Since my last post in July, we have gotten the house almost completely ready for listing and we've made some important decisions.
We replaced most of the carpet in the house with laminate flooring, ripped out the linoleum from the bathroom and replaced it with vinyl tiles with a wood pattern, had the main bath tub and kitchen countertops resurfaced, replaced nearly all of the light fixtures, repainted everything neutral colors, removed the ratty old awnings from the front of the house, replaced the front door, and sold, tossed, or boxed up a lot of stuff. We bought a new, stainless steel stove, I made faux capiz shell chandeliers for the kitchen and dining room, and did some exterior painting in the front of the house.
We have had a few problems with the roof leaking over the years and really needed to have something done before attempting to sell it, so we decided to have it done with spray foam roofing. It was a fraction of the price of a pitched roof and it has helped so much with insulating the house. It is also a "green" option, which is a plus.
Speaking of "green," we bought and installed a saltless water softener/conditioner. I have to say, after being skeptical, I have been pleasantly surprised by the difference it has made in the fixtures.
We only have one repair to do before listing the house: replacing the wood flooring in the master bedroom that has water damage from water coming in through the sliding glass door.
Decisions, decisions...
Since the main reason we're moving is so the kids can have a better education, I've decided that Temecula is our destination. The award-winning schools are amazing. The crime rate is very low and the cost of living is so much lower than Los Angeles. We're very excited to move.
In my last post, I wrote about not buying a house when we move, but that's just against everything I believe in, so no. We're buying. I've been house-shopping for months. Depending on how soon we sell our house, we may look into the option of a short sale. Our new adventure in buying a house in Southern California is one that is so unknown that I am very uncomfortable with it. I enjoy being in control and it's unnerving that this huge part of our lives is something that I cannot predict or control.
Since I seem to only post every 6 months or so, I suppose I will be posting again near the time we move...
Wish us luck!
Monday, December 26, 2011
Sunday, July 3, 2011
We've done it!
We've made up our minds to move. And by "we," I mean me, of course. We have a goal to be in LA next summer ('12). Now all we have to do is....~deep breathe~...
Do lots of work on the house to make it sell-able, figure out a way to sell it ourselves to maximize profit, actually sell it, find Daniel a well-paying job and then find a rental house nearby that will allow pets (a zoo), move everything 730 miles and survive all of this while also working full-time, going to school, and raising three little monkeys. Sounds easy! No problem!
So right now, I'm doing as much research as I can to figure out inexpensive ways to spruce up the house and make it more appealing to potential buyers. I brought up the idea of replacing our old counter tops with DIY concrete counter tops... not a great response there. I thought that it would be much cheaper than brand new counter tops, it would be creative/unique, and might even be eco-friendly. We'll just let that one marinate for a while. He's got three more weeks of vacation this year and sitting around that long isn't his idea of fun.
I'm also kind of an HGTV and DIY channel addict. It's really a bad idea for me to watch these shows because I'm constantly getting attached to these ideas of renovation and home-improvement and I am really not equipped to follow through on them. I'm really not crafty at all. I am really not even sure what colors I am going to paint the house for selling...
Another fun thing about planning this move is scouring Craigslist with a fine-toothed comb in search of a good job for Daniel and something that I could do from home so that the burden isn't completely on him to support us.
I'm also going back and forth on whether I want to try to live right on the beach where we could see our friends and do tai chi or find someplace more inland in which the cost of housing is infinitely lower. We could dive 75 miles occasionally to visit friends, right?
A couple of years ago, I had the idea to move to Southern California and so I researched for hours and hours and hours. I researched statistics on schools, crime rates, climate, cost of living, employment, and came up with Temecula as the "perfect" place. Now, I really don't know if any perfect place exists; I'm sure there are pros and cons to every location. So I think the best plan would be to start out finding a job and then search for a rental home as close to that area as possible to minimize the commute as well as school districts. We can get a feel for the area and then if we want to move to a different part of the state later, we'll only be renting, so it won't be so hard.
All I know right now is that I'm so ready to leave and start a new life in a beautiful place.
Do lots of work on the house to make it sell-able, figure out a way to sell it ourselves to maximize profit, actually sell it, find Daniel a well-paying job and then find a rental house nearby that will allow pets (a zoo), move everything 730 miles and survive all of this while also working full-time, going to school, and raising three little monkeys. Sounds easy! No problem!
So right now, I'm doing as much research as I can to figure out inexpensive ways to spruce up the house and make it more appealing to potential buyers. I brought up the idea of replacing our old counter tops with DIY concrete counter tops... not a great response there. I thought that it would be much cheaper than brand new counter tops, it would be creative/unique, and might even be eco-friendly. We'll just let that one marinate for a while. He's got three more weeks of vacation this year and sitting around that long isn't his idea of fun.
