Updates

Well, they decided they didn't want to buy the house.

Sigh.

There are 2 more showings on Monday and then Tuesday. All of us living here are finding this whole process a little unsettling and tiring. It is always on my mind. I do like the back to back showings though. Less work for me.

My computer has been unbearable slow so I finally deleted a HUGE virus protection program and installed one that doesn't require almost all of my RAM. It's going faster and today, I will be getting some more RAM installed. I won't know what to do with all that memory!

Took a few pictures of my gorgeous spring garden.

I think it's the garden that I will miss the most.

Had a showing last night and the same people want to come to see the house tomorrow morning. That's promising, isn't it?

Now I'm just not sure if I should go ahead and plant my vegetable garden.

New Blogger

Check out Eric's new blog:
http://theciviltwilight.blogspot.com/

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen things to think about before you decide to make cherry jam with those sweetened Bing cherries that have been in the freezer for a couple of years...

1. They're sweetened. You need to change the amount of sugar even though, on the package, they always tell you NOT to mess with the amounts of sugar.


2. Wear red.


3. It's not a good idea to try to make jam when your house is on the market and you want everything to look model home clean.


4. Keep the dog away from you when you're cleaning up the 5 pounds of sugar you dropped on the floor.


5. Don't tell the rest of the family that you managed to put 4 of the 5 pounds of sugar back into the sugar bin. They'll never notice the little bits in there anyway.


6. Cherry jam tastes delicious on a piece of toast.


7. When you decide that the pectin is not helping anyway, be sure you have 20-30 minutes to stand at the stove stirring the jam, for every batch.


8. Check your chin before you answer the door.


9. Make sure you have some Kirsch* to add.


10. Remember to put the little plates into the freezer so that you can check the consistency.


11. Be sure that you have at least 20 little plates available because you have to test often.


12. Check the glass jars and make sure that you haven't packed them all away.


13. Remember that you have a candy thermometer and use it for all 3 batches, not just the last one.

*I didn't have any but I will the next time, that's for sure.

The Way to a Man's Heart

For Mother's Day, Medardo and Gabriel, our 2 international students gave me some lovely scented lotions and creams from Vic*toria's Se*cret. It was a lovely gift and I must say, it all smells very expensive and lovely.

I had just put a little on before bed the other night when Wes came into the bedroom. I thought he'd find me irresistible, smelling so good. What man could refuse something as titillating as "Love Spell?"

He did notice something.
"Sniff, sniff. Hmmmm. "
"Sniff, sniff, sniff. Hmmmmmm."

"It smells like......

Froot loops in here.

Sus en So

Haven't posted in a while. My sisters and I just finished 4 days of catering this week and 2 days last week so we've been a little tied up. It was a great job. We'd start the day around 9:00 AM and be finished by 3:00, with enough leftovers to feed our families. Pretty sweet, I'd say. And it's always fun to hang out with my sisters.

Our lunches are usually buffet style and we serve. I just love doing that. And people are almost always appreciative-even the woman who didn't want to eat the Chickpea Curry because she didn't like curry. She happily ate more salad and took an extra roll. If she were my child, I'd tell her to try just a little bit because this chickpea curry is really good.

Had 3 showings for the house in the last couple of weeks. This house is clean! Before a showing, I get pretty anal about the house which is very much out of character for me. I like the clean and clutterfree look but we'll relax a bit once the house is sold. That will make everyone happy, I'm sure.

Tim moved out and has set his apartment up quite nicely. He has the important things a young adult needs, like a TV (no cable), computer, toaster and microwave. He also has a Playstation (and game chair) as well as a red and white Canadian lawn chair. I visited him today and was pleased to see him cooking Chicken Curry with Vegetables, one of his favourite dishes. He still could use a couch, kitchen table and some chairs but he seems very happy with what he has. I noiced that his bed was made too. That sure makes a mother proud.

Eric moved too. To Southern Ontario. There will be some adjusting to this by both Eric and me, that's for sure. I think he'll start a blog, just to let us all know how he's doing.

A week or so ago, Kristen found this note on the windshield of her car:

It says: I'm sorry, I did not mean to but your car. You did not leave me your phone number. How ever, my question is, are you perfect?

Do unto others as you want others to do unto you. I take that you are a Christian. I'll be praying 4 U

To say that this note is puzzling is an understatement. Kristen was afraid that she may have hit another car but did not notice it. She assured me that there was nothing on or in her car to show that she is a Christian. She was also worried that this person would take down her licence plate number and report this non incident to the police. I told her not to worry. All we noticed on her car is that there is a scratch on her brand new bumper, the one that was recently replaced.

