Just for a laugh

While reading Ray his bedtime story from his 'A hatful of Seuss' book, we read Dr. Seuss's sleep book. This is one i've actually never read before and I thought I'd read alot of Seuss (Hell, I'll be 38 soon...thats alot of years to read Seuss) So anyway, if you havent read this yet either, its a book that starts off with the littlest bug yawning. It spreads until everyone is falling asleep (including Big Ray in the rocking chair behind us as we read!) and then we got to the Moose and the Goose. By the time I had finished reading the 2 pages about the Moose & the Goose, I was laughing and little Ray was saying "what mommy?" (this kind of humor still eludes him somewhat..he gets so focused, its cute (someday my little sweety pea, you will read this again and giggle your little heart out!). So, here are those 2 pages for your giggling pleasure. I think Seuss should be a reading daily requirement for all adults  (for extra fun, see how fast you can read it without messing up)

A moose is asleep

He is dreaming of moose drinks

A goose is asleep

He is dreaming of goose drinks

That's well and good when a moose dreams of moose juice.

and nothing goes wrong when a goose dreams of goose juice.

But it isnt too good when a moose and a goose

Start dreaming they're drinking the other one's juice.

Moose juice, not goose juice, is juice for a moose.

And goose juice, not moose juice, is juice for a goose.

So, when goose gets a mouthful of juices of moose's

and moose gets a mouthful of juices of goose's,

They always fall out of their beds screaming screams

SO.....

I'm warning you now! never drink in your dreams.

The Whale

 A female humpback whale had become entangled in a spider web of
crab traps   and lines.
   
    She was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused
her to struggle to stay afloat.  
     
    She also had hundreds of yards of line rope wrapped around her
body, her tail, her torso, a    
    line   tugging in her mouth.
   
    A fisherman spotted her just east of the Faralon Islands
(outside the Golden Gate ) and radioed
    for help.
   
    Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that
she was so bad off, the only
    way to save her was to dive in and untangle her  --   a very
dangerous proposition.    One slap of
    the tail could kill a rescuer. 
   
They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed
her.
   
    When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like
joyous circles.
    She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time,
nudged them, and   pushed gently,
    thanking them.  
     
    Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of
their lives.  
   
The guy who cut the rope out of her mouth says her eye was
following him the
    whole time, and he will never be the same . 
   
   
    May you, and all those you love,   be so fortunate...
    To be surrounded by people   who will help you get untangled
from the
    things that are binding you.
    And, may you always know the joy of giving and receiving
gratitude.  
     
    I pass this on to you, my friends, in the same spirit.  
    Hugs
    Life is short, Break the rules, Forgive quickly, Kiss slowly,
Love truly,
    Laugh uncontrollably...
    Never regret anything that made you smile   

Corneal abrasion

Definition

A corneal abrasion is a worn or scraped-off area of the outer, clear layer of the eye (cornea).

Description

The cornea is the clear, dome-shaped outer area of the eye. It lies in front of the colored part of the eye (iris) and the black hole in the iris (pupil). The outermost layer of the eyeball consists of the cornea and the white part of the eye (sclera). A corneal abrasion is basically a superficial cut or scrape on the cornea. A corneal abrasion is not as serious as a corneal ulcer, which is generally deeper and more severe than an abrasion.

Causes and symptoms

A corneal abrasion is usually the result of direct injury to the eye, often from a fingernail scratch, makeup brushes, contact lenses, foreign body, or even twigs. Patients often complain of feeling a foreign body in their eye, and they may have pain, sensitivity to light, or tearing.

Bored Yet?? Well, here's the rest of the story.....

I gave MYSELF a corneal abrasion on Tuesday!! I'm a complete Nimrod! I was holding the corner of my shirt to wipe the corner of my eye (because we all know you shouldnt use your finger!! Sigh...) and my fingers slipped off the shirt and PLUNGED my fingernail into my right eye..........  OWIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Several minutes and MANY curse words silent under my breath later, I walked (running with blurred vision was out) and checked in the bathroom mirror to find that I indeed had a large scratch mark ON MY EYE, ON my FREAKIN' EYE! Am I the biggest walking ungraceful dork on the planet!?!?!?!  SO I call my Optometrist and he says that I should come straight in which I do. I leave work and hottail it to Fredericksburg. Now, at this point, it hurts, but it isnt crippling, just painful, duh, stupid AMy and ouch, something in my eye. I actually went back to work after picking up my eye drops antibiotics. Driving home I noticed that life was getting a little more painful.

I pick up Ray and by the time we get through dinner, I'm crying and my sweet lovable son is asking me "mommy are you crying?? He startes rubbing my cheek and saying "it ok" (AWWWWW) then he jumps up and says "I know, DANCING will make your eye feel better!" I started to tell him that it probably wouldnt (and more than likely would create another injury-lol) but just that he was trying so hard to help me feel better was really sweet. He dances around alot and I stood there trying not to jog my eye. A phone call to hubby to ask him to hurry and when he finally got home, he took over for the night. By that time, laying down with my eyes closed was all I could manage. ALot of pain medication later....

and the next morning I was in exrucitating pain. I was woozy and let me tell you the "MAY HAVE" blah blah about symptoms.... You WILL have it, at least if you plunge your fingernail into your eye! Needless to say (and much to my dismay) I had to call out. Ray spent the day home in case I had to go to the Dr. and I took more Motrin, did the drops (which Burn..is this fair??) and laid down until almost 1pm with a cold washcloth on my closed eye.

Frantic calls to my mother (and her conference with a Dr. at her job) I'm given the sad news that in fact I'm a dork and did this to myself. Expect the self induced pain to last from 24 to 48 hours and since at the 24 hour mark, I was still hurting, I started praying for 48. I made it back to work today but my eye is sensitive to light and twingy.  It's still red and puffy but better so I had to laugh when I looked at it this morning and said "thank goodness, it looks better" When it still really looks pretty bad and people are saying "wow Amy, what did you do to your eye?"

So, DONT use the corner of your shirt to wipe your eye and dont plunge your fingernail in there either! (I hear the next most common cause is baby fingernails and tree branches so dont walk with your babies in the woods! lol)

ok, drops and bed...my eye still hurts but at least I see this screen again!

