Hello!!! I am still here!!

Hello!!!  Yes.... I am still here.  Or should I say... we are IN the NEW house.  Yoo Hoo!!   We officially moved in last weekend.  It was decided that we might as well just move in and then continue to do the renovations/changes/fixes while we are living here.  If we would have waited... well...... we would never have moved at all!  Here are some pictures of the inside of the house.  The above YELLOW room is one of the bedrooms.  Oh yeah.... It is bright.  Very Bright.  Can you say Primer??

This picture is of my Grandson's room.  It is a chocolate brown on two of the walls, and for now it will have to do.  There are more rooms that definitely need immediate attention.

For instance, the Lavender Kitchen and Lavender dining room.  Yep... It is definitely making a statement..... and that statement is "CHANGE ME"!!  First to go will be the Navy blue border..

Next...... is the living room.  Green.  You know... I like "bright colors" but these are definitely not my choice.  I think we will paint it this weekend. 

Here is the living room and hall way.  The Hallway is a Caribbean Blue.  It is a contrast to be sure. Lol! So much work but we are not complaining.  We are grateful that we are here and are happy. Life is good.

Checking In

I know it has been a while since I have posted.  Things have been a little hectic lately :)    Since we closed on the house almost two weeks ago, we have been working like crazy to get the new place cleaned up and ready to move into.  We have been busy painting, which takes forever when you are having to prime every wall because of the bright colors that are already there.  But, hey... we all like different things. 

We have hauled off junk to the dump almost every day, the previous owner was a bit of a "collector", If you know what I mean.   Trees have been trimmed, the house has been pressured cleaned as has the white picket fence. 

We still have lots to do, but tomorrow night we are packing up the U haul and officially moving to the new house.  We will be actively living there beginning this weekend.  YEA!!   I am both excited and exhausted, but definitely ready to go! 

I will check in more on a regular basis as soon as things settle down.  And I have more to share.... that is not house related. It is all very exciting!!! 

Signed. Sealed. Delivered. Done.

Front Porch View

Yes, yes, yes.  It is OVER.  The Short Sale is SOLD.  Last Friday, after the title company and lender went back and forth about forty times, my husband and I were able to sign and CLOSE the deal!!   IT IS OFFICIALLY our home!!!

It is such a relief to not have to deal with the Realtors, Mortgage Bankers, Title Companies....etc.  In fact all we have to deal with now is getting the new house ready to move in to.  Compared to the last 5-6 months, this will be a pure joy!! 

We have been at the new house all last weekend and everyday after work.  Being so busy, I have not had time to post.  I did want to THANK ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT through out this ordeal.  It has meant so much to me.   Here is a picture from our front porch.  This is the view that kept me going during this whole process.  This is home.

Nope...... It did not happen.

Nope..... we did not close Wednesday.  Since Hubs switched jobs they are using my income to qualify for the loan.   I did not qualify by 65.00 dollars.  Sooooooo.......The mortgage broker ( who is ready to be done with us AND this ordeal) has figured out a way to find that money in our budget.  He found us lower homeowners insurance for both homes, and he said that should make the underwriter happy.  Heard THAT before.

I hear that they are planning on having the closing tomorrow afternoon.  We shall see.  We shall see......

I am sick physically from this mess.  My stomach has been in knots all night and a fever to boot.... I want to call in sick tomorrow.... Seriously. 

Stupid Short Sale.

The Walk Through

Yesterday evening, we met our Realtor at the Short Sale house and did our walk through.  We are SUPPOSE to close today.  Uh huh.  Okay.... well, I have been ready for months.  So, here we go.  Another on-edge day of waiting to make sure all is in place to close this deal.

I will keep you posted.

The house was completely cleaned and the yard was neat and tidy, at least compared to what it was when we first looked at it.  Wow.  So close......