What she should worry about is that someone as confused as this man or woman is, is out there, still driving.

A Few Pictures

These are a few pictures of our "model" home. They look so lovely!

One Lazy Dog

I thought dogs always stood while they ate their kibbles.

Perfection

By this time tomorrow, my house will be perfect. Every surface dusted, all light fixtures shining, every hole and chip filled and painted, no clutter, stove clean, fridge clean, laundry caught up...

This place has never looked this good, ever before.

I want to buy it all over again.

Changes Again

We spent a great weekend in Ontario at Easter. My parents in law were celebrating a 50th wedding anniversary and we all (that is, Wes, all our children and me) flew down for the festivities. There are things that need to be celebrated and this was one of them.

One of the things I loved best was seeing my children connect with their cousins, who they do not see much. Eric especially seemed to really enjoy the aunts, uncles and cousins. When he asked me, "Mom, why did you move away?" I think he was trying to understand what would possess us to move away from such great people and such a beautiful area.

Why did we move? We had pretty good relationships with our families and the Niagara area certainly is beautiful. I am reminded of that every time we go back. And now, our family bonds seem to be growing stronger. I think we moved because we, like so many young adults wanted to try it on our own. Start our own lives, away from what was familiar; have an adventure that included some risk but not too much. Besides, Wes was offered a great job here and we felt we could not turn it down. And, we were pretty sure that within a few years, we'd be back.

It's been 29 years since we first moved away from there, to here. With telephone, email and inexpensive air travel, it has been easy to stay connected.

But now, the tide has turned. Eric has been offered a position with Sun Media in St. Catharines and will be moving out there around the middle of May. I'm happy for him. The job sounds like it suits his talents and abilities well. The family will love to see him and I'm pretty sure they'll make sure to keep him connected.

People have been asking me how I feel about this. Sure, I'll miss him but I also know that this is a great opportunity for him, both professionally and personally.

And it's good for Westjet too. I just might have to take an extra trip or two now and then.

Warning

If you ever decide to get extensions in your hair....

The installation of said extensions is WAY easier than the removal of same. Why is it that the friends get the fun part (putting them in) but the mom has to do the gross part (loosening the glue and pulling out)?

You read that right.

Glue.

Could have been worse

It's a phone call every parent fears.

"Uh, mom? Can you come and pick me up? I've been in an accident-I'm okay, really I am, but I can't drive my car."

I pulled a jacket on over my pyjamas, found a pair of shoes and ran out the door. As I neared the intersection that Tim had directed me to, I saw a fire truck, ambulance and police cruiser. My heart sank right down to my feet. I parked my car and hurried over to the scene of the accident, my eyes searching the crowd for only one face. And then I saw him, standing with the paramedics, a little subdued but otherwise fine.

Neither Tim nor the other driver was really sure who had the green light. One of the firefighters told Tim that she smelled alcohol on the breath of the other driver. We're not sure because the police were questioning him as we were leaving. All they would have smelled on Tim was coffee breath as he was on his way home from work.

We got home just after midnight and I gave Tim a kiss and a hug-something I don't usually do before bed anymore.

It's possible that the car will be a write-off. He may feel a little stiff and sore this morning. This will set him back financially. But all that matters today is that he is here, at home, safe and sound.

And I have once again been reminded of how precious life is and how much I love my kids.

In Limbo

I suppose I should post something. I have a few regular readers who remind me that it's time for another post, even though some of those same people are lurkers, not even leaving comments for me!

Problem is, there doesn't seem to be much happening in my life worth writing about. I could say something about the cleaning, culling and organizing I'm doing but that was the subject of my last few posts. I could say something about selling the house but I've written about that too. I feel that my life has been put on hold, that I'm in some kind of no man's land. Got to get the house ready for showings in a few weeks and then, wait, how long? till someone buys it. In the meantime, it must stay in model home condition. Sigh.

And then there's the nagging feeling that maybe nobody will want to buy this house. It's a gorgeous house and it has been a wonderful place for us to live. And I know that it's time for us to move on. And what if nobody wants it? What then? How long will we stay here?

I'm not even entertaining the thought of where we will live after this place is sold. Well, maybe entertaining a little. That's something I'll worry about when this house is sold.

There's also the likelihood that Wes and I will be empty nesters come September. Just like that. Tim really wants to move out and Kristen's been accepted to the Outtatown program. All wonderful stuff but more changes for us.

