We've bought a house

We've bought a detached house in the beautiful area of Deer Ridge. It's nothing fancy but is in what I hope is a nice area. It also has a Mountain View. Pictures will come soon...
This house, here, has been re-priced $4000 lower....I still wonder if it will ever sell. I suppose that one day it will but I am not doing too well at looking at this situation in a glass half full way.

That's it for the update. My brain is fried.

As I write this quickie note.....Emily is rolling on top of a sleeping bag....Nathan is singing an original composition as he washes his hands after lunch...Paul is trying think of what else to pack and I'm trying to get in an update before I have to pack up this computer.

Yesterday, I took the kids to an establishment called Melonheads. They cut kids' hair. On fancy chairs...like a motorcycle, airplane, race car... They left with glittery hair and pretty hair clip (emily) and a mohawk (Nathan). It was really fun and a relief...I didn't have to attempt the hair chopping this time!

Today...the kids are starting to climb the walls, as they are headed to some vacation time with their Aunt Ana. Paul and I are flying out of Kitchener to Calgary for our last chance, house hunting expotition.

Our house still is on the market, and will likely still be on the market when we get back,what with the snow storm and everything. Soon you won't be able to see the house for the snow!

I'm told it's time to pack up the computer bag.
I just made the mistake of asking Paul to put on my hood....I meant to attach it back to the jacket it belongs to, not to put it on his head!

And now, off to Cow-town....

a week apart

The kids and I miss Paul. He's in Calgary and returns late on Fri. night. Hum.
We had a nice day, at IKEA for part of it and a fairly relaxed pace. I think next time I will bring a book and take a 1/2 hour of the hour the kids get to spend in Smalland to read and have tea. And then shop! To manage the crazy timing of the afternoon we had supper at 4pm, left Ikea at 5:30, got gas and then drove home. Emily fell asleep in the car and later accused me of not getting gas. We've hit the relaxed part of the week where we enjoy the freedom from the 5pm deadline of Paul's end of day. We end and begin whenever. It quite nice for a time. But the kids and I really miss the guy.

Tomorrow, we'll head to Kitchener to visit friends. And Fri....well it will be a long day. Perhaps I'll exhaust them at the ROM or toboganning. Or worse yet....clothes shopping!

I'd better get to sleep.

Long set of bones

Here is a dinosaur... Paul couldn't figure out in the moment how to Photostitch...so he made a movie of it! The ROM's Barosaurus:

Our first (only?) Family Day weekend

On Saturday, we watched Nathan's soccer game.


We watched our friend, Travis' hockey game but only got a picture of the Zamboni. Don't get me wrong, it was a really GREAT GAME and it's a shame we didn't get a picture of it!

On Sunday, we visited Gramma and Grampa H and played Sorry!
On Monday, we had a late brunch, watched Happy Feet and put the kids to bed a little late. We put ourselves to bed much too late, though.

Bummed out...

Our neighbours put their house up for sale at the same time as we did. They have a conditional offer.
I was talking with a friend about a month ago. She suggested I was ashamed of this house. She's right.
I know it's ridiculous. I'm afraid we won't sell this house and I'm afraid we won't get to Calgary. But we will. Well, we have to. Paul already is working the job from here.
I keep seeing Gandalf...the scene....and I keep thinking, "The way is hidden from me."
There are people I know that I really admire. People who face difficulties and true hardships with determination and a will to survive. People who find a challenge in their path, size it up, figure a solution, move through it and keep going.
Really, is selling a house and move cross country so hard?
How come I'm bummed because my neighbour's house is one step closer to being sold than mine?

Man, I feel pathetic.

Our Snow Day

Well, highly active weather means less active real estate market. There have been no showings this week. It's been wonderful. The kids have had a chance to play, I've had a chance to bum around the house doing not much. It's been really good, but it took me all week to stop panicking about the lack of showings! I've turned my attention to other things: to organizing the relocation, returning items that were borrowed from friends, figuring out things that need to be done or planned. Really, I'm just trying to keep busy, and just ahead of those nasty winter blues that are nipping at my heels.
So, yesterday, I took some pictures and YIPPPEEEEE for the new camera!

My two Lego maniacs.

O Snowy Day! I'm not getting to that barbeque any time soon.

I'm guessing that's almost 12 inches of snow on the fence. Wow.

Right now, I'm heading deep into Sir Arthur Conan Doyle territory. Maybe I'll go tickle a child later. Or now.

Now is good. Off to tickle...

This evening, as the blustry snowstorm began, we purchased a new camera. A Powershot A570. It was on sale and will do us as a family camera over the next few years. We would like to head into digital SLR territory sometime...we dream.
So tonight, after the kids were in bed, we took a few shots:













Paul experimented with the macro setting...












