We are officially homeowners!

Yes! I can't believe it's true, but it is! Yesterday we met with our realtor at the title agency and signed all the necessary paperwork for the house to be ours!! Our friend, Carol watched Kira for me so we wouldn't have to worry about her during signing (this girl is mobile now and likes to get into EVERYTHING!). The only monkey wrench in the whole process was that we had a "dry closing." A dry closing is when there is one piece missing for the settlement to be completed. In our case, we were lacking the lawyers signature on the Hud sheet. It was a little frustrating, because they were given the paperwork on Friday but it still hadn't been signed when we went to the settlement table. But it all worked out, because our realtor called us today and informed us that it had finally been signed and we got our key to the house, along with the Hud sheet and check for the extra money we had brought to settlement.

So now, the real fun begins...I called PSE&G today and they are sending guys out to mark the gas lines for us to dig (we need to fix some things with the plumbing) and tomorrow I am sending the Hud sheet to our tax guy so he can make an ammendment to our taxes and we can get our 8000 tax credit for 1st time homebuyers this year. Tom drove over to the house tonight right after work and was working on getting the gas dryer in and changing the locks. My Dad and Grandpop kindly came over and lent a hand as well! Wow! We are truly blessed to have so many handy family members that are willing to help us! Will be posting pictures soon...

I need a diversion!

Yes, we are getting so close to settlement, I can almost taste it! Not really, but it has been kind of all-consuming lately. So it is nice to have diversions to get your mind off it every once in a while. Today was one of those days thanks to my friend Betty from church!

It was so nice of her, she invited me over to her house for lunch and it gave us a chance to catch up while the kids played. She made spaghetti (yay!) and I brought oranges and bread and we ate outside in the beautiful sunshine!

She has two kids and one on the way. Her daughter, Elisabeth, decided she wanted to wear her coat...we were both laughing about that one...what a character she is!

I put Kira down in the grass and Betty's son Noah came over and they both kind of looked at each other...
Playing with the ball together...so cute! Noah is about 14 months and Kira is 9 1/2 months now but they seemed to be fascinated by each other, at least for a little while anyway!
While I am posting pictures, I thought I would throw this one in the mix...we went to a birthday party for a 2 year old over the weekend and I snapped this pic of her looking dazed. :)

T minus 7 days and counting...

I can hardly believe it, but by this time next week, we will officially be homeowners of our very own fixer upper! It gets more real the closer we get to it and there is seriously so much to do it makes my head spin. Because I am a person that likes to make my lists and cross things off as I accomplish them, I made a "to do" list of things that need to be done ASAP...here is a taste of what we'll be doing next week...

May 16th-mow lawn (yes, they are letting us mow the lawn BEFORE settlement...the grass is getting long!)

18th-SETTLEMENT @3PM!!!!!! Afterwards, Tom will be driving over to the house to change the locks out

19th- Call PSE&G to request gas lines be marked

hand in plumbing permit

hand in paperwork to our tax guy so we can apply for our tax addendum ($8000 credit for 1st time homebuyers that we will get back this year!)

move in gas dryer

Fix trap, add vent for dryer

20th-Call PSE&G to request gas meter installation and gas conversion

look for replacement for current refrigerator

rip up carpets

21st-rest day for Tom ;)

22nd- wedding, mow grass

23rd- Dig ditch for plumbing (Tom and friends)w

Walk through house with Sherri and pick paint colors (Dawn)

fix wiring

24th- Buy materials: replacement toilet for bathroom, paint, sheetrock to fix hole in Kira's bedroom wall, insulation for attic (Dawn)

knock down closet in rec room (Tom)

25th- Install toilet, fix shower (drain trap)

And of course, every night Tom is there working, if we can find a babysitter, I will be down cleaning!

I am sure we will continue to add to the list as we go! Stay tuned for pictures....I am going to post what the house looks like now before renovations. This might be a long process but it will certainly look a lot different quickly just by putting down new carpet and paint!

4 Ways to Fight “But I Might Need It Someday” Syndrome

In case there is any confusion, I wanted to stress that just b/c I "stockpile" does not mean that I am in favor of clutter. I saw this on a site and agree whole-heartedly...A rule of thumb that I practice is, every so often, going through our storage spaces and weeding out everything that we have not used in a year or more. Whether that be clothes or other miscellaneous items, I will rarely throw these un-needed things out but instead donate to good will or friends who I know could use them. Below are a few of the arguments for de-cluttering your life: (http://www.onsimplicity.net/2009/03/but-i-might-need-it-someday-syndrome/)

1. You can buy it again later. The less expensive the item, the more this applies. Having to buy an item again isn’t ideal, but it probably won’t break your budget. In the meantime, you can reclaim your space and be able to actually see what you do have.

2. Someone else can use it today. Yeah, you might want that ill-fitting, oddly-colored wool coat someday. There’s a slight possibility. On the other hand, there’s a great possibility that someone could use it today. By hoarding stuff you don’t really need, you’re keeping useful items out of the hands of other people. By all means, keep what you need, but if something has a slim chance of finding a use in your life, consider giving it away to someone who could really get some wear out of it.

