House Hunting: tick tock tick tock

Tick tock!  As I wrote about in my previous post, we submitted a contract to the builder this weekend.  We asked for the sun, moon and the stars, and they counter-offered us the sun. Not the moon and the stars. So we're in the thick of things with negotiations. They didn't say no to our demands, but they didn't say yes to all of them either.  I believe we can come to a price that we'll all be happy with and that's very, very exciting.  We can taste it, it's almost real - we feel like it's actually possible! But, we're not going to back down on what we want or the price we want to pay. We're also not celebrating yet, because they could be stubborn and not say yes to our price. We are still prepared to walk away. As sad as that would be, we're not going to back down on what we feel is a fair price, given this market. For now, we wait ... our counter offer is being submitted this afternoon. We have no idea how long they'll take to make a decision or if they'll counter back to us or what. We wait and wait {and for the record I'm not a very patient person so this is all kinda driving me crazy but I'm trying to distract myself and not think about it too much!!}

House Hunting: Negotiations

This weekend, we'll be putting on our "hard ass" hats and begin negotiations with the builder!  Hooray!  And also, puke!  As I blogged about last week, we've picked a builder and a lot and a floor plan. We met with the builder last weekend and went through pricing. We didn't negotiate anything at that point because we had to go to the design center this week to see if we wanted to make any upgrades to our fixtures, countertops, lights, etc.  We did pretty good with that, as in, we didn't upgrade much at all. We didn't have to upgrade much because we're already getting top rate stuff as the standard in our floor plan. Which is why we chose this builder in the first place, because they threw in things like granite and a three-car garage as "standard." Now that we have all of the prices for everything, we're going to meet with the builder this weekend with our list of demands and begin the negotiation process. We're nervous about it because although we REALLY want this house and this neighborhood, we're prepared to walk away if we don't feel as though we're getting a great deal. We don't want to have to walk away but we're not 100% sure that they're willing to wheel and deal.

Do we want to be soaking in this tub in our "retreat bath" as it's called?  Heck yes. The "retreat bath" {which is what they call the "master bath"} is soooo pretty. It has a vaulted ceiling, and TWO walk in closets, oh wow!

Do we want this to be our kitchen, complete with granite and nice cabinetry and that beautiful island?  You know it!

Do we want this to be our "gathering room" {what the builder calls the "great room" and what we call the "family room" haha}?  Hells to the yes!  It's so pretty with its stone fireplace and bank of windows! 

Do we want this loft area, for the girls to store all of their toys and play games and etc.?  YEAH!  Yeah we do.

However!  However.  We want to be able to talk the builder down on a couple of prices. We don't want to pay through the nose for this ridiculously gorgeous house. We'll pay for it, just not bleed ourselves dry for it. We'd be already getting the house at a reduced rate ... comparable houses in the same neighborhood are $50,000 more, and that's on the low end. The builder has reduced the base prices. So while we know we're getting a deal already, we are also a bit jaded. We had a hell of a time selling our house. We had one crappy offer after another from unqualified buyers, offering us $40,000 less than our asking price. We settled on a decent price with the guy that bought our house but had to bring a bunch of cash to the closing table.  For better or worse, because of that experience, we're prepared to negotiate and negotiate hard with this builder. We're going to ask for the sun, moon and the stars, and hope we come out with at least the sun and the moon. Cross your fingers for us!  I hope I have good news to report next week!

Etsy Favorites Wednesday - antiques and reclaimed items!

This week's Etsy Favorites Wednesday list is by a guest blogger, Sarah!  It's an international addition!  Sarah hails from the great land of Canada.  I thank her kindly for volunteering to put together this week's list - check out the things she found - all gorgeous!  Sarah writes ...

