We went to our Credit Union today and had a nice long chat with the loan officer about mortgages. We have done this before - some time last year, when we started thinking about buying a house. We decided then, that we needed to have much more saved, and so have been been working diligently at that down payment all this last year.
The plan was to start looking after the baby arrives, which is late Jan early Feb. - So I shouldn't have even been tempting myself by looking at the listings online.
Anyway - we are close - and we should be able to be right where we want to be by Feb of this coming year. I was going to say that I am going to stop looking at the listings online until then this time, but I still like to look, so that I know how long a house has been on the market.
The biggest trouble is the way the rates are changing - had we been in a position to buy just a month ago, we could have snagged those low rates around 5% - and could have easily afforded those monthly payments. But the big jump to almost 7-8%, makes the payments nearly $200 more, and we aren't sure we are comfortable with loosing that extra every month.
Maybe this house we like will sit for a while (not likely, but I can hope, right?)
Things that are bad about this house were: it's old - built in 1913 - had some upgrades here and there, but I imagine there is still old wiring and old plumbing. The worst part about the house was the bedrooms. The "master" was tiny and had no closet. The 2 other bedrooms were upstairs - and you had to walk thru the first room to get to the second room. There is no heat in the upstairs bedrooms. Bright colorful shag carpet, wallpaper, wood paneling and missing stair rails are the other things that may scare others away.
But - when all is said and done, I am feeling very good (calm and relieved) that we are not going to be buying a house right now. It was already vacant, so I am sure it wouldn't have taken long to close on it - and I am just too pregnant right now to want to deal with house projects, moving, and suddenly paying so much money on a mortgage that I would be constantly wondering if we could afford diapers each week.
Like I was saying yesterday, at least it's a good learning experience.
Someday, when the time is right, I know that just the right house will be out there waiting for us to buy it.
10/16/08
10/15/08
can't hurt to look, right?
We aren't supposed to be house hunting yet - not yet - we wanted about 4 more months to save - but I came across a house online, and HAD to go see it.
So we went and looked at a house today, and both Tyson and I really like pretty much everything about it.
We aren't so sure that we can afford it with the sudden change in interest rates, but tomorrow we are going to the bank to find out.
Home buying is so stressful.
Even if we don't buy this house at this time, it's still "interesting" practice. You have to absorb so much information about the house as you walk thru it. Not just the good, but also the bad, not just the inside, but also the outside - and not just the yard, but the whole neighborhood - and the schools.
Then the "designer" in me, starts to remodel and decorate in my head. This can be both good and bad. On the good side, it helps me see past the cosmetic negatives in a house (like the wallpaper, and the brilliently bright shag carpet). On the bad side, I can get carried away with what is necessary and what could be left as is - at least for a while (like the brown fridge, or the outdated flourescent light).
So anyway, that has been all consuming in my little brain today.
I am both totally freaked out and looking forward to going to the bank tomorrow to see where we actually stand on being prepared/ready for this whole HOME BUYING experience. Wish us luck :)
So we went and looked at a house today, and both Tyson and I really like pretty much everything about it.
We aren't so sure that we can afford it with the sudden change in interest rates, but tomorrow we are going to the bank to find out.
Home buying is so stressful.
Even if we don't buy this house at this time, it's still "interesting" practice. You have to absorb so much information about the house as you walk thru it. Not just the good, but also the bad, not just the inside, but also the outside - and not just the yard, but the whole neighborhood - and the schools.
Then the "designer" in me, starts to remodel and decorate in my head. This can be both good and bad. On the good side, it helps me see past the cosmetic negatives in a house (like the wallpaper, and the brilliently bright shag carpet). On the bad side, I can get carried away with what is necessary and what could be left as is - at least for a while (like the brown fridge, or the outdated flourescent light).
So anyway, that has been all consuming in my little brain today.
I am both totally freaked out and looking forward to going to the bank tomorrow to see where we actually stand on being prepared/ready for this whole HOME BUYING experience. Wish us luck :)
10/14/08
my new motto
I am starting to put this new motto to use in the hopes that it can help motivate us to continue to save money everywhere we can, so that we can reach our goal to have a house downpayment early next year. We don't think we want to stay in this little 2 bedroom apartment for too long after the baby arrives. And both Tyson and I are excited to be home owners.
So today was the first time that this new motto of mine, has kinda made me stop and really think.
This weekend, our full length mirror fell down and broke into pieces.
On Sunday when I went to see how the outfit I had thrown together looked, I realized, I no longer had a mirror to see myself with, and went off hoping that it was good enough (being pregnant in this situation makes it even more worrisome for me, cuz my body changes every week, so I actually have no idea how I really look).