I think he mastered it here:











On another front, the front lawn to be exact, we have a "for sale" sign. What a relief. It will be even more of a relief to be in a new to us home in Calgary, but that comes after we sell this one!

Superbowl exhaustion

We kept Nathan up last night, to watch the Superbowl. It was all very exciting, until he got tired and didn't want to go to bed. We didn't want to put him to bed, either. We wanted to watch the game. But he hardly lasted. Poor kid. Tonight, he's a miserable, emotional basketcase. It's so tough to get him to sleep when he's tired like this...

No showings today, which means we can relax tonight. One day soon, I hope to be relaxing in Alberta.

*sigh*

The Bathroom - Before & After

For some reason, these pictures will not rotate. Nonetheless, here is the bathroom I had to use the night before I went to Calgary.

My toilet,

My bathtub,

My sink.

This is the bathroom I came home to.

My toilet,

My bathtub,

My sink and light

Isn't it beautiful!?

Sigh of relief...

Here it is: MLS# W1297288. No current pictures yet, but there it is. Tomorrow, we'll get a sign for our lawn.
It feels really good. I had some moments of rest today, partly because Paul stayed home. It was so nice. We still did a lot of work, but the pressure was off.

Paul and I looked for digital cameras tonight. Our current camera isn't compatible with Vista . We've been downloading (we've done it once) the pics to dad H's computer and transfering them via key to ours. His computer leaves on Fri. We need a new camera. Yeeesh.
But then, we can tell stories with pictures. And maybe even with videos.
I could take a picture of Emily's depiction of a pinata, complete with 50 strings to pull, at the bottom. It's beautiful. Or Nathan's bear, tied to the back of a dining room chair. Or the fighter jet/fort that Paul and Nathan made today, or Paul using the remote control as his microphone thingy while pretending to be the control tower guy for Nathan (call sign:flyboy). Emily (call sign: fighter girl) didn't like Paul's idea of a call sign: cupcakes.
Who could blame her?

"Shows to perfection"!

Really! That's what the little descripto says...and that means we've just listed!! Yippee.
Paul is getting ready to steam vac the dining room. I'm in shock. Not because he's getting ready to vaccuum. No, that's normal. I'm just full of thoughts and devoid of energy.
Maybe I'll get a good sleep tonight.

That's a good idea.

I'm so tired of this. Our house isn't even on the market yet. The houses we can afford in Calgary are, well..... ugh.
I suppose, though, I'm just worn out from a very busy couple of weeks. It was only two weeks ago that our reno people popped in to scope out our little project-in-the-making. It was only last week that the bathroom reno started, while Paul was in Calgary. And I took my first truly relaxing bath in this house, today, in the new tub! It was only last weekend that I was in Calgary, figuring out where we didn't want to live. So, progress is there. I'm just fixated on what I see as the finish line. Which it isn't.

"To all perfection, I see a limit." I love how that nugget of truth checks me. It's so true of me, that I set up an end, a goal as my idea of "after that, it will all be better." It never is, because life always goes on, circumstances always change and there is always something new to be done, to learn and to see. I, in my humanity, will always see perfection as a limit, something with a definite end.
There will be no definitive end to this journey. I must remember that the limits I see are but road markers, showing how far I've come and hinting at how far I've yet to go. *GASP* *PANT* *PANT*

The kids. Some days they show such resilience to this crazy process and to my distraction. Nathan even went to his soccer practice without a complaint. Emily stayed home without a complaint. It was all very strange. I wonder what will happen tomorrow? (Cue the forboding music.)

Oh great. Paul just read the bracketed comment above and started making noises of the suspence thriller sort. I tried not to roll my eyes. I doubt I succeeded.

There is a reason why I don't normally blog at night.

WAAAAAY too GRUMPY. And I make too many spellig mistakes. (No spelling mistake intended...but one was obviously made.)

Oh, I see it is the other side of midnight. Time for bed.

Ah, just remembered a happy moment. Nathan, as he tumbled in the door after his soccer practice, exclaimed, " Mommy, there are STARS out tonight!!!". His face was glowing and his eyes were full of those stars he had seen. It was beautiful. I've just finished reading a book, Seeker of Stars, in which the main character lived, breathed, ate and didn't sleep for his love of stars. I think I might read it to Nathan. I saw something in him tonight that makes me think this fascination with stars is more that a typical 6 year old interest.

That, my friends, is all, for now.