Cutest christmas pic ive found so far

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww, this was too cute to pass up :)

Thanksgiving

Yes, its that time of the year again...the beginning of the holiday season and the day of Thanks. Thanskgiving starts the top of the rollercoaster downhill run at breakneck speed through the end of the year and into next when we look back and say "what the hell....its 2009 already???" But before we start the slope into 2009, I want to take a moment to look back at 2008 and think about what I'm thankful for.....

my son, I love him more than air and without him, couldnt survive. and frankly I'm thankful as all hell that everyday I get to watch him grow up. Almost as much as watching him, I'm thankful that I appreciate the day to day amazing process that I get to be part of. I wish that all parents could step outside themselves and realize that aside from the job of parenting (notice its called that alot..sigh) the discipline that you teach and the moments you think they'll NEVER get it, being a parent is alot of fun and joy. I'm rediscovering the fun of baking and being a frog :) I get to pretend I'm a pirate or paint without caring what the end result looks like. I'm walking slower to see whats around us and singing more! Put THIS on a job description and look how many people would want the "job" :)

My family- May they always drive me crazy...remember, DysFUNctional is just a word waiting for the FUN to get out :) Honestly, I'm very thankful for the support. I know families that dont have the support system that we have and I dont know how they do it. I know some that dont make it and that makes me sad. Imagine if everyone had someone they could lean on. Maybe there wouldnt be abuse in the world.

My friends- remember that email going around about the friends there for you either for a reason, a season or a lifetime? I have friends in every category. I miss all the ones that came through for a reason and a season but each of them left behind a memory or a lesson that I hold close. Some I hear from now & then, some I dont. Makes me sad but I'm still thankful for all of them even if they arent still a daily friend. I have alot of the lifetime friends and they know how much I love them. If they didnt, they do now :) Lifetime friends stop being just friends and become family. I wish I could hug them all everyday, but maybe this year I'll get better at telling them even if they arent close enough to hug.  

I'm healthy, I'm happy, warm and fed. Clothes on my back and (yes, I say it ever year) safe. No one beats me, abuses me or my child. I go to sleep at night knowing that I'll be safe while I sleep. My child wakes up with a smile on his face never fearing that someone will hurt him and not worried about getting enough to eat. Every year a make the same prayer, I want this for all the children in the world. I dont cry often, but when I do, this is one of the things I cry for. 

The days drag by sometimes and you forget that today you're harrassed about getting out to work on time or having an argument with someone and feeling crappy about it or just annoyed about cleaning the house again. But I have a job, I can make it up to that person and I have food to cook...Thankyou God for the blessings in my life. I'm sorry I take them for granted and maybe, for at least this one day, we'll all appreciate what we have with wide open eyes. Maybe it will spill over into the next day and maybe, just maybe, it will spill over into the rest of the year.

My goal for 2009 is to pay it forward... So dont be surprised if you get a hug from me for no reason :)

Happy Thanksgiving to all :) XXOO

And here is Kitty Kitty

The newest lively addition to our household isKItty Kitty (nope, we dont have a better name)

She's an American Bobtail and if you can picture a small intelligent meowing dog with an avid interst in ANYthing that moves or can be eaten, youve got her nailed! She sleeps on my neck or head every night and follows me around the house. She and RayRay are coming to acceptable terms (lol) and lately getting along well. She has decided that the sink is the best place to wait for us while we "potty" and is fascinated by the tub and RayRay's bathtime. After the water is out, she'll hop in and smell everything (wetness and all)

She pounces like a freak...Straight up and straight down on the item with arched back-Hilarious! So, for those that visit, you'll be in for a treat! 

Whats the shelf life of an Egg?

                                                                              Apparently 1 month-!   Check this out.. They actually started stamping the expiration date ON the eggs! Heehee..it caught me off guard when I saw little writing on my egg before I cracked it. Thought I'd share...anyone else see this yet or am I just the latecomer?

Can children perceive things we cant?

Shehla's blog made me remember this and I guess I didnt post about it, but it makes for some very interesting theories...

Recently we had to go to NY for the death of my great aunt Janet. We stayed in her house while there for the funeral. I was unhappy to find that we were actually sleeping in her room, but just because it felt weird. The 1st morning, Big Ray wakes up and at breakfast asks if Aunt Janet had cats. No, she didnt. At one point in her life she started feeding a white cat on the back porch but it was never allowed in the house. The dream he described to me was disturbing and we never shared it with anyone else. This conversation and his initial question took place outside of RayRay's hearing.

That same night, as I was putting RayRay to sleep (in our/Janet's room) we are laying on the bed and he pops up and is looking at the wall very close to the bed. I ask him what he's looking at. He replies "the kitty cat, it came out of the wall." (huh!)

I see nothing, not even a peculiar shadow. I asked him what color it was and he says "black". I let it go. I didnt want to freak him out. But I couldnt help myself and a few minutes later (maybe 5) I asked him if it was still there. He pops his head up and looks at the same place and says yes. So I asked him what it was doing "Looking at us."

Shortly after this, he tells me he doesnt like this room, it scares him and he wants to go downstairs. (a little house history. My Aunt's house was built in 1890 and has had a few layout changes upstairs. I found that behind the wall was the entrance to the attic which is now accessed from the hallway and 2 rooms were made in to one big room so this is probably where the old door was.)

We go downstairs for a little bit and on the way stop at moms room. He tells mom (No prompting) that the room was scaring him. I asked him if moms room scared him and he looked around and says no. About 30-45 minutes later, we tried again to put him to bed. This time he falls asleep. We never have a conversation about the cat amongst ourselves that he can hear (I dont want to scare him) but I tell my father about it (He's my aunt's executor). We also find out that my uncle had his heart attack and passed away in the bedroom. A few days after we got back, I asked him about the cat and he repeated that it came out of the wall and then tells me that the room scared him. I asked what scared him and he didnt answer. After a few prompts, I decided to offer some options (I hate to lead like that but I was interested in his answer) so I asked if it was the cat or the dark or the people. He says "the people" and goes right on playing with his bath toys. Thats the last conversation weve had about the cat or the trip to aunt janet's.