Saturday Update

It takes us a minute to get ready for a picture

It seems that there is so much going on that I have had little or no time to post on a regular basis.  Let's try to get caught up for the week, shall we?  Hubs really, really likes his new job.  He works with a great bunch of guys and I am tickled to see him so happy when he comes home from work.  As it stands now, he will be on first shift and not second shift.  This means he will not be getting the shift differential, but that is okay.  In order to conserve on gas and tolls, we have decided to ride into work together. He works 7 to 330 and I work 8 to 5.  To make this work, I will be going to the gym in the morning and then to work, and after work, he will be going to the gym until I get off from work.  Our jobs are less then a mile from each other, and the gym or wellness center is part of the hospital system that he works for.

Last week, I went to an interview at another hospital system in this area for a "pool" position.  It would be every other weekend, taking call on Friday and Saturday night.  The hospital is small and call or getting called in in the middle of the night is not to bad at that hospital.  It works out that being on call, you get paid your hourly rate for every four hours you are on call.  If you do get called in, and you are there for less than one hour, you get a minimum of one hour of pay.  For example, for the two evenings that I would be on call, I would get a minimum of 160.00 dollars, even if I do not get called in.

I interviewed with the department head, and ultrasound supervisor and then I went back for a second "scanning" interview with the evening tech.  The supervisor called me the next day and told me that they wanted to hire me.  Now I am just waiting to set up the orientation and get started with becoming part of their "team"!

Short Sale Update:  No change.  Honestly.... this is the craziest thing that I have every seen.

AVON update:  I am enjoying the AVON experience very much.  I like the concept of being a business owner so to speak.  I do have to put more time into it to reap bigger benefits, but I am taking things a bit slower this time around, so I do not become overwhelmed and discouraged.  I do have one recruit already, she found me through my AVON website, and there is another lady that is thinking about joining up too. 

My profits with AVON are small right now.  I do consider this a plus, because last time I did this, I was always in the hole due to buying too much for me and or poor money management. I do have to say that I am always surprised at how many individuals enjoy buying AVON products. 

Mother's Day was a blast.  I had all of my family together and I cannot tell you how much that meant to me.  As I have said before, it was this time last year ( Mother's Day eve and two weeks after) that my oldest son was in the Trauma Unit with a cracked skull, brain bleeds and loss of memory.  Pretty much the worse time of our family's life.  The circumstances that put him there was due in some part to his own poor judgment, but when another individual sucker punches you with Brass Knuckles, there is definitely some poor choices on the other individual's part too.

I celebrate each day that J is with us.  As I do my other children.  But as a mother, it seems your attention goes to the child that seems to need it the most.  And lately, it has been J.

Eventually we do get it right.  :)

There Are Some Changes

Over the last few months, my husband has been undergoing a tedious and drawn out interview process at one of the local Health Care Systems.  After three interviews and one physical he was offered a job!  This happened about one month ago, and we have been pushing back the start date due to the pending purchase of the Short  Sale house.  Well, you know how well that has been going... Anyway, we agreed it is time to move forward and change jobs.  As of Monday, he will start at his new job that includes a pay increase and better benefits!

How this affects the Short Sale house.... well..... it does not matter.  We can't continue to put our lives on hold for that.  In fact, we have decided to continue start aggressively looking for a different house that we can purchase.  Now, if the Short Sale house does come through, GREAT.  If not.... well, it just was not meant to be.

My grandson is coming over to spend the night tonight, I am so looking forward to that!  Today is his second birthday, (time flies!!) but we are celebrating it tomorrow along with Mother's Day.

This weekend also marks one year since my oldest son was in the hospital with a traumatic brain injury.  I know I have learned a lot from that moment( I NEVER want to go through that again), and I pray that he has too.


Enjoy your Saturday!

Don't forget to enter my Giveaway!

Happy Friday!

I have just finished redeeming two of my AMAZON gift cards from my SWAGBUCKS account.  Tomorrow I can redeem one more and I will have successfully accrued another $25 dollars in my AMAZON account.  The total amount in my gift card account is about $140.00 dollars.  Not too bad for searching on the internet.    It was a close month regarding SWAGBUCKS, I have not been on the computer as much, which might be a good thing.  Also, AVON has kept me pretty busy time wise.

We are getting ready for "Mother's Day and my grandson's 2nd Birthday Party this weekend.  We are going to have a combined party, which will be nice.  Everyone will be coming over here for a cookout and water fun for the kids.

