A Whirlwind of a Weekend

Try saying that three times as fast as you can. It’s almost as hard as saying, “Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear, Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair, Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn’t Fuzzy, was he?” This weekend was fun, busy and full of surprises. I don’t know where to begin.

We moved to Crystal Lake from Spokane, Washington back in August. Chris decided that we would rent a house until we could purchase a home. We settled into a nice two story with a full basement. This home was built in the 1990’s and is a wonderful temporary home for the seven of us. Our kids go to a great school only a mile away, and we found a wonderful community in the parish we belong to, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church. The church is also very close to where we live.

In February, Chris decided it was time to start looking into buying a home. We knew we wanted a 2 story, 4 bedroom home with a basement close to where the kids go to school. After visiting a couple of homes we found one that was close to the school and had 4 bedrooms, but it did not have a basement. Chris was worried that we may not find a home that fit all of our requirements, so he made an offer on it anyway.

His offer was a little less than the asking price and the home owners did not want to budge on their price. So we decided to keep looking.

Last week a new home listing appeared on my Zillow app. When I looked at it and the photos of the home, instantly I fell in love. It was a 2 story home, with 4 bedrooms and a finished off basement. The asking price was on the high end of our budget for a home but I knew I had to tell Chris about it anyway. It just so happened that the real estate agent that had been helping us find a home informed Chris about that same listing.

On Friday night we saw three homes, the one I mentioned above included. Monkey had soccer at 6 so we all went to the showings together, dropping Monkey, Goose and Kitty off to soccer in between. The first home we saw did not have a basement and we were not certain the kids could go to the same school in the fall if we moved there. Then we saw the beautiful four bedroom home with a basement. It was even more gorgeous up close than in the listing. The only thing we did not like was the price.

Before we left Chris told our agent that he was going to make an offer on that home, because it was perfect for us. We then took Monkey to soccer and saw one more home.

After soccer the kids were really hungry because we were looking at homes during their regular dinner hour. Reluctantly, we took them to McDonald’s. Goose is going to graduate in about a month and she is looking for a job. I noticed a little computer at McDonald’s advertising , “apply here.” I pointed it out to Goose and she applied for a job. Chris used to work for McDonald’s when he was a teenager, so why not Goose?

Saturday morning Chris and I went to our realtor’s office and he filled out the paperwork for the offer. I was there for moral support. That afternoon I took Parrot shopping for a new suit for First Holy Communion. While I was shopping Chris called me. He exclaimed over the phone, “We got the house! I am still in shock because that home is so perfect for us and I was certain there was pending offers.”

He was wrong and now this summer we will be moving into my dream home. I am so excited! But this was not the only surprise we got over the weekend.

Saturday night, my dryer destroyed another shirt, this time it was Bear’s Talbert Zoo shirt. Remember this one?

Our clothes get stuck in between this plastic thing on the dryer which circles around the front and the dryer itself. We can’t get the clothes out without ripping a hole in them. It has destroyed approximately a half a dozen articles of clothing. When it ripped a hole in Little Bear’s shirt, that was the last straw. I need a new dryer.

Unfortunately, we are spending all of our savings plus Chris’ 401K on closing costs, lawyer’s fees and other miscellaneous fees for the house. I need to spend my own non-existent money on a new dryer. In the meantime we have a clothesline set up outside and the laundry is piling up. I need to sell some ads on The Healthy Moms Magazine and or land a freelance job.

We are not going to have any extra spending money until after we close on the home. This is making me feel nervous and very stressed. It’s putting more pressure on me to make some money with my websites. I know what I need to do in order to make enough to buy a dryer, but I am so busy taking care of the kids while Chris travels for work, I don’t have much time to work. I thought about sacrificing my sleep so I can work, but Chris didn’t like that idea. I guess I have to figure this one out myself.

On Sunday we went to mass in the morning and I played my flute. Then I baked some bread and Chris made dip for the parish pot luck. While we were getting ready for the pot luck, McDonald’s called Goose and wanted her to go out there to interview. I told her that usually if you get a job interview from a fast food place they are planning on hiring you. I was correct. She got her very first job.

Chris and I are excited for Goose. Now she has a job and she is going to graduate in about a month. She is planning on working for a year and living with us while she saves her money for college. I think that is a wonderful idea!

How was your weekend?