 If you ask him about the cat at Aunt Janet's house, he will tell you exactly the same details, that it was a black kitty cat that came out of the wall. He doesnt embellish or omit anything. And he will tell you that the room scared him. What makes this even stranger is that Ray, at that point, had not really started being imaginitive. Even now, his imagination sticks to real world things like catching a fish or hopping like a frog. He knows (because I asked in the "isnt that silly" conversation) that things cant go through walls. He pretends to call grandma on the phone and drive his car places (yes, upon our return, he did "drive" to aunt Janet's waving goodbye to us all and going around the yard once)

Anything like this ever happen to any of you with children???

Results of our offers

well, As you all know, the house in Twin Springs was put under contract by another offer while we were waiting for information on the house at 8411. We FINALLY have information on the house at 8411- It went to auction (because the bank is determined to get their $$ back out of it). So, since it didnt sell at auction, they dropped the price...ready drum roll.....................................................................................

$5000.00

No, I didnt miss any 0's or misplace the decimal point. Bast$%&*#$#.

They're killing me! Heaven forbid they drop the price drastically like MOST banks are doing to get the REO's out of their system. sigh. are they kidding???
So, needless to say, they arent entertaining our offer. Maybe they'll counter, but in this economy, we arent going to be able to go too high.
Oh crap.....You havent seen other houses in the blog because we've stopped looking somewhat but if this was all they're going to drop it, I guess I'll go look at a few that have caught my eye. But 8411 is still the one we want.

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

They werent kidding!! Yesterday they made the announcement that it was the 1st day of fall and Mother Nature sure didnt waste any time! But I Love this time of year and I cant wait for the leaves to start changing! This year it's my mission to get a great picture of the fall colors on route 3. In the morning they are spectacular! I WILL take my camera and go get lots of nature pics...I need more time outside with the camera. I plan to take Boogie hiking at the battlefield more (he's getting better at doing the trails with me so I want to have him join me more on this) Maybe this is the year I wipe the dust off the skiis!!! That would be GREAT!
What does everyone else look forward to??

8411 Auction date

Start:

Sep 27, '08 1:00p

sigh

A break from the house hunt to daydream

I'm looking out my window here at work. The sun is coming up, the leaves are moving slightly, it's just under 70', there isnt a cloud in the sky (as my son would say, "they're all hiding...sneaky clouds.") Anyway, can you hear the breeze and gentle music????? What the HELL am I doing here?!?! sigh. I can picture myself walking around a botanical garden or hiking somewhere just at my own pace and taking pictures of beautiful things. I need a vacation so bad. Did I share that recently one of my childhood friends (38 yo) had a heart attack and passed away 2 weeks ago? Yet again I ask.....what am I doing here? Sometimes it feels like you run the treadmill until you're time is up. I know this isnt all of it. I'm a mom and thats an important job and I LOVE being a mom, I DO enjoy what I do here at Childhelp, but all work and no play is making Amy a very tired tired girl. Somewhere, I forgot to play. I'm trying to get back to that.

SO, I said a break to daydream.... If I could snap my fingers and go somewhere, where would I be? Lying on a boat feeling the rock of the waves? Casually walking as I took pictures of beautiful things? Swinging in a hammock while the wind gently blows my hair? Most days I'll tell you I love my life, but right now (sitting here looking out the window longing for a day of relaxation) I'd take any combination of the above. I'd be content to lay in a field somewhere for a few hours. Maybe it's the need to take off the mantle of responsibility for a few hours that I'm longing for.

Towles Mills

A litt eout of order here-oops...this is the living room of the house.

Do we have a destiney with a house located on a road with the word 'Mill' in it??? Anyway, this was a little further than we wanted to travel everyday...but it was fun to go look at. Only a year old on 5.20 acres. 2700+ SF with a 2 car garage , wood floors and fireplace. Not a bedroom in the house was under 15x15 feet or more (BIG rooms) 3 bedrooms, 3 FB. Very nice front porch and back deck. And we asked for secluded...you can see the neighbors but not very well. Very nice house. Ray and I both liked it, but the distance is definitely a factor in the house hunt.

Po River

Another home located in Hunter's Lodge. it's listing says 1340SF but the basement is unfinished and would probably add another 800SF. 3 bed rooms, 2 bath rooms and what looked like the plumbing downstairs for a 3rd 1/2 bath. 5 acres (suhweet!) and very nicely laid out. Not a large or impressive home but has potential. LOVE the property. We're waiting for the owner/agent to realize that her home is NOT worth what she's asking. Would we buy it, hhmm...we've always loved that location and if Old Mill falls through completely, I would take Ray back to look at this one. It's not going anywhere any time soon. She's is defnitely asking too much.

quick update on the offers

SOooooooooo, the realestate agent handling the old mill house is a complete CF. His voice mail box is so full it wont accept messages and the staff at the office cant get in touch with him. twice now My grandmother has managed to track him down (fax and email) and each time he says he'll have an answer "tomorrow" or "later tonight" with no answer or call back. I am so P.O.'d at this guy. In the meanwhile, the twin springs house wanted us to send in more paperwork but since we were waiting for an answer on this other house, we didnt. It doesnt take a rocket scientist... we lost Twin Springs to another offer. Life goes on and this was our 2nd pick any way, but we have yet to hear something and I dont like being toyed with. Either this guy is the worlds WORST realestate agent ever...or the bank is asking him to hold us off until after the auction. If I can scrape the cash on hand up, I'm going to go to the damn auction and offer the lowest I can get away with. <grumbling under my breath>

House hunt frustration

Please oh please, dont leave me hanging like this.

We were told that we would have an answer yesterday from the one house. nothing.

The house that we had as our 2nd pick (smaller but in great neighbhorhood) has already responded with positive remarks and further steps. (which I'm not happy about.) The mortgage company wants us to pre-qualify AGAIN with them. Oh SHEESH, come on. So we've been prequalified and pre-approved TWICE for 2 different types of loans, but thats not good enough. I have a major issue with them hitting our very good credit score again for this useless step.