My list of favourites is compiled mostly of antiques and reclaimed/recycled items. Each item appealed to me for different reasons, but the one thing they all had in common? Originality. I grew up with a Mom that loved to go "antique-ing". Each week we probably visited at least 3-4 "junk" stores to look for eclectic treasures. Now, as an adult myself, it's a habit that has carried over. I love shopping at discount home stores and antique stores to find unique items for me and my home. I really don't mind sifting through hundreds of items until I find the perfect one. Etsy makes this really easy: no dust, no sneezing!

Vintage Cups - The first items are truly a blast from the past, my great-grandmother owned these cups! Aside from their awesome cheery colours they really do a great job of keeping your drink cold. Best of all? If you are clumsy like me and drop them? They don't break!

Vintage mirror & Gothic style mirror - My next second picks are very similar, but extremely beautiful. I think most of us would agree that the character, and sometimes, the quality of newly built homes are lacking. Instead of crown mouldings, tiled ceilings and rich finishes from days of old ... we have open floor plans and the same boring finishes: various laminates, neutral paint colours and white cabinets. I don't know about you, but I was scared away from the character home when I realized it would be an additional $50K to make the house livable. Instead I opted for the well built, newer home and am using reclaimed items to give my house some distinction. I adore these mirrors and since mirrors make your space look larger, you should definitely have a few!

Farm House Table & Wood Cabinet - The third item on my wish list? Reclaimed cabinets and shelves. Again because I am the girl who would renovate an old barn or church to live in, were money no object.

Hooks - My fourth selection is just plain fun (but still practical). Part decor, part storage solution; take advantage of your wall space and hang something up. A vintage apron would look really sweet on these!

My fifth item for the week? Vintage earrings, because your house can't be fabulous if you look like a frump! As a new mom with an extremely limited wardrobe (and budget) these days, I am finding accessories are key. Inexpensive and easily acquired: change your accessories and you change your entire look.

Cloisonne Earrings - These remind me of some Anthro door pulls that I want - just beautiful.

Green flower Earrings - I am a fan of small doses of flowers and frills - these fit the bill.

Tulip earrings - A nice change from the traditional silver and turquoise that is characteristic of the south - simple and feminine.

Hope you liked my list! What are some of your reclaimed or recycled favourites?

YeeeeeeIKES!

My husband loves horror movies. He has an expansive collection of DVDs and Blurays, a blog, {which he needs to update, heh hem!} and every night he falls asleep watching a movie on his portable DVD player. I don't mind watching the movies with him, but they're not my favorite type of movie to watch. I do prefer the horror movies where ghosts or the supernatural are the main characters. Or possessions, those get me too. He prefers the slashers and monsters like Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees and the really bad horror slash comedy movies such as Piranha in 3D. I'll sit through those as long as they're not too badly acted, and I did chuckle at Piranha.

Last year, we both really wanted to see Paranormal Activity when it was in the theater. That kind of stuff freaks me out, the whole pretense that it's "real" and that it's a demon.  Aaaah!  Scares me! We didn't make it to the theater so we bought it on Bluray when it came out. We watched it with the lights completely off really late at night and it changed me. It freaked me out so bad!  I was scared.  Have you seen it?  Oh my goodness. I made my husband sit right next to me and hold my hand and I kept squeezing his hand in fright. I can't remember another movie that scared me so badly.  {He was simply delighted at my fright.  Weirdo.} And wouldn't you know, it was right around 3 a.m. when we went to bed {3 a.m. is a bad time of night for demons, you know} so I was very scared and couldn't sleep because I was afraid I was going to be dragged out of bed.

Well, a couple weeks ago he bought Paranormal Activity 2. I told him I wouldn't watch it. I couldn't watch it. I didn't want to be scared again. But I caved. We watched it last night.  It wasn't quite as freaky as the first one, I think because I was used to the format. But it was scary. I jumped quite a few times. The baby-in-the-crib scenes really freaked me out. The ending is surprising. I won't give too much away. If you're into that type of thing, being freaked out by a movie, I suggest you watch both Paranormal Activity 1 and 2, in a dark, dark room with your significant other or teddy bear close by for protection. And make sure you're asleep by 3 a.m.