Anyway, today was our shopping day of the week. I had my handy shopping list in hand, and actually had to ponder for a while whether I needed to add "new full length mirror" to the list.
After reviewing my motto, I decided that I would have to apply the "do without" part to this situation. To some it may seem ridiculous - it would only cost about $10 to replace the mirror - but to me, it is the principle of the matter. I am trying to teach myself the discipline I would need if we were in a REAL recession/depression, and could only buy what we NEED.
Living without this mirror is going to be a constant reminder to me, that there are things that I can do without, and I will still be able to get by and be happy.
10/13/08
10/7/08
FHE
We have started having regular Family Home Evening. With Thomas's personality, I knew that we would have to be consistant with him, and so far it is working out pretty great!!!
We sing a song (or several depending on his demands, LOL)
His favorites right now are the "Choose the Right" songs we taught him a few weeks ago with the choose the right lesson, and "Book of Mormon Stories" - he likes Samuel the Lamanite.
Then we pray - for some reason he has been throwing a fit about this, so it takes us a good 5 minutes or so to calm him down, and get him quiet enough to say a quick prayer. This has been improving, but still not good yet.
Then we read a verse from our Book of Mormon about whatever the lesson is - Tyson and I trade off teaching each week.
And then we color a picture of what the lesson was about, and we hang them on the fridge. Thomas LOVES taking last weeks pictures down, and putting up the new ones for the week. I LOVE that all thru the week, he will go to the pictures on the fridge and tell me about the lesson. Really melts my heart.
We sing a song (or several depending on his demands, LOL)
His favorites right now are the "Choose the Right" songs we taught him a few weeks ago with the choose the right lesson, and "Book of Mormon Stories" - he likes Samuel the Lamanite.
Then we pray - for some reason he has been throwing a fit about this, so it takes us a good 5 minutes or so to calm him down, and get him quiet enough to say a quick prayer. This has been improving, but still not good yet.
Then we read a verse from our Book of Mormon about whatever the lesson is - Tyson and I trade off teaching each week.
And then we color a picture of what the lesson was about, and we hang them on the fridge. Thomas LOVES taking last weeks pictures down, and putting up the new ones for the week. I LOVE that all thru the week, he will go to the pictures on the fridge and tell me about the lesson. Really melts my heart.
10 Things About Thomas
I finally decided what to write about
these are things evryone should know about our little "center of attention"
1. Thomas LOVES Lightning McQueen. He can quote the movie. He has so many different Cars toys, and clothes, and even his shoes have to be Lightning.
2. Thomas is a picky eater. Here at home he will only eat:
French Toast (we call it "Sticky Toasty Bread")
Turkey Sandwich
Hot Dog
Blueberries (and blueberry pancakes)
Totinos 3 cheese pizza (no other kind will do)with some pineapple on the side
and he'll eat some fruit like strawberries, once in a while an apple slice or 2, and of course Bananas.
Now when we have gone other places, he will sometimes be curious enough to try new things. He tried a hamburger at Burger King once. He tried Lazana at Grandma Loris. He eats pork chops without even hesitating at Grandma Andersons. He tried my dutchoven potatoes and eggs when we were camping. And he tried strawberry yogurt with Granpa Anderson. But here at home, it's always the same thing... which leads us to #3....
3. He is very particular about doing things the same way all the time. He is sort of outgrowing this, but it's still very prevelant - for instance, when you put on his shoes and socks, he has to be able to hold his socks and shoes first, then you put the first sock on the left foot, then the second sock on the right foot. Then you can put the first shoe on the left, then the second on the right. If you do not do it right - he wil throw a fit.
He used to make me play a flashcard game, where I had to sit in a certain spot on the couch, and say the same things over and over as we looked at the cards.
I am hoping that by the time we move to a new place, that he will be "mature" enough to be ok with that kind of a big change.
4. He Loves going upstairs to visit with Grandma and Grandpa Hansen every day. He loves that she has an icemaker in her fridge, and chomps on ice all the time. He loves that Grandma spoils him, and lets him do whatever he wants. His favorite thing right now is to play in grandpa's room with his hangers and the globe and the computer that are in there.
5. He is a very smart kid. He knows his colors, shapes, alphabet, numbers, and has started to attempt to read things, and loves to write his name - so far he can only write the T on his own, and then says he needs help with the rest.
