Thursday, May 31, 2007

Here's the Scoop

Dion and I have been struggling with this house dilemma. Here's the 411, the lowdown, the...whatever....here it is.

So we have this house that we want. It is priced very low and is actually a very good deal. It's in a good neighborhood, but needs a little work. The catch is that they are only taking non-contingent offers since the house is in pre-foreclosure. We have had our house on the market for about a month or so, and have had 2 showings. This weekend is our open house. If we go through with the offer, we would be closing on the other house on July 30th, whether or not we have sold this house. Two mortgages. Very scary.

We are at a loss as to what we should do, but are leaning towards letting the other house go. The stress of knowing that we could have two mortgages is overwhelming, but the thought of losing that house is not so nice either.

Here's where you come in to play. What would you do? We know that our first payment on the new house wouldn't be until Sept 1st, and the fact that Dion and I are getting raises soon, plus Dion's bonus is a comfort, but is it enough? I have no clue. Leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts as mine are worthless right now. Thanks my loyal blog reading friends!

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

More Random Thoughts

  • I can't figure out why one of our cats likes to nibble on bare legs. It scares me every time.
  • I only have to work one day this week. How much do I rock?!?
  • I had to break down and turn the air on today, and that makes me mad.
  • I really didn't think that Claire could throw a Frisbee straight, even as I watched it soar into my face.
  • We got a free bed frame that is so dang cute I just don't know what to say about it. It's for Nadia.
  • Why does Wonder Bread taste so damn good?
  • I haven't worn my glasses in about 3 months because they are broken. It is a matter of getting a new screw put in.
  • Dion tried my Green Tea...and LIKES it.
  • One day I would like to sleep until noon.
  • I have no clue what we are supposed to do with our cats for the open house this weekend.
  • Red Wing has a lot of neighborhood playgrounds. We have gone to 6 or 7 of them in the past month, and we have more to go.
  • I love my Crocks, but they make my feet stink.
  • I guess that's it for now.

Another

A few years ago, I think it was about 2, I was asked to be on the radio and talk about breast cancer, which I did. I found out today that the woman that I talked with has just been diagnosed herself. It's hard not to notice all of the people around me who are being diagnosed with breast cancer, as of late. I need to get this support group started. I just don't know how to do it. There has to be a need in town, as I know at least 5 or 6 other women who have had a diagnosis. How do I start this? How do I promote it? How do I lead it?

Sunday, May 27, 2007

Calgon....Take Me Away!

I am sore. I am tired. My head hurts and my nose is stuffy. Today was a very productive day of cleaning the garage, Great Stuff-ing and caulking the gap between the house and foundation, cleaning out one of two storage rooms, fixing the sink, and of course the every day stuff of caring for two very active kids. I guess you can understand why I have a headache.

Tomorrow we have a little more work to do in the basement, and then we have to plan on how we are going to "wow" people that come to the open house. I know I will be buying fresh flowers, and I think I will boil some cinnamon sticks that morning. We are trying to think of other things to do to stage our house, but honestly, I am so tired of our house and keeping it up and fixing it up, that I just want to head for the hills. But I won't. That would just be plain old silly...maybe.

Take a Look Around

It's interesting, this selling a house stuff. Yes, we did sell a house before, but that was so easy, in an easy market, and we got $900 under asking. That was 3 years ago. Now, as we have matured a little (bwahahahah!!!) we have been looking at our home through the eyes of a stranger (thanks mom, for all the years of telling me that). You notice a little bit more when you do this. Like all of the things that hold near and dear to your heart, may make a potential buyer say "Ugh. What the heck is that?!?"

We have been painting, caulking, removing, switching furniture around, watching HGTV with hopes of some more ideas. Which, by the way, there's a show where a team comes in to help get a house ready for an open house and to sell it. The last episode, the couple got not one, not two, but three offers on the house that day. Why can't that happen to us? Oh yeah. we don't have professionals coming in and changing everything on their penny. My other favorite show is a home buying show. One episode I saw was a first time home buyer (26 year old girl, yes I said girl.) who was really torn between the $250,000 condo and the $209,000 condo. Ummm....really? Why do I call her a girl? Easy, many times she went up and down stairs squealing how much she "loves these stairs" in her high pitched little girl voice. Tee-hee....we'll see how much she loves those stairs when she is hauling her laundry up and down two flights. But I digress.