Short Sale:  it's a nightmare.  an ongoing nightmare.  But I am not going to let it mess up my weekend!

Hope you all have a wonderful Friday!!

Good Monday Morning

I apologize for a lack of postings. It seems that jumping through all of these "hoops" to get the Short Sale house has taken the wind out of my sails. We did find out Friday that the Underwriter finally approved us for the loan. Which is great news!! But.....

the bank (Wells Fargo) that holds the note on the house had only approved the house for short sale until April 22nd.  ( Somehow that little bit of information was overlooked)  So, when we thought we could close last Friday, due to this little glitch, we could not. The seller's Realtor is trying to obtain an extension form Wells Fargo. Hopefully by the time they get the extension, nothing else "expires", and we can close. Hopefully.

No worries!  It will happen when it is suppose to. 

I haven't planned menus as of late.  My kitchen is practically all packed up and to tell you the truth, I probably ate out more in April than I should have.  We are also trying to whittle down what we have on hand, but looking back on my spending, that really is not happening.  Eating out is just so darn easy!

Financially, we are still in a holding pattern.  Waiting to go to closing, and waiting  to move has put my financial plans on the back burner.  There is still auto withdrawals that are going to my sub-accounts at ING and bills are being paid.  I am just not motivated to be aggressive financially right at this moment.   

There have been some major expenses NOT related to the short sale house.  My 11 year old Camry had to go the dealer and have some work done.  $300 dollars later it runs like new.  Definitely beats a monthly car payment! 

I hope you all have a great week, now off to read some of YOUR blogs! 

No Shortage of Fun

The stuff with the Short Sale house is ongoing.  Just yesterday, I received a call from the mortgage broker saying that he cannot get a Verification of Employment from my husband's job.  They had called his employer twice on Friday to fax back the information.  As of yesterday afternoon, it was not at the mortgage brokers.  My husband's boss tried to fax it to the Mortgage broker yesterday too, but they never got it.  After about a million phone calls between me, my husband, his employer, the mortgage people, I asked my boss if I could clock out and go and  get the Verification of Employment and fax it from my work.  She was fine with that, and in about 30 minutes, I clocked out, jumped in my car, drove to my husband's work, picked up the information and returned back to work and faxed the papers.  The mortgage people received the information and for now, I think we have everything...... but it is early yet.  :)

I have been keeping busy with AVON, and I have created a blog for that enterprise.  AVON for you is the current name. At first, I called it "Ding Dong, Avon Calling!" but after a few days, it just did not sound right. The first campaign was a break even campaign.  I repeated a few mistakes from before.  I purchased a few things that I thought I could not live without.  After receiving my invoice, I returned the items and am going to practice a bit more restraint this campaign.

I hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday!

Packing it up!

boxes in computer room closet

Today I packed.  And packed.  It was a scheduled day off for me, so I went to Lowe's and picked up about 15 big boxes to pack up the big stuff.   I also passed by my AVON district office and picked up a bunch of smaller boxes.  I liked using the smaller boxes.  I put  all of my green depression dishes in those.  The bigger boxes have my grandson's toys, pots and pans and blankets and sheets from the linen closet. 

More boxes of stuff

I may have over-packed the bigger boxes, I sure hope the tape holds!!  The box with all my school books is probably the heaviest. Tomorrow, we are going back to my girlfriend's house to MOVE her big stuff out of her house and into her new apartment.  Her and her husband are definitely downsizing and have had to rent TWO storage units for all their stuff.  That is a lot of stuff!  But apartments do not have the storage space of a house, so maybe I would have to do the same too.

 Time to call it a night, up early tomorrow to beat the heat and get my friend moved.  If all goes as planned, maybe next weekend they can give us a hand moving into our house.

More to come...

Another Short Sale Update

This week was the last of the inspections.  The house initially failed a WDO (wood destroying organisms) inspection.  We went out and fixed what was necessary to pass and the re-inspection was yesterday.  It was a FAIL.  Due to miscommunication we missed an area that needed repairing. So, my husband and son went back out to the house and completed the repair.  Today, we hand another re-inspection and we PASSED!! 