The house we had really wanted said we would hear something yesterday. So far, ive only heard my realestate agent say she'll call us as soon as she hears anything. Blast!

I hate waiting.

is it just my husband??

are all husbands this unmotivated when football season starts?? I like football too but we also have a house to pack (since whether or not we move, we have work to do to the kitchen and rec room) some walls to spackle and paint and I know I can spackle while watching the damn TV. uuummmm......if I'm the only one thats going to do anything to get us ready for this, then we are definitely not moving because I'm already fed up and we havent even had an accepted offer.

maybe I should call and have the cable cancelled...................................................

deep breath...

ok... so we've lost our minds, but we're going to make an offer on 2 different houses (ack!) We've decided to make an offer on Twin springs (pics to be added later since I dont have acces from this computer) AND Old Mill. Lets see what-a-happens.
Meanwhile, I dont like the looks of the interest rates but hopefully we'll have some answers by the end of this week. We should have made the old mill offer sooner but honestly, I worried that they wouldnt accept our offer but after today..devil may care!
We saw 3 houses that I actually purelled after one.  What some people will think their homes are worth is comical. (and asking that much, dont you think you'd clean up so it looked better when people came to show it???) Anyway, after a depressing day of crappy houses, we basically said what the hell are we waiting for. Meanwile, neither of these offers may be accepted so the roller coaster may not be over yet. Hopefully we'll get this all settled and I'll be more visible to friends & family.
YEEEEEHAW!
Since it's been questioned..according to my realestate agent/grandmother- yep, we can make an offer on both houses. Honestly, I highly doubt BOTH offers would be accepted so I'm not worried that we'll end up with 2 contracts we cant get out of. Meanwhile, the Twin Springs home has 2 other offers on it so ours might be piddly change and Old Mill the bank is trying to send back to auction. We might lose out on both. This could be the end for a little bit. I'm sick of trying to squeeze time to look at homes, balance a life and sleep somewhere in between not to mention trying to finish up the odds and ends we'll need to do before renting. But I'm crazy and stupid and even if both offers fall through, I'll probably still look. Just alot less aggressively. Every time I throw my hands up and say "enough" another weird/wtf thing happens in my subdivision and off I go to look again. ....sigh....

House hunt-Twin springs

Hard to get a good picture of this but the front yard was MASSIVE! 3BR 3BA 2708 square feet(though I'm not sure how they came by this number..it feels pretty small) 2 car garage, 3 acres POOL (ooo yes! Bonus!) lots of plusses:

GORGEOUS! contemporary open floor plan. Wood floors, see through fireplace. Resale value would be almost 200,000 of instant equity (did I mention since its a foreclosure they are letting it go for a song?) Stainless steel stove & microwave hood but the fridge and dishwasher are missing. AT 1st walk through, this place is drop dead show place. Very little to be done (wear & tear painting, buy missing appliances, get the pool back in shape) but not much to do besides that. But after stewing on this, there are down sides for even this gorgeous property:

3 bedrooms...no office for Ray. and the other rooms arent really big enough to squeeze an office in. No play room for RayRay (we would have to give him the big upstairs bedroom down the hall from ours and make 1/2 a playroom...cringe)

unfinished basement with no walkout means we have to put the money in to actually make a studio and all clients would have to come through the house (not a biggie, but something I was hoping to avoid) and of course since my office is planned for a corner of the studio, no office for me until we complete it.

Front yard is huge, but the back fenced area is mostly pool. Great if you have older kids, but since I need a fenced area to let Ray play and not worry, this isnt the best situation. We'd have to put his swing/play set in the side yard, maybe open the fence area to include more of the yard to the left of the house. Actual living area is reduced again to mostly 2 rooms and the room wired for the TV and sound system wont fit our TV since the fireplace is in the way.

Very torn. Beautiful house, but we keep bumping up against the "ooh that wont work". SO since we said that we were only going to do this if we found the perfect house (and even though this is relatively inexpensive house we would still be dropping a largish sum) I think we're going to walk away from this too. My Grandmother is going to lose her mind (lol) and this house will be gone quick. Its very nice and will be the perfect find for some happy family but we are going to keep looking. (which consequently we think our perfect house is the house on old mill, even without a garage)

House hunt-moral dilemma?

We are searching now because the market is definitely down and prime for buyers. The market is flooded with Foreclosures and more showing every day. However, ive had the conversation with several people about how every foreclosure was somone's home & dream. This is, after all, the american dream. SO, with the guilt of buying up somone elses broken dream already firmly in place, Ive discovered a part of the market that I had formerly not known about- Pre-foreclosures.

Pre-foreclosures are homes that have gone into default but have not yet been re-possessed by the lender. To help you understand a foreclosure timeline, here's a brief tutorial (Ive learned alot in the last few days:

Notice of default- the Homeowner is at least 3 months behind in payments to the lender. A notice of default is posted at the county clerks office. The homeowner has up to 60 days to get their loan current or work out a payment solution to get current with the lender.

Auction- If the owner cannot get their debt current with the lender, the next step is auction. A notice of sale is posted and their home is auctioned off on a set date for the back owed amount plus fees that may have occurred due to the process. The owner has rights of ownership until I think 5 days before the sale. (after the sale, the owner has 240 days to buy back their house for the amount sold plus 6% interest)

Realestate owned- If the home doesnt sell at auction, the bank will usually take posession and send it to their REO dept. They figure out the amount owed and set a price. Then get it listed with the MLS to be sold. Usually at this point, the home is given a clean title and probably has some issue that kept it for going at auction (damage etc.)

Owners in pre-foreclosure sometimes try to sell their home for the amount owed so that they dont have the black mark of a foreclosure on their record and perhaps have a little extra to maybe start over. Some try (sometimes successfully) to save their home and make no attempt to sell. Either way, they arent facing the gun yet, but are on shaky ground.

Now, MANY people search for pre-foreclosures because the potential for a very reduced price with alot of house is a good bet. You can save up to 90% of the market value. But it feels smarmy.... You are circling like a shark (as my hubby did the jaws theme behind me the other night) waiting for someone's bad luck (or bad choice) to benefit you. 