We have an open house next weekend, so this weekend is focusing on what we can do to improve our house. I get tired just thinking of it. I do find it interesting that all this time we have noticed that there's a gap in the door frame of Claire's door, that our bathroom color just may not be in everybody's best interest, that our cleaver laundry room baskets while in person don't look too bad, in pictures they look....well...yikes. Why didn't we take care of these things before? I'm not sure. I guess just life gets in the way and these things get overlooked in our house. I will try to do better. I promise.

Saturday, May 26, 2007

Some Random Thoughts

  • It makes me laugh that Dion listens to Eminem when he cleans the kitchen. Every time.
  • I wish my cats would leave my plants alone.
  • My oldest niece is graduating from high school this year. I remember changing her diapers.
  • I hate taping for painting.
  • Nadia has a fascination with ants. I want to get an ant house, but I am afraid of what the girls will do with it.
  • Claire hates the sight of blood. She hid last night when Nadia bit her lip and bled.
  • I wish I was like the girl mouse in "Flushed Away".
  • I need to get my hair highlighted.
  • I am searching for a new tattoo design...it's harder than I thought it would be.
  • I have lost part of a filling, but I am scared to death to go back to the dentist.
  • My feet are failing me.
  • I always say that winning a lot of money wouldn't change me, but would it?
  • One of our cats has boogers. They're brown.
  • I think our toys procreate overnight.
  • The girls are being very quiet now...and not getting into trouble.
  • I think a pet monkey would be fun, but only if it were potty trained.
  • Sam's Club is an evil conspiracy to get people to buy things in bulk that we think we need, but we don't....and I LOVE it!
  • I am going to have two kids in preschool in the fall. TWO KIDS! ME!
  • Wouldn't it be awesome if there were a bidding war on our house?
  • Cats win over dogs because they are much more quiet. And they purr.
  • I love to watch the girls play together. At least when they are not fighting. But sometimes that's a little funny too.
  • My dreams are so vivid and always have been.
  • I used to have a recurring nightmare when I was young. It stopped when I was about 7 or 8.
  • I can remember standing in my crib when I was a baby.
  • Adoption doesn't stay far from my brain.
  • But sometimes the girls make me feel like I am an incompetent mother. Correction. They don't make me feel that way, I do.
  • When I think of the future, I see nothing. I guess that's what happens when you live day to day in the moment.
  • Dion grabbed what he thought was a leaf this morning outside, and it was actually a moth that looked like a leaf. He made a sound that I couldn't imitate if I tried. It made me laugh until I cried.
  • I'm hungry. It's time for some Corn Flakes.

Friday, May 25, 2007

A Well Deserved Looooong Weekend

After painting the cabinet doors in the kitchen, and painting the bathroom, I am looking forward to this weekend. There are a few things that still need to be done before our open house next weekend, but I think we can handle it. Did you know that some days we are owners of a new home, and some days we are not? Intriguing, I know. Here's a little step by step of how we manage to sometimes own a new home, and sometimes not.

  • When first listed, the house we want was at $189,900 (pre-home searching for the Flaska's)
  • Then it went down to $179,900
  • Then it went down to $169,900 (enter Flaska's)
  • We made an offer of $155,000, knowing the house was in pre-foreclosure and that was what the owner had paid for it two years ago (enter pain in the *** banks with the mortgages)
  • They turn us down because we have a contingency on the sale of our home.
  • Then it went down to $154,900.
  • Then it went down to $149,900.
  • We decide that we will offer $140,000 with no contingencies, closing at the end of July.
  • I think the banks have a temper tantrum because they ignore us. In the meantime we are looking for other houses and none compare in the amount of space for the money that this one does, with most of what we are looking for in a home.
  • We decide since they are being difficult, we would offer asking, which is still lower than what we originally offered them (idiots). And we wait.
  • And wait.
  • And wait.
  • They come back with a counter-offer of...are you ready for this??!? $153,000 and close before the end of June. They countered higher than their asking price!! Apparently, somewhere in the pre-foreclosing process, some under-writer made a mistake and apparently the bank thinks that we should be responsible for it.
  • We stew with anger for a day or so before countering their counter. We want our original closing date of the end of July and we will give them $149,950. No more offers. That was it for us.
  • Now in the picture we have the owners and the two banks. We have signed paperwork from the owners, saying we are buying the house. We have one bank who says no problem. Then we have the last bank who stands to lose money, who is holding up the show.
  • We have to pull any contingencies by June 1st and we have yet to have the house inspected because of all of the rig-a-ma-rore. Never fear! I have found an inspector who will be there on Tuesday morning to inspect a home that we may or may not own. Insane, huh?