For the next couple of days though, a bit of a reprive. I'm going to Fargo for some cross border shopping. It's something that I don't care to make a habit of but there aren't too many Canadian cities close enough to Winnipeg for a 2 day jaunt. It will be fun. A road trip with some of my favourite people. I'd love to take a few more of you too but then we'd need to rent a van. And the only rooms available in Fargo are the ones with one bed. Seems that there are more people from Manitoba making the same trip during spring break. Somehow Yvonne, Chelsea, Kristen and I will have to find a way to share one king-sized bed.

I hear toilet paper, aluminum foil and canned fruit are pretty cheap in the US. Maybe I'll stock up, even bring some back for Michele.

So long!

Happy Birthday Chelsea!

Still in the Decluttering Stage

It seems that the virus I picked up in Ontario is rapidly leaving my system. Good thing. There's lots to do.

I am in the middle of packing up half of my house so that by May 1, it can be staged and ready for showings.

Staging is a new thing for me even though it's been part of the Real Estate lingo for quite some time. In staging your home, you need to declutter, clean (toothbrush clean, my agent tells me), reduce the amount of furniture you have or move it so that you can create "vignettes," and then add only the most minimal decorative touches. Your home needs to look like a model home, a place in which prospective buyers can easily imagine themselves living.

It's been freeing to declutter. There has been much that has been brought to our local thrift store. Boxes and some bookcases will be sent over to Ben and Carolyn's. Photos have been removed from the walls, small repairs have been made. I'm working my way down to the bottom of my freezer and reducing the food in the pantry. Our agents suggested that we take half the clothes out of the closet-quite a challenge because there's not much in there that I don't wear. Remove wire hangers, only use wood or plastic..the list goes on and on.

I think the biggest challenge for us will be keeping our home looking perfect for however long it takes to sell. I do worry about that. Too much.

Ah well. We can only do so much. Hopefully, we'll sell within a couple of months and I'll realize that I didn't have to stress about it. At least all of this preliminary work will make the actual move much easier.

I'm off to pack away some more stuff.

What I Did On the Easter Weekend...

We just got back from celebrating the 50th wedding anniversary of my in-laws. They live in a beautiful part of Southern Ontario, the Niagara-on-the-Lake area.

"What was the best part of the weekend?" my brother-in-law asked when he picked us up at the Winnipeg airport.

That's a hard question to answer as almost every part of the weekend was wonderful. My brother-in-law who works at the Shaw Festival Theatre took us on a tour where we stood on stage, admired the backdrops back stage, entered the orchestra pit and saw the beautiful fabrics and costumes being created in the wardrobe department. That was one of those little surprise things. We went there to pick up a few music stand to borrow and we had this wonderful improptu tour. A short visit to the Old Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, a wine tour and a stop at a greenhouse were all part of the Saturday morning itinerary.

The 50th anniversary celebration was great too. The room was beautiful, Wes and his sister managed to keep the program short and running smooth and we connected with aunts and uncles that we hadn't seen in decades. I had the opportunity to be part of a band with some of my kids and nephews and nieces.

A potluck, celebrating my father-in-law's 70th birthday was something else that was a real pleasure. Watching my children connect with their cousins, even though they don't see much of each other was such a joy. Kristen said that it was neat that there was an immediate connection with the cousins. "It was like we knew each other already and could start right into the poopy talk, without having to get reaquainted first."

Easter Sunday was spent with my parents, and my 2 brothers and their families. Again, lots of food, lots of noise and lots of wine. It doesn't get much better than that.

We flew back home on Monday night, grateful that the neat stuff we bought actually fit into our suitcases. Not so happy that I also picked up some kind of virus that I took home with me. Oh well, nothing that a bit of Tylenol and rest won't cure.

The Things I Have Unearthed

There are definite advantages to cleaning, culling and organizing. I have come across many interesting items from my past. I am not a pack rat but when it comes to the music I have accumulated, I don't believe I have ever thrown anything out.

Today was different. Our local thrift store will be getting original copies of the following:

I Honestly Love You (Olivia Newton John)

Put Your Hand in the Hand (as sung by Anne Murray)

I'm All Out of Love (Air Supply)

Wind Beneath My Wings (as sung by Roger Whittakker)

Love Story (Andy Williams)

...as well as others which I am too embarassed to publish.

One fabulous find was this:

It's hard to see but our house is in the bottom picture, on the right. This ad ran in the Free Press in April of 1924. I don't think the house was new at the time because we believe that the house was built earlier than that. I think I'll frame it and hang it some where so people who come through to look at the house will be able to see it.

