighborhood, we saw tree after beautiful tree blown right over by the roots. The pine tree a few doors down from our old house went over too (this was a huge landmark for my kids all these years as in -- "I'm going to ride my scooter to the pine tree and back mom!"). The roots alone were taller than me when standing on end like that for most of the trees! I have never in my life seen anything like this. Our power was out for 24-hours. That is the longest I have ever been without power and it has made me ponder seriously the virtues of owning a generator. I'm just grateful it was only 24-hours since our neighbor directly across the street did not have power restored until yesterday (more than 72-hours). I think this area was especially hit hard because there are so many huge trees. It's one of the best features in the neighborhood (at least most of the time).
If you are reading this and you haven't been to the new house -- come on by! Most of our stuff is still in boxes, but it's going to be that way for awhile. So, I'm pretty relaxed about people coming over even though I would usually be mortified. Come on by, we'll have some pie ;-)
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
FoodMed Seattle
One year ago, my new friend Patti who I only knew a little invited me to Seattle for sight inspections (looking for the perfect hotel and restaurants for a conference she was planning). Of course I said "yes" to an expense paid girlfriend getaway and one of the unexpected results was that it led to a very fulfilling career as her meeting planner assistant.
Six months ago, I traveled to Phoenix to assist with CleanMed. I was a basket case. I had no idea what I was doing. It was difficult and exhausting, but I learned so much and it was also exciting and gratifying.
I spent the whole summer helping Patti plan smaller conferences, which she attended and I did not (actually, I ran around having all the fun I could pack in with my kids on the weeks she traveled). I learned so much every step of the way. Some days my mind was so tired when I left work. It was nice to have the mental stimulation.
Last Wednesday, we finished FoodMed, the conference we chose a hotel for one year ago. I was one million times less stressed than I was at CleanMed. the people were lovely just like the ones I met at CleanMed. The topics were inspiring, mainly centered around how to make healthy food accessible to all -- beginning with serving it in our hospitals. Everything was a success. The meals were amazing. The hotel is gorgeous. And, tomorrow I go home to start a new adventure.
It looks like we close on the new house Monday. I feel very at peace with this move. I hope it means we are making the right decision. It's exciting to see what blessings and challenges will come with the move. Another big change is that im taking time off from my meeting planning days until if and when the business picks back up. This brings a lot of emotions. After the initial shock of losing my new job (which I did not think was temporary) wore off, I began to feel grateful to just be the mom again. I've missed our little outings to the library and the Treehouse and I've missed home cooked dinners and volunteering at the schools. But, I'm also stressed to lose the income and I'm trying to maintain my faith that things will all work out somehow - as long as there are good desires in my heart.
I'm slowly learning that it really is better not to have all the answers in life and appreciating the joy of having so many things to look forward to.
Like working plumbing in my new house. (haha)
I'm really excited for that and its nice to have it to look forward to.
Anyways, its been a real treat to be in Seattle this week. The first night, we went to a restaurant that was so fancy they whisked our food away to keep it warm if someone got up to use the restroom. On day two, I worked like a crazy woman for twelve hours straight but really enjoyed a fair trade chocolate bar and a soak in the hot tub and visit to the eucalyptus steam room at the end of the day. On day three, I actually left the hotel for an invigorating walk down to Pike's Market. I love that amazing farmer's market on the water's edge. Today, we wrapped things up. The conference is over. Patti and I had a lovely dinner at the Steelhead Diner to celebrate. In the morning there is an early yoga class, then it's to the airport and back home. Back to real life for me. I love those kids of mine and hope they are excited to see me.
**Updated to add - they were excited to see me! Wow, were they ever excited. So many hugs and so much sweetness it almost made me want to go out of town more often just to get the big welcome home. We had a fabulous weekend together and now it is Monday night. We close tomorrow. We might not get keys until later - so we might only have Friday night and Saturday to move everything!!! But, I hope we will get lucky and get the keys on Wednesday night as we had planned. Either way, we will be out of this house and into the new by the end of Saturday. I can't believe we are leaving this home after twelve years here.