I'm also kind of an HGTV and DIY channel addict. It's really a bad idea for me to watch these shows because I'm constantly getting attached to these ideas of renovation and home-improvement and I am really not equipped to follow through on them. I'm really not crafty at all. I am really not even sure what colors I am going to paint the house for selling...
Another fun thing about planning this move is scouring Craigslist with a fine-toothed comb in search of a good job for Daniel and something that I could do from home so that the burden isn't completely on him to support us.
I'm also going back and forth on whether I want to try to live right on the beach where we could see our friends and do tai chi or find someplace more inland in which the cost of housing is infinitely lower. We could dive 75 miles occasionally to visit friends, right?
A couple of years ago, I had the idea to move to Southern California and so I researched for hours and hours and hours. I researched statistics on schools, crime rates, climate, cost of living, employment, and came up with Temecula as the "perfect" place. Now, I really don't know if any perfect place exists; I'm sure there are pros and cons to every location. So I think the best plan would be to start out finding a job and then search for a rental home as close to that area as possible to minimize the commute as well as school districts. We can get a feel for the area and then if we want to move to a different part of the state later, we'll only be renting, so it won't be so hard.
All I know right now is that I'm so ready to leave and start a new life in a beautiful place.
Friday, June 3, 2011
I've been such a bum!
I know, it's been forever. But I finally have a bit of a break and am not in the mood to do any of the other things that I normally do in my spare time, so I'm blogging. What a great way to start, huh?
I'll try to update all of my loyal readers on the recent happenings of The Hunters 5.
My sweet new baby doll is almost 7 months old. Celeste is very close to 18 lbs, and very close to crawling. She loves food but loves water (and any other drink) moreso. I switched her to cloth diapers at 5 months- I'll have to dedicate a post or two about that- so that is a pretty cool new development. She is quite the mama's girl, but then, so were the other two during their nursing period. She absolutely adores her siblings, especially Auron who can make her crack up by just standing there watching the grass grow.
Chloe finished her first year of school and I would say that it was a raving success! She has learned and grown so much in this past year and I am so proud of her bravery and dedication this year. She no longer solicits others to do all of her "work" like zipping up her jacket, she can write, spell, and recognize her name. She knows every letter in the alphabet and the sound that each makes. She's more adventurous, which is evident when she plays at the park. She never used to be courageous enough to go down the slide, but now she flies down the large one with joy! She is starting to show early reading skills and is very interested in books. She is always asking me to read stories to her- which I totally love! She is very excited for Kindergarten.
Auron has matured as a 3 year old and has gotten through his constant grumpiness that ailed him for the past several months. His vocabulary and problem-solving skills have skyrocketed. He enjoys being a big brother to Celeste; I think it makes him feel proud and accomplished to show her things and to take care of her. He is getting ready to start his first year of preschool in the fall and he seems pretty hyped about that. I hope they take care of him. 3 years old still seems young for school, but he loves to challenge himself so much that I'm hoping it will be a blast for him.
I am close to finishing my Bachelor's degree. Next week I start a new term- which will be my 2nd to last- and I'm taking an English and Math class. My degree plan was audited awhile back and it was determined that I was short on these classes. Boo! Oh, well. I just hope that I can keep up my GPA.
I recently applied to a distance ed master's program at the University of Bridgeport, which is located in Connecticut. Their nutrition program is incredible and focuses on holistic philosophy. I am praying that I'll be accepted into the program for Jan 2012. I know it's a boatload of more debt but it will open doors for me to great opportunities which will hopefully come with good pay. So once I graduate with my Master's, I figure I will have been in school for a total of 20 years! I will be 28 by then- Daniel will be 30ish, Chloe- 7, Auron- 5, Celeste- 2. Who knows? I might just keep going and seek a PhD! Time will tell.
Great! Blogging is good for putting the brain in sleep-mode. I guess it just needed a bit of an exercise before hitting the sack. G'night world.
I'll try to update all of my loyal readers on the recent happenings of The Hunters 5.
My sweet new baby doll is almost 7 months old. Celeste is very close to 18 lbs, and very close to crawling. She loves food but loves water (and any other drink) moreso. I switched her to cloth diapers at 5 months- I'll have to dedicate a post or two about that- so that is a pretty cool new development. She is quite the mama's girl, but then, so were the other two during their nursing period. She absolutely adores her siblings, especially Auron who can make her crack up by just standing there watching the grass grow.
