Decisions and Resolutions

So far the eating plan is going well. It's not always easy to make the meal from scratch, sometimes I want very much to buy premade food, but I really want to give this a go, so I'm resisting. I must admit, my energy levels are good and I don't feel at all deprived. It's been harder on Trev in terms of changes because I already had so many restrictions on my diet, but he's being a trooper about it.

The pantry looks so different without any of the junk in it. I bought a bunch of glass airtight jars from Ikea, so all of the grains, rice, nuts, etc look very neat and organized. Every now and then I step in to get something and wonder if I'm in someone else's pantry, which amuses me.

We spent the weekend getting lots of long-postponed tasks done. Finally picked up a bookshelf stereo for the living room, so we have music. Put pictures in the two collage-style frames hanging in the hallway. That sort of stuff. We also made another decision, that wasn't much fun but will let us move forward: we decided to put off finishing the basement for a year or so. We'll put the futon in Connor's room and move him out when guests come, and set Trevor's office up in the little study on the main floor. The basement will serve as a storage area, as well as giving Trev space to work out with his weights. I wish we didn't have to postpone the work, but with the markets being as they are, we figure money in a savings account is better to have than money invested in the house. We'll see how things are next year. For now, we have plenty of room for everyday life, and we can make it work when guests come by.

Monday Trev had the day off to make up for the weekends he's been working, so he was able to go to the viewing for Adara's dance class. There's not much that's cuter than a group of little girls in ballet outfits. Almost all of the girls had younger siblings who tried at various times in various ways to disrupt the class, which was also cute in its' own way.

Right now, the focus is on getting Christmas cards and packages organized, so they can be sent off at the end of the month. Shouldn't be too much more to do there, thank heavens. Then it's on to putting up the tree, making the gingerbread house (decoration only!), and all of that fun stuff. Hurray!

Bad News and Not Quite So Bad News

The really bad news yesterday was that the house sale has been delayed - the buyer's lender has done some last minute demanding of more paperwork, or something. It may be a week or more before the sale finally does go through, which unfortunately means our having to pay the extra mortgage payment this month as well as get by without the house sale proceeds we were expecting. Not happy-making, I tell you. I had about a half hour of silently repeating "I trust you, Lord, I trust you" in my head before I calmed down and got on with everyday life.

The not quite so bad news was that the movers coming to get Mom's stuff were delayed, delayed again, and delayed some more. They were originally supposed to be here at 1400, and ended up coming almost 5 hours later. Fortunately the condo manager is a sweetheart - he could have caused trouble because moves are supposed to be supervised and one of the two elevators must be reserved for the move, but instead he just let us borrow his elevator key for the evening. So the move did happen, and Mom has the great majority of her boxes and all of her furniture now. There were a few things we simply couldn't reach, but they will all fit into the van when we eventually uncover them.

Today was a much better day...no one dropped any bad news bombs on my head, and we enjoyed a lovely sunny day. We even explored a huge local park, the fields seemed to go on forever. The kids loved it - they ran and ran, especially Connor, despite his frequent stumbling and falling. I can't get over how much nicer the weather is down here, and what a glorious fall we're having.

Starting to Feel Like Home

I don't have a lot of time, but I thought I'd post quickly to say that things are settling out nicely here. Despite not having finished the boxes, we hit the farmers market today and got enough fresh tomatoes and peppers to make a winter's worth of salsa, as well as a big box (40 pounds) of ripe and juicy peaches. I couldn't resist the peaches - I'll probably use half or more to make spiced peach jam, and the rest I'll just peel, slice and freeze for baking in the winter. Having made my own jam and salsa for the last several years, I'm finding I really don't like the store-bought stuff at all (unless it's the expensive gourmet stuff). Trev won't eat store-bought salsa at all! So it's worth it to us to put things on hold for a week while I do the canning.

Otherwise, we've met a few of the neighbours and their children, all friendly folk. Adara starts her dance classes on Monday. We've made progress in making the rooms feel homier, though we're not done yet. So I would say things are going well. It's a bit lonely, of course, and I'm looking forward to beginning our search for a church family once Mom settles in and can watch the kids for us while we attend the various services. But overall Trev and I are both pleased with how well we're settling in.