My, oh my.
We took our first crack at house hunting today. I arrived in Cow-town around 2pm, drove down to the Mark's office, said "hello" to my hubby then went up to check out a few houses with our estate agent, Ed. Nothing fits yet. But we have a lot to look at tomorrow.
We're staying at a corporate apartment, it's very homey (with hi-speed interet) and relaxing (Paul just crashed on the living room rug).

I'm surprised at my excitement. I'm excited to see the brown grass everywhere. Perhaps it's because it's a novelty. I'm excited to be staying in the downtown. I'm excited to be searching for a new home. I'm excited to spend the weekend with Paul. I'm excited because I get to fly again. I love catching glimpses of the mountains.

Hopefully, there'll be more to report tomorrow.

quick update...gotta fly (heh heh)

Bathroom's being worked on. It's empty. It will be full again.
Housing is being spec'ed out by Paul and Amy, in Calgary.
Kids are sleeping over at Grandma and Grandpa B's.

wow. I'm heading off to the airport right now. Gotta get to a bathroom...

And he's off!

Paul has embarked on his first jaunt to Calgary. He flew out at 9:15 this evening, which means he'll arrive around 2am his time. Poor guy.

It hasn't hit the kids yet, but I think it will hit Nathan sooner. I think after I ship them off to Grandma's house on Fri, he'll really start missing everything.

I get to go to Calgary this weekend. I get Paul all to myself. Ahhhh. How nice. Until we go house hunting. I'm a little afraid of that...I shouldn't be.

Today...
...the basement got new carpet
...we found out Paul was going to Calgary
...Emily resorted to some nasty tactics when she got mad at Nathan
...the phone rang off the hook
...we scoped out our "scope of work" document from our reno guys
...I agreed to meet to sign reno contract for the bathroom, which may start on Thurs.
...Paul got on a plane bound for Calgary
...we watched the Discovery channel before bed
...I stayed up and enjoyed the quiet.

Until tomorrow.

Signed and delivered...

We have cleared the first hurdle! The offer is accepted and Paul will be an employee of Mark's Work Wearhouse. The official date has not been set, but because it's taking the shape of an internal transfer, the official date is dependent on when Canadian Tire is willing to let him go! Ah, so nice to be wanted...
He is working so hard. He's digging into the testing he needs to get done at CT with a vengeance. He's been trying to get quotes on our small bathtub reno. He's constantly packing up extraneous bits and transporting them to storage, when he's at home. He also had a dental appointment today, so after supper he bravely ate a freezie in the hope of numbing his sore mouth.
As for me, I rearranged the living room.
I can't wait for this house to be clean again. I know it always looks the most awry just previous to the moment it begins to look civil again. I'm finding it hard to think past the mess.
Hmm. I'm finding it hard to think, period.
I don't suppose I could go to bed this early, could I?

Nah. That would just be weird. It's the wrong side of midnight.

Ah yes, the kids. The afternoon snack was grapes. Emily decided that she would be a fruit bat, as they eat grapes. Sometime later, when she flapped back upstairs, I asked if she, the fruit bat, had a name yet.
"No," she replied.
"Would you like one?" I asked. She nodded, completely in character.
"How about....," I thought for a while, ".....Juicy?" She nodded again, though this time a tiny bat-like smile curled onto her face.
Later on, I found her trying to sound out her name while trying to type it on their play computer. When Paul got home, she properly introduced herself to him, so there would be no mistaken identity.

On a mischeivous note, I hung a beaded candy cane on Butterscotch's collar tonight. I don't think he noticed but guaranteed when Paul does, he'll roll his eyes and say something like, "Oh Butterscotch, what will we do with her?"

Hee! Small things that entertain me.

Oh man, will it ever end? I have totally lost motivation and perspective, I suppose.
Paul contacted Marks today with a question related to the offer. By the end of today, he still has not signed BUT! we have received a welcome package by courier, he is being scheduled to head out there next week and we are trying to plan a house hunting venture the following weekend.

Sometimes organizing a myriad of details into a cohesive plan can be an interesting and a fun challenge. This? This is monumentally aggravating.

Salad dressing.
I feel like someone is making salad dressing with my life and in order to get the end product EVERYTHING goes in at once and the whole thing is being whizzed around.
I feel dizzy.

The offer is on the table...

The coffee table.
Waiting.
For tomorrow, when Paul will clarify a few things and then SIGN IT!!

Our house is emptier too. We need to move a few more things out of the basement and then I will start to try to make it look prettier. So someone will buy our house.
As I write this, my poor exhausted husband is dozing beside me. He`s staying up to be with me but he`s just pooped. He took two trips to the storage unit tonight. He`s been working so hard at trying to get this house market-ready.
I`m exhausted too. I guess I`ll take us to bed now.
I wish we could just take time and feel the joy and the excitement. To let it bubble over. We`re just too tired.