Alot of people made bad choices buying more house than they could afford using risky lending practices and are now looking at possible foreclosure. So in a sense, you try to justify what youre doing. But I still feel smarmy.

In case you were wondering, yes, I have found a house in pre-foreclosure that we like. Ive talked with the bank to find out what their status is. I'm watching this property to see if it goes further down the process making itself available to us. They are not attempting to sell their house (and I havent contacted them) And having mixed feelings the whole way. We are trying to make every penny we have count for us. That means taking advantage of this market and put us in a better place to have more room and land.

How do you feel? Would you search around pre-foreclosures? Auctions? Foreclosures?

House Hunting- #4

(For those wondering, I numbered #4 since we did see some in between this and Hunters lodge)

The house we like best so far and the most expensive. We're hoping that the price will come down as it sits on the market longer.

3061 square feet 3BR 2bath 1 1/2 bath 5.20 acres another room that I guess they count as an office. fireplace, COOOOOOOL layout (very open floor plan) She isnt much too look at right ow but we're smitten. We did find some mold issues probably caused by a leak somewhere in the gutter drainage system. This would need to be addressed soon or it will ruin this house. The other issue we see with this home (besides the fact that my grandmother hates it and is doing everything in her realtor power to discourage it from ever being ours) is the driveway. We would need every bit of our 4x4 when winter hits. It's almost a 45' angle. Personally, I know the driveway will suck, but I love it :)

I think I'm going to try and contact the bank to ask some questions about how low they would go (i'm doing a wedding for someone that works at a bank next weekend.She had given me a name..I need to get it from here again). We're still looking and have seen several houses before this and after this one. Fo instance, Ive decided that I dont like colonials. Every one weve walked in to feels claustrophobic. I have found that I'm particularly fond of open floor plans and (much to my surprise) I like contemporary style homes! Go figure. One we walked in to wasnt bad...felt a little smll but not too bad until we went downstairs. Even rayray as we went down the steps said "Stinky!"...serious damp smell PSHEW!

I have one more to show you but its late. so I'll add it tomorrow.

Meanwhile, anyone know someone that wants to rent my 3BR 2Ba 1200SF home? :) 

House Hunting- #2 Hunter's Lodge

House#2 at first glance is perfect. New wood floors throughout the house. 3000+ square feet, 5 rooms, 4 bathrooms, another perfect room for photography studio, private deck off the master bedroom. 5 acres and plenty of room to play. HUGE garage with workshop. But something at the back of my brain kept setting off a little alarm bell. The house felt (dont laugh) sneaky. Like it was hiding something.

After 2 trips through (and 140 some pictures-we photograph each house we look at so we can look for issues or remember details) we asked a favor of his cousin (he's a builder) to com do an informal inspection of the house. If he didnt find anything, we were going to make an offer. OUCH, did he find things.

1/2 this house doesnt even meet the building codes. The section including the garage and up is all new addition. They got the permits to build but never had it inspected again (on purpose I believe) the roof is improperly supported, an unprotected gas line, not properly insulated and protected according to fire codes just a few of the biggies. Our cousin's rough estimate if we had all the work professionally done was around $80,000.00  

We could probably get alot of this done for less cost (we know alot of people in the biz) but we just couldnt get around the "not to code" issue. Our loan appraiser would never approve the loan if the house wasnt even to code and since this owner MUST be aware by now (his house has been on the market a little over 2 yrs) we were certain that we couldnt get him to bring it up to code before buying it. Obviously (he has 2 mortgages on the house) he is out of money or he would have finished the job right. So another one we walked away from. This one hangs out in the background though...if the price comes down drastically, we may consider it again depending on the status of the code issues.

House Hunting

As ive mentioned, weve been house hunting. So I thought i'd share some of the homes that have impressed (or scared us) the most.

 This is the farm that started all this madness. some stats:

9 acres, several barns, BEAUTIFUL property 2 miles from the daycare, even less to mom's house.Even a room for my photography studio!! LOVED this property...... until we got inside the house.

Cue dark music. Let us just say wet. A hole in the roof and been left for so long that one room had standing water on the wood floor. Can we say MOLD. We would have had to remove the floor and all the sheet rock in the house (circa 1935). I took pictures in the cellar (what there is of it, most of the house sits on a slab). part of the structure was rotten and sinking as well as damaged by termites. The upstairs was ruined by animals (feces & stains) and the house was wet from the roof to the cellar (insulation removal, roof repair etc.) one barn would have had to probably been removed and we found a pile of asbestos boards? in another that would have required special removal. Bathroom and all the windows sills were rotting (why someone would put in new windows and NOT fix the wood they sat in is beyond me) Long story short (and its a long story) we came to the conclusion that the house would either require ALOT of $$$$$ and work (and wouldnt be livable at first) or would need to be demolished. We decided agains the farm since we couldnt justify the cost and where the HE#$ would we live while fixing this place??? sigh.

Bye bye beautiful farm. 

I have 3 others (including the one we like best) to share with you soon :) 

Lets see my progress....

Lets see how many of these things I accomplish (or at least try) by December:

1. Ice skating (only been 1 or 2 x's but would like to learn more) -Not Yet
2. Rollerskating (miss this and its good exercise) -Not yet (unless you count the kitchen)
3. Camping (Miss this ALOT and want to introduce it to RayRay) -Not Yet
4. Motorcycling (sigh...poor bike)- ALMOST-bike heads out tomorrow to get the carb ungummed.
5. Kayaking (still learning, but having akayak was always a dream. Now I just need to learn to use it correctly-and adjust the foot peddles for the rudder) Not yet but see Canoe..
6. Canoeing (have my eye on one) -Bought and USED...fun fun fun!!
7. The Beach -Yep..made it (Thanks Jaime)
8. Hiking (anywhere) -twice weekly at the Spotsy battlefield yea me!
9. Swim lessons for Boogie (and big Ray if I can beat him into submission) Boogie is learning via me...now if only Big Ray...
10. Get to the damn *@#$%^& gym-several times..but I find the battlefield to be WAAAAAY more fun and more exercise so I'm going to cancel my gym membership.