Six months ago, I traveled to Phoenix to assist with CleanMed. I was a basket case. I had no idea what I was doing. It was difficult and exhausting, but I learned so much and it was also exciting and gratifying.
I spent the whole summer helping Patti plan smaller conferences, which she attended and I did not (actually, I ran around having all the fun I could pack in with my kids on the weeks she traveled). I learned so much every step of the way. Some days my mind was so tired when I left work. It was nice to have the mental stimulation.
Last Wednesday, we finished FoodMed, the conference we chose a hotel for one year ago. I was one million times less stressed than I was at CleanMed. the people were lovely just like the ones I met at CleanMed. The topics were inspiring, mainly centered around how to make healthy food accessible to all -- beginning with serving it in our hospitals. Everything was a success. The meals were amazing. The hotel is gorgeous. And, tomorrow I go home to start a new adventure.
It looks like we close on the new house Monday. I feel very at peace with this move. I hope it means we are making the right decision. It's exciting to see what blessings and challenges will come with the move. Another big change is that im taking time off from my meeting planning days until if and when the business picks back up. This brings a lot of emotions. After the initial shock of losing my new job (which I did not think was temporary) wore off, I began to feel grateful to just be the mom again. I've missed our little outings to the library and the Treehouse and I've missed home cooked dinners and volunteering at the schools. But, I'm also stressed to lose the income and I'm trying to maintain my faith that things will all work out somehow - as long as there are good desires in my heart.
I'm slowly learning that it really is better not to have all the answers in life and appreciating the joy of having so many things to look forward to.
Like working plumbing in my new house. (haha)
I'm really excited for that and its nice to have it to look forward to.
Anyways, its been a real treat to be in Seattle this week. The first night, we went to a restaurant that was so fancy they whisked our food away to keep it warm if someone got up to use the restroom. On day two, I worked like a crazy woman for twelve hours straight but really enjoyed a fair trade chocolate bar and a soak in the hot tub and visit to the eucalyptus steam room at the end of the day. On day three, I actually left the hotel for an invigorating walk down to Pike's Market. I love that amazing farmer's market on the water's edge. Today, we wrapped things up. The conference is over. Patti and I had a lovely dinner at the Steelhead Diner to celebrate. In the morning there is an early yoga class, then it's to the airport and back home. Back to real life for me. I love those kids of mine and hope they are excited to see me.
**Updated to add - they were excited to see me! Wow, were they ever excited. So many hugs and so much sweetness it almost made me want to go out of town more often just to get the big welcome home. We had a fabulous weekend together and now it is Monday night. We close tomorrow. We might not get keys until later - so we might only have Friday night and Saturday to move everything!!! But, I hope we will get lucky and get the keys on Wednesday night as we had planned. Either way, we will be out of this house and into the new by the end of Saturday. I can't believe we are leaving this home after twelve years here.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Rose Colored Glasses: Off
So, we met with the inspector this afternoon and what I thought would be a 15 minute exchange turned into a 2 hour, mind boggling conversation.
He said that most of his "reports" are about 45-pages long. Ours was 79. And, in case you are wondering -- that is not a good thing.
It turns out that the new coat of paint that made buyers suddenly so interested in a home that has sat vacant for years is probably covering up a few, shall we say "blemishes"? The plumbing is trash. Major water issues. (they just turned the water on today for the inspection)
I had to leave the pow wow early to get to a meeting and Brian and I have not had a chance to discuss yet. I know there were some other issues too.
Now, we just have to make sure we can get our financing or if we have to do the repairs first. Either way, it looks like we will need a plan B for living arrangements before our new place is move in ready.
It is disappointing news, but we still really feel like this is the place. I guess we'd better get ready for a little more of an adventure than we bargained for.
Signing off now so I can go enjoy my last few days with the modern convenience of running water (hahahaha). Thank you to all the well wishers!
He said that most of his "reports" are about 45-pages long. Ours was 79. And, in case you are wondering -- that is not a good thing.