 All inspections, credit reports, W-2's and letters of explanations are in the process of being submitted to the underwriter.  Wow.... I am very excited on the inside but definitely cautious until we get confirmation of our closing date which is tentatively scheduled for NEXT FRIDAY!!!   Here we go... a week of anticipation and prayer that all goes as planned.

I am off to Lowe's  to get boxes for packing! 

More Hoop Jumping

 

Lately, this is what it feels like regarding the Short Sale house.  It seems that daily, I will get several Emails with requests from the underwriter, the Realtor, and the companies that are doing or have done inspections for us.  I think that this is a good thing, an indication that things are moving along and hopefully the end is in sight. 

Yesterday, the underwriter needed my husband's W-2 form for 2007.  I did have it, but had to dig through several boxes to locate it.  You see, I have been secretly packing up all my stuff in anticipation of a move very soon.  The underwriter already has our W-2 from the last 3 years, banking and saving statements, retirement accounts, ... if it has to do with documenting money, they have it or will definitely ask for it. 

Yesterday, I had to go out to the Short Sale property and collect a water sample from the well.  It seems that the underwriter needs verification that the bacterial level in the well water is low.  So, I am out side of the Short Sale house, disconnecting the hose, wiping off the spigot with bleach water ( per the instructions of the water testing company) and then letting the water run for 10 minutes BEFORE I collect the sample.  Water is running down the driveway, I am standing there not making a move (because I did not want to draw attention to myself, although the water running down the driveway definitely is an attention getter!) watching my minutes SLOWLY tick by.  

Finally, 10 minutes passed, I collected the water sample and then drove 30 miles to a state certified water testing facility.  When I googled the directions, initially the directions took me to a Water Treatment Plant .....After calling the facility I did get correct directions and finally found the correct facility to drop off the water sample. Craziness, pure craziness.....But at this point, whatever the hoops are, we are ready to jump through them.  The end is definitely in sight!!

Happy Saturday!

It is early Saturday Morning, and I am looking forward to a busy weekend.  This morning, I am going to a friend's to help her with her garages sale.  Her and her husband are downsizing and moving to an apartment after losing their house.  I think it will definitely be a bittersweet day for them, so I hope to keep their spirits up. 

House Update:  Monday I have to go to the short sale house, and get a water sample from the well and take it to state certified testing facility.  Wednesday is the re-inspection of the wood rot damage fixed by my husband and son as well as the roof leak fixed by the owner.  Sigh...... It just goes on and on.

The weather has been so nice lately, that we have been spending our evening outside doing yard work and such to get this house ready for the new renters.  I do think I can start packing up my stuff to get ready for the move.  Our mortgage broker says were are 95% there, and that things should move right along.  I am sooooo ready!

I hope you all have a wonderful Saturday!

Another Short Sale Update

This week, my husband and son were out at the Short Sale house to do some of the repairs necessary for the house to pass the Termite inspection.  There were two area of concern, one in the roof, (not related to the leak in roof) and an area around the french doors.
  
The owner fixed the leaky roof and a damaged fence per the original contract.  So here we go again with another inspection.  I am calling today to schedule a follow up and hoping like heck that the repairs will pass. Hopefully we can get it done this weekend.   I can almost get excited about the move :)

Have You Ever Seen A Stove Like This?

H

Help!  Have you ever seen a stove like this?  Me either!  It is huge.... and old.  Anyway, this is the stove that is in the house we are trying to buy.  The side door is for keeping things warm... I think.  Just very peculiar, because I have never seen one like it before.

We did two inspections yesterday.... In the RAIN.  For months we have had very little if any rain and don't you know that the day we go to do inspections it is going to rain ALL week!  We all looked like drowned rats yesterday.

There are just a few things that the inspectors found during the process.  There were some small electrical issues, jut some updates of the plug in receptacles.  The french doors to the back had some dry rot around the frame, and we could not open them.  They were locked and no one had a key.. really??  There is an inspection people... come on... we need to check these things!  Who is to say that if you open the doors, they will even stay in place.  ( Okay,, they probably will, but it would be nice to know) 

The biggest issue to come out of the inspection is a small roof leak in one of the bedrooms.  (Glad it was raining so we could see it)  It is in one of the corners where the roof meets the front porch, and it appears to not be such a big deal.  The problem lies in will the seller fix it properly?  The seller signed a contract stating that he would fix it, but the Short Sale bank is stating the property is in "AS-IS" condition.  Very confusing, because if you are trying to finance a property, there really can't be these kind of issues.   With a VA loan, I believe that it will have to be fixed properly or we won't be able to purchase it.   Another wait and see moment....

