Activities of the last week
- Driving - Mom landed last Wednesday, so she's been here almost a week. It's hard to believe. In that time, I think we've driven 1,000 miles in that time. Between all the driving I do to get Avery to her various activities, extra driving done to move G kids around (which isn't all that much, but has been a little), and looking at houses for Mom, we have had our butts in the car much of her time here.
- Crafting - sort of. I have finished part of my fabric boxes. I have more to do, but they're looking decent so far. I also made Avery a Tiana blanket (in other words, I hemmed some flannel fabric) and I altered the 80's prom dress I wore for the hispter dress up so that Avery can wear it around the house. I'm going to make a few more changes, but I am very impressed with myself. Avery LOVES it. She thinks it's the most beautiful dress ever. Mom said she calls it her wedding dress.
Houses
We continue to look at potential houses for Mom when she moves here. The nice part is that since she's not moving out for another six months, we aren't under any pressure to get something. And we're still not under pressure if she sells her house in Colorado before moving out because she can always live with us for an open-ended period of time.
Many continue to ask me what is going on with the short sale house. The answer is the same as always: nothing. We are one of four offers, including an offer made by the former tenant (who moved out a few days ago). The house was not pre-approved as a short sale by the bank when the seller put it on the market, so the ball is now in the bank's court where it's been for the past four months. So there you go. In the meantime, we're looking at other houses in the same neighborhood, as well as other areas. I have a pretty good idea of what Mom likes and doesn't like, and what she wants and needs, even though some of those aren't what I would want or need in her situation.
We've looked at two houses that I absolutely loved. One house was utterly ridiculous. It would have a terrible time with resale, it was small and oddly laid out, it was not in an ideal location, it was a true one bedroom ... and I loved it! Know why I loved it? Because it had an oversized mouse hole between the living room and the bedroom. Remember the mouse hole in Tom & Jerry? That shape? Well, make that big enough for a cat to get through, then carve it into a wall between two rooms and this is what was there! On purpose! I was obsessed with it. Clearly this is no reason to buy a house. In fact, it's probably a reason to not buy a house, but all I could think about was how fun it would be to drive a remote control car between the two rooms! I could sense the moment we walked in the house that Mom was not digging the space. The other house that I really loved was one Mom also loved. The problem is that it's tiny and overpriced, but it's the cutest, most adorable house I've ever seen. And it was built in 1899, but is so level and fixed up that you can't tell. I seriously couldn't find a crack or anything broken or slightly askew.
Today we'll look at a few houses in a neighborhood we've not explored yet, so that will be interesting. Since D is joining us, we'll also go back to the three houses that are on the 'yes' list, though one of those is the adorable, overpriced tiny house, and the other is the short sale we have an offer in on already.
Hood to Coast
Mom and I volunteered for Hood to Coast on Friday. D's team had to provide three volunteers. Mom and I were two of them. It was a hot, hot day for the run. Mom and I got so very lucky to be posted where we were. There was shade the entire shift, it was quiet, and we could easily take turns sitting on the one chair we brought without a problem. Overall, it was a boring stint. I think it would have been a lot more interesting if we'd been there during a different time, but the teams going through the point were all walking teams at that point. Our job was to direct the runners and vans down the correct road. Encouraging the walkers and runners seemed a natural offshoot of that. Well, if you start clapping for a walker too early, you clap a looooonnnng time. Plus, there's that awkward moment after you yell out good job! If it's a runner, they're off and running and it's not awkward. If it's a walker, they're still there. It's simply fraught with awkwardness.
D was in a world of hurt when he got home on Saturday night, but so was everyone else in his van. He said they felt a little better when they went to Dairy Queen after the race and saw a team sponsored by Nike there. This team was clearly very fit. Every one of them groaned when walking down the steps, too. So I guess the race takes a toll on you regardless of how fit you are.
Dogsitting
Kerry (mother of Lily, neighbor, friend) asked me to watch her dog, Princess, while they're on vacation next week. I, of course, said sure! I'm quite excited because Princess is a little dog. I've never watched a little dog. I've never been around a little dog for any extended period of time. It'll be a good test as to whether it's still like having a dog, or if it's more like a cat to me.
Avery's not a big fan of Princess because Princess sometimes jumps on her. However, overall, Princess is very well behaved and does not have a Napoleon complex as many small dogs do.
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