3. You’ll never remember you have it when you actually need it. Keeping an odd assortment of items around is no guarantee that you’ll have what you need, when you need it. Even if you do remember that you have a ceramic dog stuffed away somewhere when a need arises, who knows if you’ll be able to find it? Keeping a minimum of “maybe” items around ensures that you have a pretty good idea of what you do have at all times, eliminating double purchases and waste.

4. Letting go is empowering. When you let go of “someday” items, you’re sending the message that you can handle life as it comes up. You don’t need an army of spare, unloved knick-knacks or piles of old newspaper to make it through. Clutter isn’t armor; letting go of it doesn’t weaken you in any way.

An update...yes, we are still here!

Well, I knew things were going to get crazy but I didn't know just how crazy! The past few weeks I have been kept busy getting quotes for homeowners insurance, car insurance, setting up appointments for inspections and audits, pestering our realtor with questions, signing paperwork with our lending bank...ah! The list seems never ending right now! But with all the craziness, things have been going well with house plans. We made it through all inspections with no problems and all our paperwork is now completed and in so we are just waiting to sign the final paperwork on May 18th and get to work on our house!! THEN, the real fun begins!! I am so excited!

In the midst of all this, I have been having fun getting better at my little hobby of "couponing!" This continues to save us so much money and I wanted to show you just how crazy I am! :) When you use coupons, in order to maximize savings, it is important to "stockpile" items you can get for free or 75% under retail that you use on a regular basis such as shampoo and conditioner, toilet paper, toothpaste, toothbrushes, razors, batteries, paper towels, flour, sugar, spices, coffee/tea, meat (which can be frozen of course), detergent, cleaning supplies, diapers, body wash, pasta, cereal, wipes, condensed cooking soups and broth. So I have been working on this and have created a little stockpile of free or very cheap things that should last us quite a few years. It will be nice to have our own house b/c I am going to organize each stockpiled item by group on shelves in our basement so I will know when a certain product gets low that I need to start looking for the "stock up" price again! I compiled it all into one area to show you just what doing this for a couple months looks like...

Below is the beginning of my diaper stockpile for the next baby...sizes 1,2 and 4...

The mother-load! The boxes in the back are 36 containers of Purex 3 in 1 laundry detergent that I got on a BOGO (Buy one get one sale), paired with a manufacture and store coupon, paying literally pennies for all of them! 36 containers should last us about 3 years. In the front is approx. 40 trial size crest prohealth toothpaste, 12 boxes kotex liners, 15+ body wash (gillette, nivea, pure and natural...whatever I could get for free), scrubbing bubbles and fantastik cleaner, ziploc bags, 8 boxes of benadryl, 8 boxes of motrin pm, face wash (assorted brands), tp, spaghetti sauce. Not pictured: all of Kira's size 3 diapers currently stored under her crib for easy access, 10 boxes of whole wheat pasta I got for free, 12 boxes of cereal I got for $1-1.25 each and I can't think what else right now!

Pictured below are a few of my receipts. Yes, I save them all and file them! I told you I was crazy!

So, what I am trying to say is that if you follow the rules of stockpiling, you should never have to pay for certain items at all! Gotta go! Kira just woke up...

Life just went into hyperdrive!

So...on April 5th, we finally got the news that Tom's position of assistant Dean would be made permanent and we would have find a place and move out by June 30th! Yikes!!! Freak out time! That gave us less than 3 months to find a place to live...

I quick emailed the realtor that night who was recommended to me by my Mom and told her we could start actively looking for homes now (I had been corresponding with her since Jan 11 but we were unable to actively look at homes since we didn't know what Tom's new salary would be or even if he was going to be offered the permanent position). THE VERY NEXT DAY (April 6th), she sent me a house that she said would be perfect for us. It had everything we wanted and more, so I showed Tom the house and he agreed that we needed to go see it as soon as possible. On April 16, 11 days after getting the word of Tom's position, we sat in the realtor's office signing our autographs on the contracts for this house!

Thinking about everything that has happened in this short time, I cannot believe how things have unfolded. From January until April, we have been waiting, waiting, waiting! Now, everything is reversed and it is go, go, GO...and at warp speed!

So our settlement is set for May 18th! Please pray, if you think of it, that everything will go well with the inspections (we have the plumber checking out the pipes tomorrow to make sure everything is ok), and the appraisal of the house by our lending bank later this week. Will try to keep you posted as things happen!

Some exciting news!

No, I'm not pregnant! Ha! But I thought I would let all of you out in the blogosphere know that we will be moving out of our place on July 1st! Yup, it's official. This week we found out that Tom is now going to be promoted to Assistant Dean of Student Life...permanently! This means we now have to start looking for a house and we only have 3 months to do it in...YIKES! Exciting but stressful at the same time. Worst case scenario, we might have to live with my folks for a few months if we aren't able to find a place in this amount of time. And if that's the worst that can happen...hey, life is good.

It will be quite a change for us to move out of this place. By June, we will have lived here 6 years! We have become accustomed to all the noise, constant traffic of college kids in and out, and the crazy busy life all that creates, we even enjoy it believe it or not! Moving into a house seems like it will be boring and too quiet compared to what we're used to but we are ready for the change and excited about this new chapter in our lives. These past 6 years have been full of many wonderful experiences that I will never forget. But, as for everything, there is a season, so it seems as if a new season is beginning in our lives and we must look forward, not back. Onward and upward we go!