It turns out that the new coat of paint that made buyers suddenly so interested in a home that has sat vacant for years is probably covering up a few, shall we say "blemishes"? The plumbing is trash. Major water issues. (they just turned the water on today for the inspection)
I had to leave the pow wow early to get to a meeting and Brian and I have not had a chance to discuss yet. I know there were some other issues too.
Now, we just have to make sure we can get our financing or if we have to do the repairs first. Either way, it looks like we will need a plan B for living arrangements before our new place is move in ready.
It is disappointing news, but we still really feel like this is the place. I guess we'd better get ready for a little more of an adventure than we bargained for.
Signing off now so I can go enjoy my last few days with the modern convenience of running water (hahahaha). Thank you to all the well wishers!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
The Front Porch
I love my front porch. It is one of the best places to sit and watch a lightning storm, or visit with the neighbors as they walk by. Our family has made so many great memories while sitting out there.
Over the years, as we've discussed off and on plans to sell this house and buy something bigger, I have wondered, "How do you get a prospective buyer to appreciate something like the front porch?" It's so much more than meets the eye.
There are 101 little things that we love about this house. The maple hardwood floors, the antique chandelier, the stained glass windows, the deep storage space in the bathroom cupboards, the ancient cottonwood in the backyard (love/hate relationship with the tree actually) . . . We have tried not to be emotionally attached. We did our best job yet of being detached sellers during this current attempt. But, truly, I must admit, it is impossible. I don't know if we are just hugely sentimental to the core, or if it is because we have molded this home inside and out with our own bare hands to make it what it is, or if it is because some of the most important years of our lives - when all four of our babies were born -- were spent here, or, if it is all the neighbors we have come to love -- I'm not sure which factor contributes the most, but we are so emotionally attached to this home that it's impossible for us to flip a switch and turn that off no matter how hard we try.
This is why I was so happy when I finally met our buyers face to face last night and they went on and on about how much they love the front porch and the stained glass windows and the backyard . . . It warmed my heart. I always hoped that someday when we were finished with our little house on 25th Street that just the right people would come along and love it the way we have.
If all goes according to plan, we will be living in our new house, just a few blocks away, by the end of the month! Everything has happened so fast that is doesn't even seem real. And, now I will share the story of how we came to find our new house.
We have been talking about getting a bigger house for . . . ummm . . . let's see, about ten years. We have even put this house up for sale a time or two (ahem, or three), but, the timing was just never right. Last year, I got pretty serious about wanting to upgrade for many reasons, one of them being that we knew we would need a bigger house to raise our kids through their teenage years and it's easier to move them when they are younger (although, we have already waited so long that this transition is breaking both Sophie and Ian's hearts a little).
I was hoping that we would put the house up for sale in the spring. But, we didn't get around to doing all of the improvement projects to make that happen (we had to do quite the kitchen remodel to add cabinets to one wall and remove cabinets from another so we could install a dishwasher -- because, selling a house with no dishwasher is like trying to sell a house with no roof or no front door apparently). Brian plugged away at projects, but spring and summer came and went and we still weren't ready.
Meanwhile, a good friend of mine told me about a house up the street from her that was for sale. I appreciated her suggestion and I even drove to the house and walked around it peeking in the windows several times. But, I did not tell Brian because it was at the upper end of our price range and I didn't think he would go for it.
A few months later, Brian found the exact same house on his own while he was out driving around and came home to tell me about it (note this doesn't usually happen). When I realized which house he was talking about I said, "Yes, I know that house. I've been looking at it, but I thought you would say it was too much money." And, he said, "Well, I almost didn't mention it to you because I thought you would say it needed too much work."
We decided to take a walk through the house and the interior was much better than we expected. Here is the story of the house (as I have pieced it together over the past few months, it may or may not be completely accurate):
The house was owned for many decades by a family who cared for it meticulously. The yard was one of the most pristine in the neighborhood. The husband of the couple who owned it has now passed away and the wife is 98-years-old and in a care center. Several (I'm not sure how many) years ago, when they left the home, it was turned into a rental and thoroughly trashed. The yard went to pot. The inside (I am told though it has since been repaired) was water damaged.