Not too bad....btw, anyone wanting to help me accomplish my list, feel free to jump right in!!!! (I like company!) Next up, Shenandoah Rafting trip (ooooooooh, my oldest girlfriend from like forever! might come see us at the end of September so I'm STOKED (yes, I know, the 80's called and want their crazy catch phrases back-lol)

Which Disney Character am I?

[url=http://www.youthink.com/quiz.cfm?action=go_detail&sub_action=take&obj_id=2492]Which Disney character are you?[/url]

My Results:

[url=http://www.youthink.com/quiz.cfm?action=go_detail&sub_action=take&obj_id=2492][img]http://www.youthink.com/quiz_images/full_346953828.jpg[/img][/url]
Genie You`re unique, comical, and just a joy to be around. You make the wishes of others come true by putting a smile on their faces.

Canoe Canoe-

Asho-kan (ok, no one but my BFF would get that, but its from camp Ashokan where we went together as teens) but I picked it up today! It currently is strapped down to the top of my truck. I must now get it home and off my truck (flying solo) then go pick up RayRay from daycare. Interesting..... My best buddy in the whole world Wade (I was really appreciative this morning) helped me strap it up and it still took awhile. (and a few new scratches on my truck....sigh) now I just have to navigate the worst road anywhere (that would be my work road...grrr) and a 30 minute trip home. HOPEfully, I'll get it in the water this weekend. And at $3.77 a gallon, finish getting the motorcyle ready for the road as well.

now all I need is the free time to go out with the boats...heehee 

FIRE TRUCK!

We went over to the firehouse to say hi to my friend & co-wroker as he worked the motorcycle poker run. While there, they had the firetrucks out. Ray immediately says "the firetrucks are awake!!!" (we always tell him they are sleeping when they are in the garage) So we go over to look and not only do they let him get INSIDE, but start it up (at what 4.15 a gallon for gas..ouch) and blow the horns and siren (um..."Sireen") which Ray wasnt too happy about. it's alot louder up close. But he had a great time...hell, I wanted to get in and blow the Sireen! RayRay was too scared to actually push the buttons. They turned the lights on, moved the seat up for him so he could reach the steering wheel, offered for him to wear the hat and headphones...Sheesh these guys were nice! He showed us around the firehouse AND let Ray drink from their very special fireman's water fountain and its special fireman water! (lol) He was given an invitation to come back any time he wanted....So Thank you fireman Sgt. Joey..you were one very cool dude!

Oh, and RayRay tells me that the choo choo was waay louder than the firetruck! (heehee)

Did I mention that we got to see some motorcycles too? Cool, but not nearly as cool as the firetrucks! Love this Mommy Job!!

Choo-Choo Train ...."TOOT TOOT!"

ok, more like "WOOOOO WOOOOO"

Yesterday, I took Ray to Ferry Farm and ate McD's (i know christy, again..but it was worth it) we waited for the Train. We were sitting maybe 30 ft from the tracks in the parking lot of McD's and we had a "picnic" in the back of the truck. Daddy met us there on hiw way home from work.

We had almost given up thinking there was no train last night when we heard it (I had already buckled RayRay in) so he starts saying "mommy get me out!" so I scooped him out of the truck and held him. We stood there watching the bright light through the trees get closer and the rumble get louder. and then they hit the horn for crossing the road.

Whoa.

Boogie's lip started to tremble and his eyes got HUGE and he just uttered a little tremulous "mommy" and made sure he was holding on tight. We had warned him that it would be loud but that loud couldnt hurt him, however, I dont think he has truly experienced LOUD like this before. Credit to the little man, he watched the whole train with eyes the size of saucers and didnt ask to leave-even after 3 more blasts the 2nd of which was right in front of us and tremendously loud! The kind that rattles your bones and soul.

After it was gone, he kept asking to do it again  and on the way home (after we had explained that the train doesnt come back until another day) he was still excitedly telling me "the Choo Choo come back!" so I guess we didnt traumatize him too much! It was fun...I like doing new experiences like this and he is such a brave little boy! Can I just say how much we are enjoying being parents!

Roller Skating at Cavalier Skating Rink Stafford,VA.

Start:	May 7, '08 6:00p
Location:	Cavalier Skating, Stafford, Virginia

Adult skate from 7p-9p $4 includes skate rental. Must be 18 or older (I think that includes us, right?)
1924 Jefferson davis Hwy.
Stafford, VA. 22554
540-657-0758

We could meet up earlier and have coffee or dinner and then go!

Welcome to the Fredericksburg Ice Park

http://www.fipskate.com/
Rates & information for prices and class descriptions. Check the schedule for public session times

roller skating

ok, I got my rollerblades out of the garage and put them on. Yes, I rollerbladed around the kitchen (lol) but after a few wobbly  "uh-oh" moments, I got my balance back and got comfy with them again. I may still need to wear a pillow bungeed to my butt, but I think this is going to be fun!

Things I want to do this year...

Lets see how many of these things I accomplish (or at least try) by December:

1. Ice skating (only been 1 or 2 x's but would like to learn more)
2. Rollerskating (miss this and its good exercise)
3. Camping (Miss this ALOT and want to introduce it to RayRay)
4. Motorcycling (sigh...poor bike)
5. Kayaking (still learning, but having akayak was always a dream. Now I just need to learn to use it correctly-and adjust the foot peddles for the rudder)
6. Canoeing (have my eye on one)
7. The Beach
8. Hiking (anywhere)
9. Swim lessons for Boogie (and big Ray if I can beat him into submission)
10. Get to the damn *@#$%^& gym

if I think of anything else , I'll add them on!

Do I have a life?-Guess not (lol)

SUPPOSEDLY if you've seen over 85 movies, you have no life. Mark the ones you've seen. There are 209 movies on this list. Copy this list and paste. Then put an X next to the movies you've seen, add them up, change the header adding your number, and click "Post" at the bottom.


Have fun!

