This is Why You Should Always Check...

the fridge, the stove, and the dryer before you use them!

I don't typically make a habit of leaving the dryer open, but I had to run and get the phone when I was doing laundry. When I got back 10 minutes later, Piper had staked her claim.

House Hunters Part III

Sorry things have a little quiet here on the ol' blog. We have been pretty busy with the house hunt. The lender situation is under control! Once we selected the person we wanted to work with, it was simply a matter of handing over all the documentation. We have been pre-approved and are ready to make an offer on a house. The problem now...we can't find a house.

I was sold on the schoolhouse and Hubby wanted to love that house as much as I did. But he didn't. We looked at it again on Sunday, preparing to make an offer but instead we walked away. There were three main issues: electrical, foundation, and septic. The whole house would likely need to be rewired for three prong electrical outlets since it only has the two prong currently. The foundation (which was originally poured in two sections) is separating and the house continues to settle strangely. Lastly, the septic has never been pumped in 16 years. That not only is disgusting but a huge problem! The owner doesn't want to make any concessions on price or do any work, so he can keep his schoolhouse.

Our realtor showed us a second house on Sunday which made me want to cry. It was an older, charming home with a barn but the inside needed so much work that we wouldn't be able to move in. New carpet/flooring, appliances, cabinets, bathrooms, paint, roof, mold...the list goes on and on. I wanted to scream! This is what is available? These houses are unlivable!!

Our realtor stated "Well, this is what you get in your price range. You know, not everybody is meant to have the American Dream." Our realtor also told us it was "time to reset our expectations" and "consider moving into a suburban neighborhood" like everyone else. True, we are looking for a house on a little property. True, we are looking for property in the county known for its wine, and therefore more expensive. True, we are having difficulty settling on something that we don't absolutely love. AND WHY SHOULD WE? We have jumped from one rental house to the next for over 7 years. We have settled every single time we have moved: no yard, noisy neighbors, drafty windows, small square footage, etc. We have done this because we are renters and there isn't a lot of room to be picky. But now, we are looking to be owners and there are just some things we aren't willing to give up on.

And regarding the American Dream: as a couple we have aimed to do it right, we pay our bills every single month on time, we have limited debt obligations and live within our means, we have savings and retirement accounts, we are college educated, we didn't buy a home at the height of the market because we knew we couldn't afford it (even when the bank said we could), one of us is gainfully employed. If you can do all of this and still not obtain the American Dream than I am more deeply saddened about the state of our country than I was before.

Instead of giving up on the house and the American Dream, however, I think we should give up on the realtor. Our house is out there and we need to have an agent who is going to work for us, not against us. We need someone who understands our challenge and runs with it, not someone who thinks "it's too hard" and pushes us in a direction which is easier for them.

New Magnus Pictures

The proud daddy sent out a few more pictures of Magnus today. 

Check out all that hair and....

look at those feet!

Happy Birthday Alexander!

Alexander Deon Hudson was born this afternoon around 3:00. 9 pounds, 5 ounces. Mother and baby are doing well. Hubby and I were voting for the name Magnus Matthew, which the happy parents politely declined, so from here on out Alexander will be referred to as Magnus -- because the name on the birth certificate does not dictate nicknames given my aunts and uncles. :-)

Neil Armstrong Memorial

The flowers left at the feet of our Neil Armstrong replica died last week and looked pretty yucky, so I asked my boss if I could bring in some artificial ones as a permanent memorial. The museum agreed and this weekend I put together a bouquet. The total cost was $2. I used the ribbon from the old flowers and bought the new flowers at the dollar store.

On a side note: I did a tour not long ago with a little girl (maybe in third grade) and when she saw this picture of the Original 7 astronauts, she proclaimed "they look brave!" Sometimes kids say exactly what we are all know or are thinking but don't say out loud!

Before and After

About a 2 months ago, the model group was told that we needed to move out of our space at the museum so that a television station could be put in. So for weeks we sorted, tossed out, packed and organized until we were exhausted. There were a number of weeks where we didn't know if we would be back and were making plans to meet at each other's houses. But, alas, we were granted a new, larger space with new furniture!

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

And lastly, the Hepcat remote control model that Cecil and I are building from scratch and redesigning as we go.

House Hunters: Part Deux

On Sunday, Hubby and I met with our realtor to take a look at a few more properties. The first was a 1930s schoolhouse (see picture) which has been updated to be a home, the other two were manufactured homes on acreage. The manufactured homes were nice, but as I explained to Hubby, I see moving into one of them as "moving into someone else's broken dream". Somewhere along the way that family envisioned building a home on that land (like we do) but life got complicated and they grew old and never did and we would now be taking on that broken dream. Am I weird? Yes, but you must admit it makes a little bit of sense. 

The house I am leaning towards right now is the schoolhouse. It has charm, has unique architecture and is huge in size but it also comes with its own set of potential problems. The last few days I have been on the phone with our realtor, the County and the insurance company, trying to see how much effort this home will take and the restrictions that could be imposed since it is historic.

This whole house buying escapade is time consuming and we haven't even gotten to the financing part of it yet! Oregon is a "buyer's due diligence" state, so it is better to do the legwork now than get slammed with something unexpected in the future. If this doesn't work out, I don't know if I have the enthusiasm to do this again with another property. :-/

Second Model

I am still building models with the "old guys" on fridays. I finished my second rubber band model some time ago, but only found the pictures on my phone today.

The "old guys" teased me unrelentingly about the fact that my first rubber band model was pink and the second was purple with flowers. Now, however, they enjoy it and brag to the museum customers about how unique my airplanes are. I am currently building my first RC model from scratch and the guys are already taking bets about what color it will be. :-)