So now you can understand why I say that I don't know if we have bought a home or not. I love living in my crazy world where anything that can go wrong, will and not in an ordinary fashion. Heck no, we GO ALL OUT LIKE THE TRUE SUPER STARS WE ARE! Keep on rockin'.

Friday, May 18, 2007

Playing Catch Up

To say that things have been a little out of control lately, would be an understatement. A week ago yesterday we had our realtor open house when other agents can go through your house from 9-2pm. Assuming that each agent left a card, we had 17 people go through our house...possibly more if they didn't leave a card. And this is how this week has gone...Monday a showing, Wednesday a showing, and we have another one tomorrow. What has surprised me is how easy it has been to keep everything in order, even with two girls who live and breathe to find something to get in to.

I had my post-op check and everything is hunky dory. I have felt fine since a week after the surgery, which is good. I have had a few moments to sit back and reflect on the past two years, and more importantly, this last surgery I had. Not to sound cliche or anything, but I have this new inner peace of mind. I am astounded at how my thought process has changed. Like I actually am done with cancer stuff. Or at least until my next 6 month check. It's kind of hard to explain. I feel like some doors have been opened, and now I can get back to life, my new life.

I am looking forward to the summer, Dion and I have actually talked about taking a vacation. By ourselves. Maybe. We'll see. I tell you people, life sure is good.

Now, for some shameless begging. As you know (or now you do), Dion and I participate in the local Relay For Life every summer that is held at one of the parks in town. We form groups and raise money and walk and share memories. It is a life changing event each year, from before I was diagnosed to now. If you would be interested in donating to me, let me know. Every penny counts, every penny can make a difference. You will also be able to purchase a Luminaria in honor of someone or memory of someone for $5 each. If you just want to do the Luminaria, that counts as a donation. Every year I donate $50-75 and use about $20-25 of that as Luminaria money. So, here's your challenge....last year I raised about $1000. I would love to beat that this year! If you are interested, send me an email.....

flaskafive@yahoo.com

and we can go from there. If you're not interested, that's ok too. I just ask for you to keep us in your thoughts and prayers for the event. Ok, have to run. Happy Friday everyone!

Monday, May 14, 2007

The Weather Needs To Get A Grip

Today we reached 97 balmy degrees. 97. The only things that saved us from withering into a dried up ball of nothing was the wind, never mind the fact that it was the hottest breeze I had ever felt.

But never fear! Tomorrow we are looking at a high of about 65 and a low of about 45. Seriously, a grip is in order.

Monday, May 07, 2007

So I've Been Thinking

And I thought it was about time to write about the emotional state of my mind after losing those little bitty organs that enable a woman to reproduce. I have thought and thought about it and how I feel about it, and maybe it's just the Vicadin talking, but I feel pretty good. I haven't had a moments doubt of the decision I made, I haven't felt like it was too extreme, I feel pretty good.

There may come a time when I don't feel good, or I have regrets, or I want those things that look like little brains back, but we will deal with that when, and if, it comes. Here's one of the ways that I felt I knew I was doing the right thing. For a few months I would get this little twinge of "What if...." and then I would think that we could have another child and life would be grand and we would continue to have more and more babies until I was the old woman who lived in a shoe. And always when I had these thoughts, I landed on the thought of "I can't trust a 'what if '. I can't take that risk." And that is how I knew that I was doing what was right for me.

I had Dion write a little message on my belly for all to see. It said "Au Revoir Ovaries!" I also didn't realize then extent of shaving that they were going to do. Wow. That's really all I can say about that. Wow.

Tomorrow I go to Mayo for the last study shot per my doctor's orders, which is good, then I can say goodbye to everyone, at least until my 6 month check. I have been going to Mayo for this shot every month for almost 3 years now. I am looking forward to this chapter of my life ending, although I will miss the Mayo staff. They have been wonderful to me.

I think I will put here that the post prior to this one has some pictures in it not all people would like to see. No, not the shaving job the nurse did, internal pictures that if you have a weak stomach, just go ahead and pass them up. I won't feel bad. Sniff.

WARNING!! SURGERY PHOTOS!





So I have four nice pictures of my insides which is kind of cool. You will notice the before and after shot of my ovaries and uterus, a nice angle of my liver (which kind of surprised me that it looked so nice after college), and a shot of the ever evasive appendix. What a cute little thing. This is the best I could do as far as photo quality, but you'll get the idea. I still can't believe that my uterus stretched to hold a 10 pound baby. It just doesn't seem right.....

I'm Around....

....just really tired and loving Vicadin. The surgery went well and I even got some high quality pictures that I can't scan because we don't have our printer hooked up. Maybe I can take a picture of the picture....let's see....