(x) Grease
() Pirates of the Caribbean
() Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest 
() Boondock Saints
() Fight Club
(x) Starsky and Hutch
(x) Neverending Story
(x) Blazing Saddles

(x) Airplane
Total: 5

(x) The Princess Bride 
() Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy
(x)Napoleon Dynamite
() Saw
() Saw II
() Saw III
() Saw IV
() White Noise
() White Oleander
(x)50 First Dates
(x) The Princess Diaries
(x)The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement

Sub-Total all together: 10

(x) Scream
( )Scream 2
()Scream3
(x) Scary Movie
( X)Scary Movie 2
( X)Scary Movie 3
( )Scary Movie 4
(x)American Pie
( x)American Pie 2
()American Wedding
( )American Pie Band Camp
( )American Pie Naked Mile

Sub-Total all together: 16

(x ) Harry Potter 1
(x ) Harry Potter 2
( ) Harry Potter 3

( ) Harry Potter 4

() Harry Potter 5
() Resident Evil 1
( ) Resident Evil 2
(x)The Wedding Singer
()Little Black Book
(x) The Village
(x) Lilo & Stitch

Sub-Total all together: 21

(x) Finding Nemo
() Finding Neverland
(x) Signs
(x) The Grinch
() Texas Chainsaw Massacre (the original)
() Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
()White Chicks
(x) Butterfly Effect
()13 Going on 30 
(x) I, Robot
()Robots

Sub-Total all together: 26

(x) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
() Universal Soldier
()Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
() Along Came Polly
(x) Deep Impact
() KingPin
(x) Never Been Kissed
(x) Meet The Parents
(x) Meet the Fockers
() Eight Crazy Nights
(x) Joe Dirt
(x) King Kong (the original)

Sub-Total all together: 33
(x)A Cinderella Story
()The Terminal
() The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
()Dumb & Dumber
( )Dumber &Dumberer
( x) Final Destination
( ) Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
(x) Halloween
()The Ring
() The Ring 2
()Surviving Christmas
(x) Flubber (the original)

Sub-Total all together: 36

() Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
() Practical Magic
() Chicago
(x)Ghost Ship
() From Hell
() Hellboy
() Secret Window
()I Am Sam
(x) The Whole Nine Yards
() The Whole Ten Yards

Sub-Total all together: 38
(x) The Day After Tomorrow
() Child's Play
()Seed of Chucky
() Bride of Chucky
() Ten Things I Hate About You
() Just Married
(x)Gothika
(x) Nightmare on Elm Street
(x) Sixteen Candles
() Remember the Titans
() Coach Carter
(x) The Longest Yard
() Gridiron Gang
(x)The Grudge
() The Grudge 2
(x) The Mask
()Son Of The Mask

Sub-Total all together: 45

() Bad Boys
() Bad Boys 2
( )Joy Ride
() Lucky Number Sleven
() Ocean's Eleven
() Ocean's Twelve
() Ocean's Thirteen
(x) Bourne Identity
(x) Bourne Supremecy .....
() Lone Star
() Bedazzled
(x)Predator I
() Predator II
(x) The Fog (Both)
(x) Ice Age
() Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
()Curious George

Sub-Total all together: 50
(x)Independence Day
(x) Cujo
(x) A Bronx Tale
()Darkness Falls
(x) Christine
(x) ET
()Children of the Corn
() My Boss's Daughter
(x) Maid in Manhattan ( I OWN)
() War of the Worlds (both)
() Rush Hour
() Rush Hour 2 ... rush hour 3!!!!

sub-Total all together:56
() Swimfan
(x) Miracle on 34th street
() Old School
() The Notebook 
( K-Pax
() Krippendorf's Tribe
()A Walk to Remember
(x) Ice Castles
( )Boogeyman
(x )The 40-year-old-virgin

sub-Total all together: 58

(x)Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
(x)Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
(x) Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
(x) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(x) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(x) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

sub-Total all together: 64

() BASEketball
() Hostel
() Waiting for Guffman
() House of 1000 Corpses
() Devils Rejects
(x) Elf
(x) Highlander
(x) Mothman Prophecies
() American History X
() Three

sub-Total all together: 67
() The Jackal
() Kung Fu Hustle
() Full Metal Jacket
() Shaolin Soccer
() Night Watch
(x) Monsters Inc
(x) Titanic
(x) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
(x)Shaun Of the Dead
() Willard

sub-Total all together: 71

() High Tension
() Club Dread
()Hulk
(x) Dawn Of the Dead
()Chronicle Of Narnia The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe ( I OWN) 
() Orgazmo
(x) Phantasm
(x) Waterworld

sub-total all together: 74

( ) Kill Bill vol 1
() Kill Bill vol 2
( Mortal Kombat
() Wolf Creek
() The Hills Have Eyes
() I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
() The Last House on the Left (original)
() Re-Animator
( Army of Darkness

sub-Total all together: 74
(x)The Matrix
(x) The Matrix Reloaded
()The Matrix Revolutions
( ) Evil Dead
( ) Evil Dead 2
( )Team America: World Police
(x) Silence of the Lambs
(x)Hannibal
() Red Dragon
() Anger Management

sub-Total All Together: 78

Stuck!

ok,ok..I know a good mom would have gotten her child unstuck from under the little car instead of getting the camera....but it was so funny and I DID ask if I could take a picture and he DID say yes.... ROFLMAO! (He had slid himself through the bottom opening thinking he was being funny) Somewhere I have a side pic too- this one makes him look like he's working on the car!)

Random Pics from 2007-2008

Amy photo fun

Just to start getting some of the pics here

What would YOU do??

http://www.alife4sale.com/

Check this out... This guy is selling EVERYTHING- including:

his house, contents,cars,bikes,job & friends! AFter what apears to be a painful divorce, he has decided the best way to move on is to leave it all behind. He is actually ebaying everything with the intention of walking away with his wallet and heading for the train to get the next train going anywhere.

I dont know about you, but I know that this seems rather appealing some days. Not that I have any intentions of leaving and certainly not of EVER leaving behind my son but if you didnt have children or seriously important ties like children or family...what would you do in his situation? Go look at his website..it's rather interesting

I have to say that the nay-sayers are skepticle at best..downright nasty at worst. Yes, he will still find that he brings that which haunts him inside his own head, but I applaud the clean break and the willingness to start over somewhere completely different. THat does take a certain amount of courage. Nad in that process, he may work out the ghosts.