So, any thoughts on the stove?


January 2013.  We have lived in this house for 18 months.  I have learned to love this old stove, it works like a champ!  Hopefully it will last a long,long time as it is so huge we will have to re do the kitchen completely when it dies. 
 

Short Sale Adventure Continues..

The Short Sale Adventure continues..... We have had to schedule inspections of the house on Monday.  (Saturday was just too short of notice for the companies I wanted to use). This includes structures and then the Termite inspection. If both of those pass, we will have the Septic Tank inspected on Wednesday.  And then.... if that passes we wait for the VA inspection to take place and see what they value the property at.  Then, if all that goes well, all the information is sent to the Lender and they will have final approval.  Whew..... So the first of next week will be busy and costly with the  multiple inspections.  And after that we wait. We are use to the waiting.

***Prices for the different inspections***

       Structural Inspection $295

        Termite Inspection   $85

           Septic System Inspection $300

This weekend I will be cleaning out closets and packing up stuff to take to Goodwill.  I already have lots of items packed for the move, but now I am concentrating on whittling down some of my stuff.  And I have lots of stuff.  Not quite a hoarder, but definitely a pack rat.  I think if I was a hoarder, I would not be able to admit that I was a pack rat.... but maybe a collector.  Regardless, I will be getting rid of stuff!

I hope your weekend is enjoyable!!

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Don't Forget, Friday is Mega Swag Bucks Day!!

FINALLY!!!! AN ANSWER FROM THE BANK!!

Do you see that lavender kitchen over to the left?  It is the kitchen of the house we have a contract on.   The lavender goes with the pink counter tops...

Buying a Short Sale house is an adventure that is full of frustration and lessons in patience.

Just when you think you can't get too excited about anything regarding the house, you get a text from your Realtor to give her a call when you get a free minute.......So I do, and guess what she says?



 Our Realtor  said our offer was accepted by the Short Sale Bank!!  And Inspections are on SATURDAY!!!   Aaaaaaaaaaaaghhhhhhhhh!!


Here we go!!!  Praying for God's Will to be done. Sleep is not going to come  easy tonight. I will be dreaming about my Lavender kitchen.

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A Few Updates

:::Short Sale House: "Unofficially" our Realtor was told by the seller's broker that our offer was accepted by the bank.  Nothing in writing yet.  Sooooooo, we once again extended our offer to April 10th, with an expected closing around that time.  So they say. 

:::I received a call from my best friend, the one who's mother is in hospice.  She called to tell me that she (my friend) had to be taken to the ER in the middle of the night.  Her heart rate was 200+ and the paramedics could not get it to slow down.  AT the hospital, she was given an injection of adenosine to slow her heart rate down back to normal.  The injection did the trick, and she is resting comfortably,  More tests today to see how her heart is doing. 

:::Why am I up at 3:00AM?  Going back to bed and trying to get another couple hours of sleep. 


:::Job interview went well.  A second interview next Monday.

Are Changes Coming?

Yesterday, I had a conversation with a new potential employer.  It is about a full time teaching position.    I would be teaching Ultrasound at an accredited school nearby.  We meet on Monday to discuss the possibilities.  I do love my job, ( not necessarily my employers)  but  I do want a new and exciting challenge. Did I mention that the other two ultrasound techs are seeking other jobs too?  What does that tell you?   This may be it.  I am excited and nervous!!   ( Big Sigh!!)

My Realtor called last night and left me a message saying that the broker handling the Short Sale will be contacting the bank today and that we should have some sort of word about the house.  Okay... I want to be excited, but I am just going to wait and see.  ( Another BIG sigh!)

Looking forward to positive news on all fronts!

Hope you all have a great Thursday!

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