In 2008, it was purchased by an investor who made several improvements to the inside -- including putting down lovely tile in several of the rooms and the bathroom vanity and kitchen counters. In 2009, the home was taken back by the bank and it has sat empty ever since.
It is my understanding that it was priced quite a bit higher and that the inside was looking pretty shabby for most of the time that the bank has owned it (the outside still looks pretty shabby). So, it got a bad reputation and it wasn't even being shown much anymore by the time we found it. But, right before we came into the picture, the bank went in and replaced all of the carpets and painted the entire interior (doesn't a fresh coat of paint make such a difference?). In addition, they lowered the price right before we went to see it too.
The house was bigger than what we were planning on buying. I mean, I wanted a little more space, not twice as much space. But, it was such a good deal. We fell in love with the huge windows, the floor plan, the lot (for it's potential, not it's current dead state), the huge closet in the master bedroom, and the covered porch over the garage which has an even better view of the setting sun than our current beloved porch. From the start, we were emotionally attached. It felt like the right space for us. And, the other best part? Our kids don't even have to change schools!
In an uncharacteristic fashion (are you even kidding - we only looked at one house!) we quickly got the house under contract (and not a moment too soon, since a backup offer came in just as we were about to sign on the dotted line). They would not accept a contingency to sell our other home and required us to close by the end of October (six short weeks from the time we got the contract), so we signed anyways and decided to just take a chance and see if it was possible to sell our house in record breaking time. In this housing market no less.
In one week, we painted the exterior, moved a ton of our possessions into boxes in the garage, replaced carpets, did 99 little touch ups and hired a genius real estate agent. The next week we had 2-3 showings every day. One couple came back three times and narrowed their choices to this house and one other (then they chose the other). Another couple made a low offer and stressed us out for eight days while we negotiated (and then walked away after we agreed to give them the shirts off our backs).
Last Monday, October 3rd, we got the news in the evening that our buyers were walking away. It was so late in the game. I said to myself, "I guess we've lost the other house and we need to withdraw our offer." It was getting to be too late for us to even get our financing in time, let alone wait for someone else to get their financing first. The bank was not willing to negotiate on our deadlines and, now, interest in the house we are trying to buy has grown and now there are several buyers waiting in the wings if our contract falls through.
I drove up to the new house and looked around at the dead yard and I thought, "This house is too much work anyways." But, in my heart, I couldn't stop feeling like it was meant to be our house.
But, how?
Of course there have been many prayers about this decision and at this time I was praying for either closure or a buyer, and a buyer is what I got!
Less than 24-hours after the contract with the wrong buyers fell through (during the whole negotiation process, Brian and I both felt that they were the wrong buyers but we were trying not to let our extreme emotional attachment to the house get in the way -- note: I don't even think they liked the house very much, they just wanted a cheap deal) the right buyers appeared! Yay! I love happy endings.
Now, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that everything goes as planned. I feel at peace, like it's all falling into place. However, I've also lived long enough to know that life is full of surprises.
For now, I'm just happy to know that there is another family out there who really loves my little bungalow.
Over the years, as we've discussed off and on plans to sell this house and buy something bigger, I have wondered, "How do you get a prospective buyer to appreciate something like the front porch?" It's so much more than meets the eye.
There are 101 little things that we love about this house. The maple hardwood floors, the antique chandelier, the stained glass windows, the deep storage space in the bathroom cupboards, the ancient cottonwood in the backyard (love/hate relationship with the tree actually) . . . We have tried not to be emotionally attached. We did our best job yet of being detached sellers during this current attempt. But, truly, I must admit, it is impossible. I don't know if we are just hugely sentimental to the core, or if it is because we have molded this home inside and out with our own bare hands to make it what it is, or if it is because some of the most important years of our lives - when all four of our babies were born -- were spent here, or, if it is all the neighbors we have come to love -- I'm not sure which factor contributes the most, but we are so emotionally attached to this home that it's impossible for us to flip a switch and turn that off no matter how hard we try.
