Househunting

4+ hours.
7 houses viewed. (Plus 1 yesterday.)
Our daughter? Amazing. She happily climbed in and out of her car seat many, many times.

Me? Exhausted. And overwhelmed. And confused. How do you know when you've found your house? How do you know when you're being too picky or when you're not being picky enough? How do you know what you should settle for and what you shouldn't?

We may have seen our house today. I just don't know. I know, AP, it's early and we were just fact-finding. I know. And yet, if we don't get this one will it be the one that got away? The one we'll think about in weeks to come when we're just so over the whole house hunting thing? I know spontaneity and house buying aren't ideal bed partners but I also know the housing market in Winnipeg right now and it doesn't leave a lot of room for long thought processes. Houses are literally gone in days.

Tell me about your house and how you knew and things you might regret and things you're happy about. Give me advice. I might not take it but I will "listen".

And for now I'm going to try and put it out of my mind (right, like thinkers can DO that) and go and tackle about 3 hours of work I brought home.

Maybe I should have a glass of chamomile first. (And maybe later I'll tell you all about the things that made us laugh today. There were some doozies out there.)

Just a little proof that even the mundane tasks are more enjoyable with a toddler

P.S. The saying "bye" as the flushing occurs? Yeah, completely of her own accord - we even checked with the sitter.
P.P.S. We got preapproved for a mortgage today. Yipes! Can someone tell my stomach to calm down?

Pleasant

*Updated*

I'm going away this weekend. A girls' weekend away. I'm looking forward to going but I'm also looking forward to coming home.

That's a nice place to be.

And then, when it gets canceled due to a sick daughter it's a little disappointing but not heartbreaking.

Thursday Thirteen

My mom turns 69 on Saturday. I won't be around so I figured I'd dedicate a Thursday Thirteen to her. While we've had our struggles in recent years we're at a much better place again and I still maintain that she is one of the best mothers out there.

Thirteen Thoughts or Memories of My Mom

1. Mom and I would sometimes sit on the couch together and share an apple. She couldn’t eat the skin with her dentures and so she would peel it and I would eat that part.

2. One time when I was growing up she had forgotten to buy Valentine’s cards for me for my classmates. By the time she remembered there were none left in the store (it was a small town). Not wanting me to be without she bought red and white jujube hearts for me to hand out instead. I was the most popular kid in my classroom that year.

3. There are three people in the world I love to hug. One is Abby, one is J-L and the other is my mom. ‘Nuff said.

4. Even when I was in high school and a lot of girls were rolling their eyes at their moms she was still one of my best friends. I often would choose having lunch with my mom over my schoolmates.

5. Her pantry. I can still visualize it in my mind’s eye. Shelf after shelf of homemade canned pickles and tomato juice and pears and jam and relish and beans… Can I tell you there’s nothing quite as lovely as a Sunday evening snack of fresh homemade white bread and raspberry preserves? I miss that pantry.

6. I was scared of water when I was young. I very clearly remember being at the level of swimming that had to jump off the high diving board. I was terrified and wanted to quit. Mom, in front of me, called my swimming instructor and asked that I could still continue with the lessons just not force me to jump off the high diving board. I could cry thinking back to that. What a wise choice. Why? Well, as the year progressed I got up the nerve to do the jump anyway. I think Mom, knowing my personality, knew there was a good chance of that happening.

7. As an adult, when I would have friends come home with me she would always send them back home with garden fresh vegetables or homemade baking.

8. We’ve made no less than 10 wool comforters together.

9. Not only did she not discourage us from having fun and enjoying life she encouraged us by starting the water fights or laughing at me when I showed up at the door covered head to toe in mud.

10. She sang us awake. Her father had used the banging pan method of waking her and she’d always hated it so we were awakened with Good morning, merry sunshine. How did you wake so soon? You scared away the little stars and shone away the moon.

11. When I was in elementary school I had a blackboard of my own. However, I only had basic white chalk. So, one day, I took some coloured chalk from my classroom at school. Mom, of course, found out and made me take it back and apologize to the teacher. I very clearly remember feeling remorse and the lesson was learned. And yet, the next time my mom was able, she purchased me some coloured chalk.

12. She made my wedding dress AND baked all the buns and bread for my wedding.

13. Music and stories. Our home was filled with them due to our mother. She read us stories religiously (my love for the Anne series and The Little House on the Prairie series stems from my childhood) and singing was always encouraged. And, if there were songs that included stories well those were especially loved. I think it’s a large part of the reason I so love folk music.

Hello

Photo shoot this weekend. Other than the shadows on Abby's photo we're quite happy with the results.

Rant

Wherein I shout a lot and sound like an old lady and use phrases like “kids these days” and “what is the world coming to?”.