Chloe finished her first year of school and I would say that it was a raving success! She has learned and grown so much in this past year and I am so proud of her bravery and dedication this year. She no longer solicits others to do all of her "work" like zipping up her jacket, she can write, spell, and recognize her name. She knows every letter in the alphabet and the sound that each makes. She's more adventurous, which is evident when she plays at the park. She never used to be courageous enough to go down the slide, but now she flies down the large one with joy! She is starting to show early reading skills and is very interested in books. She is always asking me to read stories to her- which I totally love! She is very excited for Kindergarten.
Auron has matured as a 3 year old and has gotten through his constant grumpiness that ailed him for the past several months. His vocabulary and problem-solving skills have skyrocketed. He enjoys being a big brother to Celeste; I think it makes him feel proud and accomplished to show her things and to take care of her. He is getting ready to start his first year of preschool in the fall and he seems pretty hyped about that. I hope they take care of him. 3 years old still seems young for school, but he loves to challenge himself so much that I'm hoping it will be a blast for him.
I am close to finishing my Bachelor's degree. Next week I start a new term- which will be my 2nd to last- and I'm taking an English and Math class. My degree plan was audited awhile back and it was determined that I was short on these classes. Boo! Oh, well. I just hope that I can keep up my GPA.
I recently applied to a distance ed master's program at the University of Bridgeport, which is located in Connecticut. Their nutrition program is incredible and focuses on holistic philosophy. I am praying that I'll be accepted into the program for Jan 2012. I know it's a boatload of more debt but it will open doors for me to great opportunities which will hopefully come with good pay. So once I graduate with my Master's, I figure I will have been in school for a total of 20 years! I will be 28 by then- Daniel will be 30ish, Chloe- 7, Auron- 5, Celeste- 2. Who knows? I might just keep going and seek a PhD! Time will tell.
Great! Blogging is good for putting the brain in sleep-mode. I guess it just needed a bit of an exercise before hitting the sack. G'night world.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Finally back!
My laptop crashed and I finally got a new one (thank you Mom!) so I can start blogging again. Here's what's happened since my last post...
I had my baby! Celeste Lily was born on November 4th, 3 days late. It was the greatest birth experience I could have hoped for and we're really enjoying having her in our family.
Celeste is now 2 months old and is getting so big! She was born weighing 7lbs 6oz and 21in long. At her 2 month appointment, she weighed 12 lbs 10oz and was 24 3/4in long, putting her at the 88th percentile for weight, 96th percentile for height and 77th percentile for head circumference. She's a big girl!
She started smiling, laughing, and playing in the last couple of weeks and it's great. Chloe and Auron absolutely love her and are always showering her with love and affection. Chloe is an especially proud big sister. She has surprised me with the amount of maturity she has when dealing with Celeste. She will hold her and rock her. She even made her stop crying and go to sleep once. I was amazed.
Since Celeste was born, time has flown by. Before I knew it, the holidays were upon us and I just wasn't ready! It all ended up being fine and we had a joyous holiday season with family. The kids really enjoyed Christmas.
A new year began and so did a new school term. I got back to two classes since dropping down to one per term and I'm feeling a little overwhelmed already. I only have three terms to go before I graduate and luckily the classes are all electives and are subjects that are interesting to me. This term I am taking two nutrition classes, which I love, so I'm excited about learning more.
I'll be posting my birth story in my next post.
I had my baby! Celeste Lily was born on November 4th, 3 days late. It was the greatest birth experience I could have hoped for and we're really enjoying having her in our family.
Celeste is now 2 months old and is getting so big! She was born weighing 7lbs 6oz and 21in long. At her 2 month appointment, she weighed 12 lbs 10oz and was 24 3/4in long, putting her at the 88th percentile for weight, 96th percentile for height and 77th percentile for head circumference. She's a big girl!
She started smiling, laughing, and playing in the last couple of weeks and it's great. Chloe and Auron absolutely love her and are always showering her with love and affection. Chloe is an especially proud big sister. She has surprised me with the amount of maturity she has when dealing with Celeste. She will hold her and rock her. She even made her stop crying and go to sleep once. I was amazed.
Since Celeste was born, time has flown by. Before I knew it, the holidays were upon us and I just wasn't ready! It all ended up being fine and we had a joyous holiday season with family. The kids really enjoyed Christmas.
A new year began and so did a new school term. I got back to two classes since dropping down to one per term and I'm feeling a little overwhelmed already. I only have three terms to go before I graduate and luckily the classes are all electives and are subjects that are interesting to me. This term I am taking two nutrition classes, which I love, so I'm excited about learning more.
I'll be posting my birth story in my next post.
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