The Yearly Letter...a year too late

Dec 2007



Dearest family and friends,
Our greetings to you come a little late this year. As I started to gather my thoughts for this letter around mid-November I realized I had to wait. There was something in the offing that just might need to be included in this letter. While waiting, I painted most of the house. It took a lot of work, much help from Paul, and a great deal of patience from the kids, which they were happy to give. For the most part!

Here are some highlights from our year:

Growing Up, Nathan and Emily Style
These two kids are incredibly imaginative. They spend much of their day pretending, attempting to be in costume and in character for as long as possible. Emily really enjoys dressing up and Nathan enjoys draping blankets and propping pillows anywhere he can in order to create his spaceship, ice breaker, castle or whatever. If it resembles a string, he’ll try to tie it to something. They both regarded the arrival of spring with glee, getting out on their bikes almost every day. Nathan’s sense of humour is very wordy, using puns and rhymes. Emily’s sense of humour is a little more physical. If you stare into her eyes for a while, they’ll turn up at the corners just before she scrunches up her face with her hands and sticks out her tongue. She can’t seem to help but to try make us laugh as often as she can. Even as they are filled with laughter, they are always inquisitive, asking questions ranging from the philosophical (Aren’t you glad Santa isn’t real?) to the physical (why do dogs’ tails have bones?) and back to the practical (can I have some of the gingerbread house now?).

Camping

the very cold waters of Georgian Bay at Indian Head Cove, Bruce National Park

The Bruce Peninsula. WOW. It is simply amazing. We kicked off our camping season with a 2day test trip to Laurel Creek Conservation Area, in the middle of Waterloo. That was informative. We noted all items which were forgotten and those which were unnecessary, bought a cartop carrier bag and took off on our 10day vacation, beginning at the Bruce. Oh, you should go! Really, it is a beautiful, unique place. There is truly nowhere else like it on this planet.

We then joined forces with the Beilby family at Awenda Provincial Park and took in the area’s historical sights. I didn’t mention that Nathan is a history buff, did I? One of his highlights of the year was our visit to Discovery Harbour and Ste. Marie-among-the-Hurons.

the only volunteer for this activity at Discovery Harbour, was Emily!

In late August, we shared some food and some splendid camping at the Pinery with the Naus family. Emily was in tears when she realized that this would be the last camping trip of the year. Paul and I felt the same. Nathan was happy to get back to his own bed.

on our way to the beach, Pinery Provincial Park

The Last Half was Harder
The last 5 months have brought some challenges to Paul and I. In early August, my aunt, whom I call Julie Mamie, passed away. I had the opportunity to see her and to say ``goodbye`` a few weeks before. My life was but one that she had touched deeply. The grief, though, was not something I had ever known before and I found it all-consuming for a while.
One day, in late September, we received a phone call from Paul`s mom. Paul`s dad, who lives and works in Southern Mexico, had been in an accident and his leg was broken. He was taken to hospital in Mexico City and Paul`s mom, and some good friends, spent many hours there with him. In early October, the doctors determined that the leg needed to be amputated. Soon after, Dad, and Mom were flown up to Ontario, to North York General, in Toronto. Dad`s recovery was longer and harder than we expected but through much prayerful and practical support from friends and family, he has come very far. He`s now at St. John`s , a rehab hospital in North York. Yahoo!!
On Dec. 23rd, we celebrated! For Dad`s first day pass, we had Christmas dinner together, at a home generously offered to us by a family who were away for the holidays. It was a very refreshing time, resting in the blessing of God`s provision and finding great joy in being together.

What are we waiting for?
We are waiting for a dream to come true!
About 4 years ago, we began talking and dreaming about moving out west. About 2 years ago, you may remember, Nathan and I went to a certain city, called Calgary, to visit friends. And to check it out.
Paul was attempting to transfer to Mark`s Work Wearhouse, a company owned by Canadian Tire, Paul`s current employer, just as the housing prices skyrocketed. Maybe it was a little premature.
About 2 months ago, Paul was contacted regarding a position with Mark`s new supply chain team, headed up by a former director from CT. Just as the housing prices dipped a little! We are in the later stages of negotiations, proceeding with the hope that we may be heading to Calgary in the New Year.
So, after our letters and cards are mailed out, we will continue a frenzied pace. Replacing the Christmas preparations, however, will be readying our house for listing and attempting to find housing in Calgary. If you want to keep up with what is happening, you`ll have to check out my blog http://curlsinmyhair.blogspot.com/ or find me on Facebook!

God Bless you, this Christmas, and into the New Year.
With love,
Paul, Amy, Nathan and Emily