I am sick and tired of handheld electronic/digital technology!

There. Done.

Oh, you want more details? Well, okay, if you insist.

Fairly recently I have attended 2 concerts that have been negatively impacted by other attendees and their misuse of technology.

Gentleman/first concert: He was sitting 2 rows in front of us. He must have taken approximately 57 photos with his low-end digital camera during the show. WHAT?! You do realize, of course, that your camera has a flash about the size of a dime, right? You do realize that the stage is no less than 30 feet away from you, correct? Now, let’s do the math together, shall we? Dime + 30 feet + cheap camera + very dark room = extremely underexposed blurry photos. What fun! What, may I ask, are you going to do with them? And now, may I also remind you that that screen on your camera? Yeah, it’s very annoying to look at all show long. It’s fairly bright in a dark room and definitely obstructs the view of someone say, 2 rows away.

Teenage girl/second concert: She was sitting right beside me. During the show she must have text-messaged (yeah, because that’s now a verb. Hey, anything goes in a rant.) about 38 times. Honey, YOU’RE AT A CONCERT! What exactly is so important that you need to send someone a message right now?! If you love the show so much and you’re just that excited that you’re there: TELL THEM WHEN YOU GET HOME. If you’re not enjoying the show and would rather send important emails to people (do u like me?; I h8t school) then GO HOME. Because, again, that stupid little led screen on your phone that keeps blinking on every time you receive a text? Yeah, SUPER annoying.

Okay, NOW I’m done. Continue about your day.

Story time

This one is about my boy (J-L), his place of employment and his coworker… let’s call him R to keep him anonymous.

J-L has been working at his company since September 2003. He has been relatively happy there the entire time. He liked his work, his coworkers and his boss. R started in 2005. J-L also liked R and considered him a friend.

Fast forward to 2007. R has made J-L a bit more aware of some negative aspects of their place of employment. They both become a little irritated with the place and begin to look for other work. R gets a job offer. It’s for quite a bit more money but also quite a bit more overnight travel. He decides to let the current place of employment know about the offer. They turn around and match the offer. R decides to stay. J-L is more than a little stunned. Stunned that the company would match it (they tend to be rather cheap) and stunned that now R is making considerably more money than he is. (They do the exact same job.) He approaches his boss to chat with him about it. His boss freaks out. He’s angry that J-L knows about it and says that it’s none of J-L’s business.

J-L then tells R (keep in mind that at this point they’re still friends and that it was R that told J-L to approach the boss for a better deal for himself) and R completely freaks out, throwing a chair against the wall and creating a large hole. J-L calms R down telling him that he’d never stated exact numbers to his boss but rather that he knew it was more.

The boss calls again (he lives in another province) to talk to J-L. J-L apologizes for the tone he used in the initial call and TB proceeds to tell J-L that the company needed to keep R as they need stability in the office. Blah, blah, blah. Thing is, J-L never really expected an offer for himself. He just wanted TB to know that he knew.

A little summary of J-L and R:

R: Takes any chance whatsoever to skip out of work early.
J-L: Feels bad if he has to go home because of a sick daughter.

R: Completely abuses his expense account. When he’s out of town he makes SURE he eats (and he’s told us this) $40 meals.
J-L: When he’s out of town (and on the company’s dime) he tends to grab lunch at Subway.

R: Has skipped out of part of every single trade show he and J-L have been to together.
J-L: Never skips AND covers for R when HE skips.

R: $800,000 territory
J-L: $1.3 million territory

R: 1.5 years
J-L: 3.5 years

R: Now making 38% more money than J-L.
J-L: TRAINED R. Still helps R out regularly.

All this long drawn out story to tell you that J-L quit his job Friday. He starts his new job (where, incidentally, he’ll be making 35% more than he currently is) April 30th. YAY! So, his current company is finding “stability” from a guy who throws chairs at the wall, takes advantage of the company in any way possible, whom everyone else in the office hates and who TB has worked with for a day and a half (in other words, TB doesn't even know if he's any good). Good for them.

Well, THAT figures

- The moment I notice that my eyelid (that has been twitching for 5+ days now) has finally stopped twitching, it starts up again.

- One of us owes money to the government, the other is receiving an income tax refund. Which do you think we got first, the bill or the cheque?

Day 100 - April 10th

A few days ago I saw a blog hosting a contest in honour of the 100th day of the year. Today. And, since it requires making a list, I simply HAD to enter.

And so, my list of 100 Things. (using her template)

I have lived…
1. In various apartments for 19 years.
2. In 11 different places.
3. On a farm.
4. In Romania.
5. In a 2 room (no, not 2 bedroom, 2 room) home with 5 other people.
6. In 2 different provinces.
7. As an adult, with 2 of my siblings, on different occasions.
8. Completely alone, quite happily.
9. With my husband and daughter, quite happily.
10. With all 3 of my siblings in one room.