This is why I was so happy when I finally met our buyers face to face last night and they went on and on about how much they love the front porch and the stained glass windows and the backyard . . . It warmed my heart. I always hoped that someday when we were finished with our little house on 25th Street that just the right people would come along and love it the way we have.
If all goes according to plan, we will be living in our new house, just a few blocks away, by the end of the month! Everything has happened so fast that is doesn't even seem real. And, now I will share the story of how we came to find our new house.
We have been talking about getting a bigger house for . . . ummm . . . let's see, about ten years. We have even put this house up for sale a time or two (ahem, or three), but, the timing was just never right. Last year, I got pretty serious about wanting to upgrade for many reasons, one of them being that we knew we would need a bigger house to raise our kids through their teenage years and it's easier to move them when they are younger (although, we have already waited so long that this transition is breaking both Sophie and Ian's hearts a little).
I was hoping that we would put the house up for sale in the spring. But, we didn't get around to doing all of the improvement projects to make that happen (we had to do quite the kitchen remodel to add cabinets to one wall and remove cabinets from another so we could install a dishwasher -- because, selling a house with no dishwasher is like trying to sell a house with no roof or no front door apparently). Brian plugged away at projects, but spring and summer came and went and we still weren't ready.
Meanwhile, a good friend of mine told me about a house up the street from her that was for sale. I appreciated her suggestion and I even drove to the house and walked around it peeking in the windows several times. But, I did not tell Brian because it was at the upper end of our price range and I didn't think he would go for it.
A few months later, Brian found the exact same house on his own while he was out driving around and came home to tell me about it (note this doesn't usually happen). When I realized which house he was talking about I said, "Yes, I know that house. I've been looking at it, but I thought you would say it was too much money." And, he said, "Well, I almost didn't mention it to you because I thought you would say it needed too much work."
We decided to take a walk through the house and the interior was much better than we expected. Here is the story of the house (as I have pieced it together over the past few months, it may or may not be completely accurate):
The house was owned for many decades by a family who cared for it meticulously. The yard was one of the most pristine in the neighborhood. The husband of the couple who owned it has now passed away and the wife is 98-years-old and in a care center. Several (I'm not sure how many) years ago, when they left the home, it was turned into a rental and thoroughly trashed. The yard went to pot. The inside (I am told though it has since been repaired) was water damaged.
In 2008, it was purchased by an investor who made several improvements to the inside -- including putting down lovely tile in several of the rooms and the bathroom vanity and kitchen counters. In 2009, the home was taken back by the bank and it has sat empty ever since.
It is my understanding that it was priced quite a bit higher and that the inside was looking pretty shabby for most of the time that the bank has owned it (the outside still looks pretty shabby). So, it got a bad reputation and it wasn't even being shown much anymore by the time we found it. But, right before we came into the picture, the bank went in and replaced all of the carpets and painted the entire interior (doesn't a fresh coat of paint make such a difference?). In addition, they lowered the price right before we went to see it too.
The house was bigger than what we were planning on buying. I mean, I wanted a little more space, not twice as much space. But, it was such a good deal. We fell in love with the huge windows, the floor plan, the lot (for it's potential, not it's current dead state), the huge closet in the master bedroom, and the covered porch over the garage which has an even better view of the setting sun than our current beloved porch. From the start, we were emotionally attached. It felt like the right space for us. And, the other best part? Our kids don't even have to change schools!
In an uncharacteristic fashion (are you even kidding - we only looked at one house!) we quickly got the house under contract (and not a moment too soon, since a backup offer came in just as we were about to sign on the dotted line). They would not accept a contingency to sell our other home and required us to close by the end of October (six short weeks from the time we got the contract), so we signed anyways and decided to just take a chance and see if it was possible to sell our house in record breaking time. In this housing market no less.
