Live and Learn

We gave the doggie back to the shelter today. It was a family decision that we all agreed was best. He was a nipper, and especially to Savannah. I had her on my lap last night to read to her, and he came over and nipped and pushed at her until he was in my lap and she was out. We thought maybe if I just took Savannah to another part of the house when we cuddled, it would be okay for him, but today she was just standing in the kitchen minding her own business and he ran over and nipped at her feet. She was scared of him and we decided we didn't want to make her live with that fear every day. I called the shelter to ask if that behavior was something that could be trained out, but she said it was a major behavior issue that would probably take professional one-on-one help, if that even did it. I didn't want to risk Savannah's or anyone else's feelings of safety in our home for the sake of a dog we just met last week; so off he went with his little tail wagging. I feel really bad for giving him back, like I am irresponsible or something, but deep down I know it is the most responsible thing to do for my family. I am of the opinion that we shouldn't get any pets for a long time. Because I end up having to do a lot of care for them during the day, and Shonee ends up spending time in the evening with the pet instead of the kids. I guess I have a limited attention span, because it's kind of either/or for me. I don't have enough for kids and pets. Anyway, everyone is dealing with the departure pretty well. Montana was never very comfortable either. We all like being able to walk down the hall without climbing over a baby gate. We're supposed to revisit the topic next month as a family, but I know my answer is going to be NO for a long time. At least until a child is old enough to accept and perform all of the responsibilities, including yard duty, play, walks, and maybe vet bills.

Settling In

We have been in our new house for a week and we are struggling to find places for everything we have. It will all get put away eventually, but some things need shelving constructed before they have a home.

On Wednesday we bought a shelter puppy. He's a real nice dog. We named him Rudy because he's little but full of heart (like Sean Astin's character in the movie of the same name). He's a Terrier mix, mostly looks like a Cairn Terrier. He's decided he likes me best, so he follows me around and feels forlorn when I am gone (or so I'm told by the other members of the family). I think dogs are labeled as man's best friend because they insist on being that way. He's my shadow sometimes, much more so than any of my toddlers ever were. But we all love him, and he loves all of us. The kids have been waiting for about three years to get a dog, and now they all want to go on walks with him and he gets played with so much he is tuckered out and takes naps just to get a break from us. We are really getting settled for a long stay here, and we're thrilled with that prospect!

New House Part 2

Well, we put an offer on another house at the end of November. We've had it inspected and appraised and all of that junk you have to do when you buy a house. It all checks out, so we'll be signing papers on the 8th of January and moving soon afterward. The thing I think I'm most looking forward to about this house is having everything on one level. Right now I have to carry laundry up two floors from the basement to the kids rooms. Good exercise, but I think I can come up with other ways to stay trim that are more fun. We're really excited to own a house again, and we're finally going to get a dog! We've been telling the kids we'd get one for a few years now, but it just never seemed to be the right time. The place we're renting right now doesn't allow indoor pets, so I guess it's a good thing we didn't already have something when we moved in. We also get to stay in our current ward, which we are all happy about. We have made a lot of friends here and would hate to have to start over again.

Merry Christmas!

Ix-nay on the Offer-yay

Yep, we jumped the gun on this one. It was a sweet old house, like I said in previous posts. We had an inspection done today and all the dreams were - not shattered - but cracked. It's a bit more than we wanted to get a mortgage for, but we were willing to get it, and do some renovating with cash. Now it needs a completely new roof, new deck, plumber check for all the amateur plumbing in the basement, a replacement for the 40-year-old furnace, etc. We also didn't love the garage/carport in the back of the muddy yard arrangement, but we were willing to work with it, perhaps putting in a driveway and garage at the front of the property eventually. But with all those other things added to the list, suddenly the garage project was too expensive and would have to wait indefinitely. It simply became unacceptable. I'm sad it took us $325 to figure out what we instinctively knew already: that it was more expensive than we wanted to go with, and that it was an old house that would need a lot of maintenance. You'd think we would be more wary of an old house in need of repairs, since that was our last house situation as well. Next time we will be more realistic when looking at the "full" cost of a house (I hope).

Offer Accepted

They accepted our offer! Now we have to do inspections and see if it still looks palatable!

New House?

DH (I'm trying to anonymize my blog) and I are looking at houses, to buy . . . again
Here's a lovely garden spot in the side yard of our current favorite, near Downtown Salem

I totally love this little alcove. The ladder leads up to a secret room, and those are built-in bookshelves, woohoo!

This interesting space actually has a working sink, and skylights, and antique suitcases stored in the attic access cubbies.

I'm in love with this kitchen. I find the white and green linoleum tiles really charming, and no upper cabinets, totally retro!

Sadly, there are some not so great issues with the house too, like peeling exterior paint, a desperately needed new roof, and a somewhat funky basement space (which is huge and has four bedrooms and a bathroom). The garage is an eyesore and the backyard is longing to be beautiful someday. Anyway, keep us in your prayers as we are considering putting an offer down on this baby. You can check it out using the MLS code 617102.

The quilt Part 1

I'm making a quilt for a lady in my ward who won a service auction item from me. She wanted flowers and stars. So far, I've got the flowers bit covered. Still working on the stars. She's legally blind and needs bold colors and shapes to be able to see them.

I decided to do the hardest part first and had all my applique work in the center block. It took quite a bit of time, but I think it turned out pretty nice.