I have witnessed...
11. Fireworks over the ocean in Hawaii.
12. Fireworks over Central Park.
13. The coral reef.
14. The birth of sheep, cows and pigs.
15. 4 Broadway shows in NYC.
16. 5 live theatre shows in London.
17. 2 Cirque du Soleil shows in Las Vegas.
18. 18 Folk Festivals.
19. My skin on fire.
20. My boy getting makeup applied by 3 nieces.

I have heard...
21. The first cry of my newborn baby.
22. How Great Thou Art being sung in 3 languages simultaneously.
23. A kookaburra laugh.
24. A symphony playing Vivaldi’s 4 Seasons in the oldest cathedral in Paris.
25. The Barenaked Ladies live 4 times.
26. My coworker yelling at me until the veins protruded in her neck.
27. Never-ending police sirens in NYC.
28. A rooster crowing me awake.
29. I do.
30. That the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain.

I have lost...
31. My dad.
32. My purse on the train which contained the last $30 I had.
33. Track of time.
34. My desire to stay up late.
35. My love of chewing ice.
36. All hope that my husband will quit saying bad jokes.
37. Good friends.
38. All of my grandparents.
39. 10 pounds since January 1 (finally – only 5 pounds to go before I’m back to prepreg weight.
40. My newest cookbook.

I have found...
41. I’m not very good at multitasking.
42. Favorite friends.
43. That you can never see too many movies.
44. or concerts.
45. or musicals.
46. I am good at saving money.
47. That the best tasting bagels are in New York City.
48. Peace.
49. Comfort.
50. My newest cookbook! Hurray!

I love...
51. My boy.
52. My girl.
53. Music.
54. The word "hope".
55. Loose, cotton summer dresses.
56. Lists.
57. Peanut sauce.
58. Laughter.
59. Things to look forward to. Filled in days on my calendar.
60. Warm sun shining in through the window and time to lay in it.

I can...
61. Tie a cherry stem in a knot with my tongue.
62. Navigate my way through the eastern U.S. quite well.
63. Cook reasonably well.
64. Walk for quite some time with a heavy backpack on my back.
65. Grow things.
66. Take care of myself financially.
67. Be overly sarcastic.
68. Turn off the taps in the bathtub with my toes.
69. Speak up if I think it’s necessary.
70. Tell the difference between wheat and barley.

I loathe...
71. Scraping the last of the Miracle Whip out of the jar.
72. Nylons.
73. Telephones
74. Typical cookie cutter clothing stores. You know the ones where you’re inside and you can’t remember if you’re in Ricki’s or Suzy Shier or Reitman’s or Smart Set…
75. Carnations.
76. Salmon.
77. Dusting.
78. Spelling and/or grammar mistakes in major publications.
79. Close-minded thinking.
80. Litter.

I hope...
81. I always have need of a passport.
82. We find a house we love (and can afford) this year.
83. To have a beautiful perennial garden someday.
84. That my child grows up to be responsible and respectful.
85. That my child develops a relationship and faith in God.
86. It warms up soon.
87. I always recognize how completely blessed I am.
88. My next pregnancy (assuming there is one) goes by more pleasantly than the first.
89. You are all comfortable and cozy while reading this.
90. That I can take my family on many, many trips through the years.

I am trying...
91. To worry less.
92. To get back to my prepregnancy weight.
93. Not to interrupt so much.
94. To believe. (help my unbelief)
95. To be kind.
96. To live in the moment.
97. To accept that J-L thinks I’m beautiful.
98. Not to be too much of a pessimist.
99. To have more faith.
100. To finish off this list.

Three confessions

My boy has been after me to put something new on here. And so I will.

Confession #1: Today my boy and I did some cleaning. We moved rugs, we organized shoes, we culled through cds, did laundry and dishes... The confession? We like doing this.* Both of us honestly enjoy cleaning. It's odd but lovely all the same - that we'd end up with someone like-minded.

Confession #2: I had a feeling that I would like motherhood. I had a feeling that I would enjoy seeing my babe toddle around the house. I had a feeling but I had no idea I would love it as much as I do.

Confession #3: (I don't know that this one fits in the "confession" realm but it's on my mind at the moment.) Putting a suppository in a child's bum and seeing her cry is one of the hardest things I've had to do thus far in this whole parenting gig. But, seeing her force out a very hard poo and watching her cheer up considerably after her accomplishment is one of the more pleasant moments.

* No, this is NOT an invitation. We like cleaning our OWN home, not others'.