In one week, we painted the exterior, moved a ton of our possessions into boxes in the garage, replaced carpets, did 99 little touch ups and hired a genius real estate agent. The next week we had 2-3 showings every day. One couple came back three times and narrowed their choices to this house and one other (then they chose the other). Another couple made a low offer and stressed us out for eight days while we negotiated (and then walked away after we agreed to give them the shirts off our backs).
Last Monday, October 3rd, we got the news in the evening that our buyers were walking away. It was so late in the game. I said to myself, "I guess we've lost the other house and we need to withdraw our offer." It was getting to be too late for us to even get our financing in time, let alone wait for someone else to get their financing first. The bank was not willing to negotiate on our deadlines and, now, interest in the house we are trying to buy has grown and now there are several buyers waiting in the wings if our contract falls through.
I drove up to the new house and looked around at the dead yard and I thought, "This house is too much work anyways." But, in my heart, I couldn't stop feeling like it was meant to be our house.
But, how?
Of course there have been many prayers about this decision and at this time I was praying for either closure or a buyer, and a buyer is what I got!
Less than 24-hours after the contract with the wrong buyers fell through (during the whole negotiation process, Brian and I both felt that they were the wrong buyers but we were trying not to let our extreme emotional attachment to the house get in the way -- note: I don't even think they liked the house very much, they just wanted a cheap deal) the right buyers appeared! Yay! I love happy endings.
Now, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that everything goes as planned. I feel at peace, like it's all falling into place. However, I've also lived long enough to know that life is full of surprises.
For now, I'm just happy to know that there is another family out there who really loves my little bungalow.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Sophie Sews
That is an image of Sophie's foot last night and, yes, that is a needle sticking right up into the bone. If you look closely, you can see the outline of the cute slipper socks she was wearing (which she begged the Doctor to not cut off and he complied).She went to a sewing demonstration at the church last night, along with the other 10-year-old girls. I was in another area of the church working with the cub scouts when I was asked to come attend to my daughter who had "stepped on a needle."
More accurately, she had unwittingly "jumped" onto a needle that was poked into the carpet, sticking straight up. She wasn't wearing any shoes, and, of course, did not see the needle protruding in her path.
It was a pretty stressful moment for the both of us as I rushed her to urgent care. She was turning pale and shaking all over from the shock. Inside, I felt the same way, but, I'm the mom, so I had to appear like I was in control of myself.
By the time we arrived at the clinic, she had calmed down and was pretty excited about riding in a wheelchair (ahhh, the small pleasures in life). The nice staff took x-rays and then used pliers to yank the needle out. But, they made sure to take their time. Can you imagine if the bill arrived and we were like, "They want xxxxx$ for 15 minutes! What?" I'm sure they wanted us to feel that we were getting our money's worth.
About three hours had passed and it seemed all was well in the world. They had just shot her up with antibiotics (to prevent infection) and were about to send us out the door with a prescription for more antibiotics when we all suddenly realized that the needle was broken. Another x ray confirmed that, sure enough, the eye of the needle was still lodged way up in her bone.
There was nothing to be done about it right then, so we went ahead and came home. Today, we were advised by a orthopedic specialist that it's probably ok to just leave the fragment of metal in there. Hopefully, it will heal and this is the end of it.
Since there were so many who witnessed the accident, Sophie has received an outpouring of love and concern including phone calls, visits, a bouquet of flowers, candy, a pie, a pillow pet and a friendship bracelet kit. Her foot is sore, but we think she is going to be fine.
In other news . . .
It looks like we will be moving at the end of the month!!!
Is it too soon to say it? I don't know. It looks like things will be "up in the air" right up until the last possible minute. And, then, if all goes well (our agent seems very confident that all will go perfectly), we will have about 48-hours to move into our new place once things are a "for sure go" and it will all be over and done with before Halloween.
All that I have to say is -- I do not have the nerves for real estate. I like to have things planned out and wrapped up far in advance. It is a real challenge for me to just leave it all hanging out there to chance until the last possible minute. But, that is how it goes I guess.
At the end of the month we will either move, or we will have a horrible emotional shock and all of our things will be packed up in boxes with nowhere to go. Hahahaha. Wish us luck!
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