Thursday Thirteen

1. It's still cold. Will Spring ever come?
2. I've been busy. Culling, cleaning and organizing. We are interviewing Real Estate Agents this week and hope to have a "For Sale" sign on this old house in a couple of months.
3. My hope is that the house will be sold in a couple of weeks (keeping everything neat, tidy and dust free is going to be a challenge) with a possession date of August 31.
4. People ask me what our plans are after we sell this house. Uh...no plans. We may be "of no fixed address" for a while but we will not be homeless.
5. The housing market is hot here in Winnipeg but our house is unique in a number of ways. That may make it harder to sell.
6. I am feeling quite a lot of anxiety about all of this. Now that the time has finally come, I worry, constantly. Will it sell by the summer (I surely hope so), can we keep it neat and tidy enough for showings (our international students keep their bedrooms in good condition but don't seem to care about cleanliness in toilets and showers), will we get enough money for it (to pay off the mortgage and have enough left for something nice)?
7. Emotionally, I am ready to leave this place. I will miss it. There are many happy memories here but I'm ready to move on.
8. My laptop is still out of commission. That's why I haven't been posting lately. The LCD display is cracked and needs replacing. Dell, which claims to have great customer service (NOT!) has informed me that it will cost $400.00-500.00 to repair. I know that the replacement part can be purchased on ebay for less than $150.00. What gives?
9. I will NOT purchase a Dell computer again.
10. The desktop computer is now upstairs in the TV room and is not as available as the laptop. I need to share it with everyone else in the family.
11. Kristen has not yet heard about "Ottatown" but we are optimistic that she will be accepted and will be in South Africa by this time next year.
12. Had a seriously clogged bathtub drain last week that resulted in a $400.00 plumbing bill and a new and unneccesary hole in the bathroom ceiling. I won't go into all the details. There are some things about this old house I will not miss.

All's Quiet in the Blogging World

...including me.

The part for my laptop finally came and my favourite computer saavy son will be installing it for me soon. All he needs from me is a meal. Not bad eh? I'll probably be posting just a little more once the computer's up and running again.

Wes has been away for a week now. I miss him, I really do but boy oh boy am I sleeping well these days. I was a little worried that I'd be spending a lot of time alone but that hasn't happened. With 4 teens/young adults around, there's always someone to chat with, or cook for. When the kids were little and Wes would be out of town, I would do a lot of house cleaning. I don't know why but I certainly took advantage of his absences. I would put the kids to bed and get out the vacuum. Now, I'm usually the first one in bed and the others who live here don't seem inclined to pull out the vacuum or dust cloth. Too bad.

Having International students living with us has been for the most part a positive experience. They have been interesting and have expanded our understanding of the world. Medardo and Gabriel are our last ones though. We'll be putting our house up for sale this spring and will be moving to something smaller and there will only be room for us and Kristen (Tim's hoping to move out by the summer), with enough space for occasional visitors. No space for boarders. We are looking forward to that.

I always thought that the selling of our house would be our biggest challenge but being in the middle of a fiery hot housing market, I think our biggest challenge will be to find a place that will suit us. Thankfully I have two sisters who have both said we could live with them for a while if necessary. I don't worry about all of this much these days. I pray about it every day and leave it in God's hands.

This has been one of the most random posts I've ever done. But then again, that's how my brain works and I don't feel too inspired today. I will do some cleaning though. I do love a tidy, neat and organized house.

Next time I post it will be from my laptop. I can't wait!

Monday Musings

Email's working-sort of. But now my laptop, which is set up just right for me is broken. The monitor is kaput and I've ordered a new one. Till then, you won't hear much from me.

We're in the middle of another deep freeze here on the Prairies. I'm really tired of the cold. So is Dixie. She sits by the window and watches the cars go by and then turns around and whines at me. I'm sure she wishes she could go out but it's even too cold for dogs these days. It is usually around this time of year that I wonder if it will ever get warm again.

I purchased the book "Eat, Pray, Love" and am enjoying it. If you're interested in travel and spiritual memoirs, this is something you'll enjoy. At times I find it a little boring but there's enough in there to keep me reading. Makes me want to spend some time at an Ashram in India...At the very least it will be warm there!

In church yesterday we had communion (or Eucharist, or Lord's Supper) and I had the priviledge of helping to serve. I don't know what it is but when I serve the bread and wine (we actually use grape juice) to fellow believers in Jesus, I am deeply, deeply moved and honoured to be serving in that way. I am often so moved that I want to cry. It is something I cannot easily describe or understand.

Wes is going to the Dominican Republic at the end of this week to work for Habitat for Humanity. I think it will be a great experience for him.

Kristen wants to do something exciting next year and she is actually considering the "Outtatown" Program at Canadian Mennonite University. I know that we parents need to be careful not to relive our youth through our children but boy oh boy. I hope she goes so that I can experience it vicariously through her.

That's all for now folks. Hope you're staying warm (if you're from the prairies).