House Hunting

You know House Hunters and House Hunters International are two of my favourite shows on HGTV. I think I enjoy them for their simplicity, but we also enjoy guessing which one are they going to pick. I also like seeing some really fancy houses.

Anyhow, the reason I bring this up, is that we will soon be House Hunters ourselves.

Following a strata meeting a few weeks ago (which Bill described quite well on his blog here) I came home declaring we were moving. We've been here for 9 years, and when we moved here we figured we'd be here for about 10 years. And actually, we were going to wait until next year. We wrote a list of improvements we were going to be making because we were going to stick around a while long. But following this meeting, I realized I don't have much patience for some of the people around here any more, and that perhaps I'm done with strata living.

Don't get me wrong - this has been a great place to live. We've made friends, it's been an awesome investment, our daycare is 7 doors away (speaking of which, they've listed too). But with frustration, and the HST coming in July 1, 2010, I think it's time to go.

And so begins the process of cleaning, decluttering, repairing, sprucing, etc... We actually don't have too much to do in the grand scheme of things because when we went on the market a year and a half ago we got rid of a lot of stuff, and fixed a bunch of stuff. My brother is going to install a tile backsplash in the kitchen for us, we're going to paint the master bedroom, we need to powerwash outside, but otherwise we're good.

And of course I'm searching online for houses, even though we're not ready to buy yet. I've found this one, which I really like from the looks of it, but of course it probably won't be for sale any more by the time we're ready to look. We have a realtor coming over on Tuesday evening to just meet with us and say hi (someone my brother has worked with, although we'll see if we actually use him or our regular realtor). We also have preapproval from the bank for a mortgage - so we're on our way.

We have 90 days to get this done. Let the games begin!

Nothing new

Ahh... Saturday afternoon. D is down for his nap and we're just vegging on the couch. There all these things I think I could be doing, but it's either sitting here watching House Hunters on HGTV, or take a nap. Maybe I'll still try to take that nap.

I made a pattern to make slip covers for my nursing pillow, so that's the other thing I'd like to work on, and also clean more upstairs. Always a lot more to do! But vegging in some respect is winning.

Nothing new on the Bean front. I had a few contraction-ish things yesterday, but nothing significant, and they stopped over night. I'm now due in 8 days. I really hope I don't go 2 weeks over b/c I think I'd have a hard time with "is today going to be the day?" for another 3 weeks. And hey, a glass of Vino on Mother's Day would be really nice. As I type that Bean says KICK KICK KICK! *grin*

We're on the search for a BBQ. We've been looking around for a while now, and found one that Bill likes at Zellers. Now, I'm usually the one who does the grilling, but I admitted to him, if we get one he likes, then perhaps he'll step up to the plate and learn how to grill. What man doesn't love grilling? Oh, mine doesn't :)

D has a bit of a cold, poor kid. But he slept well last night, and went down with out a peep for his nap. He's such a good kid. I hope he does okay with the baby. I mean I know he will over all, but it's going to be hard for him at first.

Oh, and finally, we went stroller shopping yesterday. Well, Ronnie and I did. I was looking for a double stroller, but really want something that will fit in the grocery store, or through the door into Starbucks, or whatever, and we found this one called Joovy Caboose Ultralight. It's a Sit Stand stroller - so the toddler has a little jump seat in the back, or it can slide back and he can stand. I think this is perfect for a toddler who prefers to walk, but you know will need the option to rest - say if we're at the Aquarium, Zoo, etc... The reviews I've read are positive. Now the price - under $300, which I think is decent for a double stroller that doesn't feel like a cheap piece of plastic. I've looked on Craigslist, and there are some out there, but in Richmond, or Abbotsford, etc... and that seems a little far to go. So we'll need to decide how far we're willing to drive for a used one, or spend the extra few bucks and get it new and nearby. TJ Kidds also sells it, a bit cheaper, but for us the drive down to Marine Drive is a hassle.

So that's it! Okay, I think no nap, perhaps I'll sew. Have a blessed weekend!