A New Home

We've arrived, and are settling in nicely. The house is absolutely lovely. Trev was so worried about whether I would like it or not (which was sweet) but his worries have evaporated since it's so obvious I'm happy here. Mind you, I'll be happier when we have a dining room set and some living room furniture. Eating on the floor is wearing on me.*grin*

I've been working very hard to conquer my natural inclination of unpacking everything right away and not stopping till it's all done. My goal has been to try to tackle a room a day if I can. So far the kids' rooms, my part of our bedroom (Trev's part will have to wait until the poor man gets enough time to unpack anything), our bathroom, the kids' bathroom, the kitchen and the toy room have been conquered, at least as much as I could find the boxes for. You see, some of our boxes are in the garage, all mixed together, and we haven't sorted them all out yet. But what I had in the house for those rooms, I've unpacked. The living room and dining room stuff will have to wait until we've got furniture set up, which will hopefully happen at least in part this weekend.

Good news on the house-selling front - it seems we have two bidders, one of which has already upped their offer to our full asking price (hoping to outdo the other, I assume). After a long stint of nothing at all, this happens all at once! Trev is up in Fort Mac today and tomorrow, sprucing the place up and helping Mom clean up the mess we left. She gets possession of her condo at the beginning of September, so she has opted to stay in the now fully furnished suite with her pup until then.

The kids seem to be handling things well. There's a nice play set in the fenced backyard as well as a small enclosed trampoline (the kind meant for 3-7 year olds, not the big kind), so they're loving that, and there's a nice playground about a 5 minute walk away. We've been to the Zoo three times already (since we have the annual passes and the parking is free, it only costs gas to go) and are having fun picking out which continent we want to visit (that's how the Zoo is divided up) and which animals we want to learn about that day. Adara has been pushing boundaries pretty hard, but is slowly learning that she can't get away with acting up. That's pretty natural in my opinion, and I'm not taking it personally. Things have been chaotic enough over the last 6 weeks or so that it will take some time for her to feel secure again.

I've rambled on enough for tonight. I'm going to go grab some sleep...both of the kids are coming down with colds, and the extra whininess and clinginess demands extra patience (and therefore extra rest) on my part.

Almost Ready to Launch

The packers are coming next Wednesday and Thursday, and the movers will be carting everything away on Friday. Yes, that's next week. And we found out yesterday afternoon. To add some excitement to the mix, Trev has to work this weekend, and will only be able to get here next Thursday. Needless to say, there's a lot to do and not much time to do it in.

On the plus side, we'll be in our new home very soon - I'm so excited about finally seeing the inside! We'll be leaving a bunch of our furniture here to furnish the downstairs suite, so we'll be getting new living room furniture and a dining room set...likely at IKEA. Love that place.

Still no condo for Mom, so to prevent Zoe from having to stay in a kennel for weeks, and to avoid being bored and living in our spare room for weeks, Mom will be staying up here for a while. Her stuff will travel via the movers with ours, but since the basement suite is going to be furnished, she doesn't need much other than a suitcase of clothes. Once we have papers signed for a condo purchase, she'll look at picking a date to come down to Calgary.

It's been very warm these last few days, and there's no air-conditioning. The kids are hot, cranky, and confused by all the moving preparations. I'll be glad when we can leave for Calgary (the new house has air-conditioning too!).

No Such Luck

Apparently, the family that viewed the house decided that it wasn't suitable as a primary residence for them...although they are considering buying it as a rental property. Too bad.

On the plus side, it appears that we are going to have a real summer vacation after all! We have dear friends that have been given access to a lovely cabin near Lake Okanagan next week, and they invited us quite a while ago to come out and share it with them. Although Trev booked the week off work, it was up in the air as to whether we could make it for the longest time, first because we were sort of hoping to use that time for moving, and then later for other reasons. Since everything seems to have worked out, we'll be heading off this weekend to enjoy some well-earned "R&R", leaving our portion of the house clear for viewings anytime. This will make our realtor's job easier, since he'll only have to clear viewings with Mom, and won't have to worry about our kids making evening showings difficult.

We'll be making the trip in 2 stages, one 8 hour stint to Calgary, and another 8 hour stint to the cabin, with a stay over at Trev's temporary accommodations in between. Our trip out will be made more exciting by our taking a day to look at our new home (at least the outside, probably not the inside), our new neighbourhood, and the Calgary Zoo. We'll be doing what has become our standard travelling pattern of leaving very, very early (somewhere around 4AM), so that the kids sleep for 2 or 3 hours of the 8, plus Connor having his noontime nap while driving as well. Makes for a much more relaxing drive for us parents, as Connor at least requires a lot of entertainment and attention. Adara is getting better at amusing herself for longer, but she is still a very sociable and talkative girl, and a few hours of quiet make for much more patient parents in the louder hours of the drive. *grin*

I'm in a bit of a whirlwind of packing lists, trying to get all of the laundry done, figuring out what I need to buy to take with us, and all of that. Trev will be arriving for supper Thursday, and we hope to leave early the next morning, so I need to have most everything done before then, as well as having the house in show-worthy shape. Lots to keep me busy!