I personally, wish him luck in his travels to find his reborn self.

Rascal Flatts- 'What hurts the most'

I can take the rain
On the roof of this empty house
That don’t bother me
I can take a few tears now and then
And I just let ‘em out
I’m not afraid to cry every once in a while
Even though goin’ on with you gone still upsets me
There are days every now and again
I pretend I’m okay
But that’s not what gets me

Chorus

What hurts the most
Was being so close
And havin’ so much to say
And watchin’ you walk away
And never knowin’
What could’ve been
And not seein’ that lovin’ you
Is what I was tryin’ to do

It’s hard to deal with the pain
Of losin’ you everywhere I go
But I’m doin’ it
It’s hard to force that smile
When I see our old friends and I’m alone
Still harder gettin’ up, gettin’ dressed, livin’ with this regret
But I know if I could do it over
I would trade, give away
All the words that I saved in my heart
That I left unspoken

Not seein’ that lovin’ you
That’s what I was trying to do
Oooo, Oooo, Oooo –

Sign in to Yahoo!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/amymovienight/database?method=reportRows&tbl=2
Link to Movie Night group site.
I'll keep a database there for listings of Movies to see or have seen. I'll send invites to those I know are coming regularly or voice that they want one ..it will make it easier to keep up with movie night news. No requirements, just the formal place to keep updated :)

Amy's Movie night

Start:	Apr 11, '08 01:00a
Location:	My Place

2nd friday of every month at 8pm
movie, popcorn, sweet tea, Pink lemonade here or bring whatever you want in particular to eat or drink!

uh--yea...another of those walks this week

We can too easily find ourselves captive of our own love. And the only one with the keys to our prison, has left.

The 3 day walk for the cure

Start:	Oct 3, '08 12:00a
End:	Oct 5, '08
Location:	Washington D.C.

www.the3day.org
60 mile walk for the Susan g. Komen for the cure in D.C.

Walk for the cure for Breast Cancer!

I want to do it!

Here's the web site www.the3day.org

I want to do this as a team...so I'm going to start asking everyone either to join me or donate. I know that sounds pushy, but I'm pushy about some causes..this is one of them. They'll be walking here in D.C. in OCT 3rd-5th. Not only will the training be a great way to get back in shape, but who knows, I might be saving my own life someday. Just about every female on my father's side has had either one or both breasts removed. I also have cancer on mom's side. Ive had my own cancer scare and because I'm at such a high risk, I always have that tiny fear in the back of my mind. I have friends that have had or have family members that have had breast cancer. I just recvd the brochure and was blown away by the thought that I had to do this.

I know the fundraising seems daunting, but I think I can do it. Go to the web site and look at all they provide for the walkers. Plus, honestly, it looks like fun! 3 days with my "girls" so to speak (and whatever guy friends decide to join up :)

Who's with me?!

 

 

Our trip tp NY-A.K.A. The frozen North

ROFLMAO...I love photo opportunities like this

We went to visit My aunt, uncle and their kids 1/20/08 in upper NY (hopewell junction) BBRRRRRRRRRR, but the kids had a great time! Ray went sledding and played with snow. The cute little doggie scared the hell out of him though. (puppy that wouldnt stop barking and tackled him once)

Flickr: Photos from AmyMrsR

http://www.flickr.com/photos/19235850@N00/
My Flickr album

I Would Walk 500 Miles Lyrics

Originally by the Proclaimers

When I wake up, yeah I know Im gonna be,
I'm gonna be the man who wakes up next to you
When I go out yeah I know Im gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who goes along with you
And If I get drunk, yes I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who gets drunk next to you
And if I haver whatever that means
I'm gonna be the man who's havering to you

But I would walk 500 miles
And I would walk 500 more
To be the man who walked that thousand miles
To fall down at your door

When I'm working yeah I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who's working hard for you
And when the money, comes in for the work I do
I'll pass almost every penny on to you
When I come home yeah I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who comes back home to you
And if I grow old well I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who's growing old with you

And I would walk 500 miles
And I would walk 500 more
To be the man who walked that thousand miles
To fall down at your door

Surrender
Surrender

When I'm lonely yes I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who's lonely without you
When I'm dreaming yes I know I'm gonna dream
I gonna Dream about the time when I'm with you
And if I get drunk, yeah I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who gets drunk next to you
And if I haver, whatever the fuck that means
I'm gonna be the man who havers next you

And I would walk 500 miles
And I would walk 500 more
To be the man who walked that thousand miles
To fall down at your door

Surrender
Surrender

When I'm lonely, yes I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man whos lonely without you
I'm gonna be the man whos coming home

cause I would walk 500 miles
And I would walk 500 more
To be the man who walked that thousand miles
To fall down at your door

Surrender
Surrender
Surrender.

My updated quiz page

http://www.quizyourfriends.com/quizpage.php?
as of 1/8/08.. thought it would be fun to do an updated one and see what everyone came up with. I'm playing with the code too, so It might pop on my myspace or elsewhere ;)

Information Please: News from 1971

http://www.infoplease.com/year/1971.html
This is cool..all the news that happened the year I was born. If you scroll down, you can enter a year you want to read the news from as well!

AmyMrsR - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

http://s7.photobucket.com/albums/y270/AmyMrsR/
This is where we keep RayRay pictures. Everything from Amy during the pregnancy to Ray Ray current in the 'All New Pics' Album! Enjoy!

Happy New Years!

SO, My crazy baby boy got a new potty seat from his "Aunt" Christine in CO. He really really wanted to try it out and since we were getting ready for bath, I got him undressed. Daddy came up to get pictures of Ray sitting on the potty (both Ray's were so proud) and then he hopped off and started telling us that there was water in the potty. Next thing we know, he has stuck his entire head into the toilet while STILL talking (ROFLMAO!) and saying "water in DERE" (sounds like "dare") "water in the potty" holy SHITE! I thought I was going to pee my pants! and a funny memory (and blackmail picture) is born!  So, we posted this picture as our Happy New Years on our family picture site. I didnt realize until now that I could link the 2 sites...yippee!