6. Thomas is left handed. I am finding this is making it more difficult to teach him how to write :(
7. Thomas decided that potty training just wasn't for him. I laugh about this, so that I don't break down and cry. He was doing so well, but has reverted, and I finally have just had to back off and let him wear pullups again, and let him decide if he wants to potty that day, or not. He will still use the potty sometimes (especially anywhere but here at home - he loves going in grandmas bathroom, and at Walmart and other stores).
8. Thomas likes to sing. His favorite song is "life is a Highway" by Rascall Flatts - because it's a "Lightning" song (from the movie Cars).
9. He also likes watching Backyardigans (cuz they sing), and he still even likes to watch "trains" (Thomas and Friends) every now and again.
and 10. he is excited to be a big brother. He likes to tell me about the things he wants to teach Grayson. We went canoing this year, and he says that next year he is going to teach Grayson how to paddle the canoe. He has also said he will teach him how to play basketball, and how to be nice to the animals (Thomas has to be nice to the cats and dog at Grandpa's). It's so cute that he is making these connections. I just hope that after baby Grayson gets here, that the enthusiasm will stay, and the jealousy will not move in.
these are things evryone should know about our little "center of attention"
1. Thomas LOVES Lightning McQueen. He can quote the movie. He has so many different Cars toys, and clothes, and even his shoes have to be Lightning.
2. Thomas is a picky eater. Here at home he will only eat:
French Toast (we call it "Sticky Toasty Bread")
Turkey Sandwich
Hot Dog
Blueberries (and blueberry pancakes)
Totinos 3 cheese pizza (no other kind will do)with some pineapple on the side
and he'll eat some fruit like strawberries, once in a while an apple slice or 2, and of course Bananas.
Now when we have gone other places, he will sometimes be curious enough to try new things. He tried a hamburger at Burger King once. He tried Lazana at Grandma Loris. He eats pork chops without even hesitating at Grandma Andersons. He tried my dutchoven potatoes and eggs when we were camping. And he tried strawberry yogurt with Granpa Anderson. But here at home, it's always the same thing... which leads us to #3....
3. He is very particular about doing things the same way all the time. He is sort of outgrowing this, but it's still very prevelant - for instance, when you put on his shoes and socks, he has to be able to hold his socks and shoes first, then you put the first sock on the left foot, then the second sock on the right foot. Then you can put the first shoe on the left, then the second on the right. If you do not do it right - he wil throw a fit.
He used to make me play a flashcard game, where I had to sit in a certain spot on the couch, and say the same things over and over as we looked at the cards.
I am hoping that by the time we move to a new place, that he will be "mature" enough to be ok with that kind of a big change.
4. He Loves going upstairs to visit with Grandma and Grandpa Hansen every day. He loves that she has an icemaker in her fridge, and chomps on ice all the time. He loves that Grandma spoils him, and lets him do whatever he wants. His favorite thing right now is to play in grandpa's room with his hangers and the globe and the computer that are in there.
5. He is a very smart kid. He knows his colors, shapes, alphabet, numbers, and has started to attempt to read things, and loves to write his name - so far he can only write the T on his own, and then says he needs help with the rest.
6. Thomas is left handed. I am finding this is making it more difficult to teach him how to write :(
7. Thomas decided that potty training just wasn't for him. I laugh about this, so that I don't break down and cry. He was doing so well, but has reverted, and I finally have just had to back off and let him wear pullups again, and let him decide if he wants to potty that day, or not. He will still use the potty sometimes (especially anywhere but here at home - he loves going in grandmas bathroom, and at Walmart and other stores).
8. Thomas likes to sing. His favorite song is "life is a Highway" by Rascall Flatts - because it's a "Lightning" song (from the movie Cars).
9. He also likes watching Backyardigans (cuz they sing), and he still even likes to watch "trains" (Thomas and Friends) every now and again.
and 10. he is excited to be a big brother. He likes to tell me about the things he wants to teach Grayson. We went canoing this year, and he says that next year he is going to teach Grayson how to paddle the canoe. He has also said he will teach him how to play basketball, and how to be nice to the animals (Thomas has to be nice to the cats and dog at Grandpa's). It's so cute that he is making these connections. I just hope that after baby Grayson gets here, that the enthusiasm will stay, and the jealousy will not move in.
10/6/08
I know, I know .........
............. I need to update.
I just can't think of much of anything to tell about.
Since I quit my job, and stay home everyday now, and Tyson is now working 6 to 7 days a week, there just isn't much to tell.
I just can't think of much of anything to tell about.
Since I quit my job, and stay home everyday now, and Tyson is now working 6 to 7 days a week, there just isn't much to tell.
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