First Showing

We had the first showing of our house today. Even though the wall downstairs is only mudded, the realtor had one set of clients that really, really wanted to see it, so he let them. I guess they are looking for EXACTLY what we have: a nice house with a rental suite to offset mortgage costs, in a quiet family neighbourhood with a large lot. Our realtor has high hopes, and it doesn't hurt that he'd get the whole commission this way, either. *grin* They know that no one else will be seeing the house until Wednesday, so I wasn't surprised that they didn't make a decision right away, but I'm hoping and praying that they loved the place and make a decent offer tomorrow. This is Fort McMurray after all, and good properties move very quickly. I do have reason to believe they were impressed - they were still there 40 minutes after the showing started, and Trev says the realtor called him on his cell with a couple of specific questions about fireplaces and heaters and such.

So I guess we'll have to see. But the sooner the better, as far as I'm concerned. Trying to get the house in show-worthy condition with two active kids isn't easy, and I'd like to do it as few times as possible. *smile*

Moving On

The house is quieter today. I keep expecting the patter of little paws, a little fuzzy body coming to leap into my lap. It's hard to remember that she's not here anymore - eight years is a long time, and I miss our Bitsy very much. I remind myself regularly that she isn't suffering any more, and that helps, but only somewhat.

We dropped off the carrier, litter box, extra litter, extra food, and the big cat tree at the SPCA today. They were glad to have it, and it comforted us to think it will be of use to some other little cats. We've decided that we won't be getting another cat for a few years at least. Not only is Trevor allergic to cats (while he was able to live with Bitsy, she did aggravate his allergies), we have several people who we hope will come to visit us that are also allergic: Jeannette, Trev's brother's wife, as well as our close friends in Red Deer, one of which is so sensitive to pet dander that he couldn't even stay in our home for an hour while we had Bitsy. While I'll miss having a furry pet, I can't see making people I care for uncomfortable (or even ill) just so that I can have what I want. And if we still want to head overseas for a few years after a stint in Calgary, then it makes sense to avoid getting a new pet for now. *sad sigh*

In other news, the crack in the wall downstairs has been repaired, and new drywall has been put in. The workmen will be stopping in for a few minutes tomorrow and the next day for mudding and sanding, and then they hope to paint on Tuesday. Our realtor is looking forward to showing the house - he has one set of clients that have been looking for exactly what we have, and then 3 other people who have already asked to see the house. I hope this set of showings is faster and easier than the showings we had for the townhouse...we had 24 sets of people come through before it sold. I have a feeling it will go quickly, and I hope I'm right.

Trev and I have done most of the big work around the house now, so I'm working at cleaning up the little nooks and crannies. Reorganizing kitchen cupboards and closets, and getting rid of old stuff or things we simply don't need or use. I love moving because it gives me the motivation to go through everything and simplify...and give things that we don't use to people who will use them.

I've started looking into fall activities for the kids. Adara is very interested in ballet, so I've found a preschool "intro to dance" course that runs just a 5 minute drive from our new home. Their registration is the week after we get possession - God is so good to us, even in the tiny details. And there's a YMCA with a pool about a 10 minute drive away, and they have a "Climb and Splash" program for kids Connor's age (parented), where they play in an indoor gym for a while and then play in the pool for a while. He'll love that. I'm not sure what Mom's plans are in terms of what she wants to get involved with in Calgary, but I'm hoping that she and Adara can make that hour a week their special time together, so we all have fun. We'll have to see. There's also a home school co-op group that meets on Tuesdays, and I'm hoping to go there with the kids too. All of these possibilities are very exciting!

We're examining which churches are nearby, too. It's amazing, just about every church has a website, listing their beliefs, services, sometimes even recorded sermons so you can get a feel for what they're like. There's nothing we feel comfortable with in our little subdivision, but there are a few options that are (I think) only about 15 minutes away. We'll start the serious 'church-shopping' once we get there...a website can only tell you so much, after all.

So much on the go, my brain's in a whirl. I'd best get some sleep!

Torn

I'm fluctuating between being thrilled and grieving tonight - an odd combination, and quite unexpected. I got some very, very good news today: Trev put in an offer on the house he has liked all along, and they have accepted, after some dickering back and forth, for a price we can afford. Providing the home inspection next week shows no major defects, and providing our financing goes through as it should, we will be able to take possession August 13. I'm so happy and relieved that the house-hunting part is done, and that we have a new home to go to soon. That's the thrilled part.

The grieving part...well, Trev and I have concluded that we will have to put our little cat Bitsy to sleep, and we've booked it for this Friday. While there are a number of health issues involved, some of which have been going on a long time, the final straw was that the poor little thing simply hasn't adjusted to having all of her top teeth out, which we had to have done several months ago because they had become too rotten to save. She doesn't like the soft food (we've tried many kinds), only picks at it, and won't eat it at all after it has sat in the bowl for more than 10 minutes. She's making herself sick trying to eat whatever else she can find on the floors. We've tried for months now, but she's getting thinner and more stressed and angrier every day...our passive, easy-going little cat is actually starting to bite and swat us, just for walking by her. Given that a move would be an additional huge stressor for her, we've decided that the kindest and most responsible thing we can do is to end her unhappy little life, much as it hurts us to do so. She's been a part of our family for 8 years now, and it's hard to say goodbye. The kids adore her, too, which makes it that much harder.

So here I sit, going back and forth. And I thank the Lord that I don't need to make any big decisions tonight - who knows what the result would be!

Repairs Update

We're having someone in to fix the basement next Tuesday. Hurray! The first fellow we had in gave us quite a fright, told us he'd have to repair it from the outside (digging up the driveway on the side of our house in the process). While having the folks come by and mark out where the utilities are on the side of the house, we had a second gentleman come by, and he reassured us that he could do all the work from the inside. This guy has a better reputation and seemed much more competent too, so he'll be doing the work for us next week. Trev has to remove the drywall on a big section of one wall this weekend to get it all ready for him.

After much discussion, we decided not to put in an offer on the house Trev liked in Calgary. A few of the features Trev thought were big selling points for me turned out not to be exciting for me at all, and a few of the features I was hoping would be in the house weren't. So Trev is now heading off on Monday with a revised list of criteria, and we'll see what turns up.

The First Attempt

The week has just flown by without Trevor here - the kids have been up very early in the morning (between 0545 and 0630) so by the time I've had everything cleaned up after they're asleep, I've been too beat to blog.

He's home now though, praise the Lord, and we're very much enjoying our time with him. There's an awful lot of things to get done (fixing the basement leak, small repairs to spruce the house up, setting up the sale of our house here, etc) but at least we can work together to do it.

Trev has found a very nice house that he's going to put a bid in on, probably on Tuesday, but he's warned me not to get attached yet as the sellers are asking far too much and may not be willing to accept what he's willing to pay. Our realtor agrees that the price is inflated, and says that while comparable houses did sell for what they're asking three or four months ago, prices have since dropped. So we'll see what they say...Trev tells me that there are plenty more houses just as nice out there, so he'll walk away if the sellers aren't willing to see reason.

We had a funny sort of discussion today, made me realize that we are just not average in very many ways. Our house will likely be bought by someone wanting to invest in a rental property, so Trev asked whether I would consider selling the house with all (or at least almost all) of the furniture in it. I didn't really have to think about it much at all...there are about three pieces of furniture I'm attached to for sentimental reasons, but the rest I would quite happily replace. We're just not into "stuff" that way. Not boasting or anything, just kind of bemused about it.

Must get back to work...chores and lists call!

Good Caterpillar, Bad Caterpillar

I don't think I've mentioned that the tent caterpillar invasion has happened again this year. Evidently last year was the first year of a three to six year cycle of these caterpillars; we'd just finished moving in last May when a wave of black caterpillars came crawling over from the greenbelt across the street, covering everything and subsequently cocooning all over everything (houses, trees, toys, you name it). They're back again this year, and it's pretty gross. Here's our front step:



They don't cling well on the siding, but they really like concrete. You can't walk to the van without flattening a few. Yuck.

On the plus side, I've discovered a caterpillar we DO like:



I figured since the water park was such a big hit, this sprinkler would be fun for the kids. And it's nice to have at least ONE caterpillar we're fond of.

Since I was out taking pictures anyway, I also grabbed a shot of the flowerbed Trev redid a few weeks ago:



Isn't it nice? My late-blooming tulips are just finishing up, the ferns and bleeding heart are going great guns, and the irises and peonies are about to burst into bloom. I love perennials, although I'm getting a bit tired of planting them and having them just start to really take before I have to move again. I'm looking forward to playing around a bit more with gardening in our new house in Calgary, since we'll hopefully be there for two or three years. We realized a while ago that we have moved at least once every two years since we were married, and more often than not it was every year. Not that we mind moving, but that's a bit much.