House hunting: {hopefully} it's almost celebration time!

This weekend, we're going to be writing up a contract to present to a builder!!! If the builder agrees to our short-list of demands, then we're BUILDING IT!  We are so incredibly excited!  This is the same builder/neighborhood I was talking about in my previous House Hunting post.  We have yet to find a catch with their incredible pricing; I don't think there's one to be found.  We've done extensive research as has our Realtor. This builder just wants to make deals.  And deals they are making!  However, being a savvy buyer this time around, and given that this is a buyers market, we want to ensure that we are getting the best BEST deal, so on top of their already reduced prices, we're going to ask for a few more things to be thrown in.  Cross your fingers for us. 

Here is a Google map rendition of the lot we want to build on.  This is a little rough, but you get an idea of the area:

The Google image was taken in July 2010, so there's more empty lots pictured than there really are now.  I photoshopped a couple houses onto the street for illustrative purposes.  The lot we want is the red heart, obviously. There are two lots in a row, but the far right one is the best - its tree line is deeper. Notice all of the cul-de-sac streets?!  I can't even imagine what it would be like to live on a quiet street!  It would be a dream come true for my family. I'm quite serious. 

We put a refundable lot hold on the lot this week because we'd cry rivers if someone were to come in and snatch it up from us. We have a week to sign off on a contract, so by mid- to late week next week, we should know if this is going to happen or not.  I can't sleep I'm so excited about it!

Chewing gum

I keep having this dream, and it weirds me out. In my dream, it doesn't really matter the setting or what I'm doing, I have gum stuck all over my teeth. And I can't get it off.  I pull and pull and it comes off, but only in chunks and I can't talk right because it's still coating my teeth. Isn't that STRANGE?!  And probably really strange that I'm even blogging about it?  Yes and yes.  Anyway, I decided to look up on the internets what that dream could mean, because, you know, dream interpretation web sites are sooo accurate, right?  Riiiiiight.  *sarcasm* 

One web site says that if you dream about gum then you're unable to express yourself effectively. Hmmm, I don't think that is necessarily the case since I have no problem blathering on about nonsense things, case in point this blog post right here. The site also says that gum could symbolize a sticky situation.  Hmmm, very literal!  It goes on to say that if you're dreaming that you're unable to get rid of your gum, that suggests that you are experiencing some indecision, powerlessness or frustration. Or, you may lack understanding in a situation or a current problem is overwhelming.  The gum could be a metaphor for something you are trying to process or digest. 

I don't think those things apply!  I don't have anything big on my mind right now ... nothing that isn't there usually.  Sure we're trying to make a decision about where to move and that's a bit overwhelming, but this sticky-gum dream has been around for YEARS.  I used to have a dream where my teeth would crack off and come apart, or I'd eat something and bits of my teeth would fly out of my mouth.  Sorry, that's incredibly disgusting.  So maybe this isn't a gum issue, but a teeth issue?  So I looked that up as well.  On the trusty internets.  To dream about teeth, that is a forewarning about your health and or business - either could be in jeopardy. Whoah!  That's not good. Or, dreaming about teeth could mean you have uttered some false or foul words and those words are coming back to haunt you. Yikes.  I don't think I've said anything bad lately. The dream web sites I visited all said that teeth dreams are very common.  Have you ever dreamt about your teeth? 

Hmmm ... not sure if the dreams really mean anything or not, but I kinda wish they'd stop. I've love to dream about Care Bears instead. Or fluffy white clouds. Or happy singing birds.  Or laughing children.  Just not cracked, broken or sticky teeth. Ewwwwwww ick. 

Etsy Favorites Wednesday

Look at what I spied on Etsy!

Fabric rosette necklace - I think the addition of the fabric flowers is a sweet touch!

Ceramic owls - want!

Bowl trio - I think these would look lovely hanging on a wall.

Miniature Houses - I want to collect miniatures - miniature dolls, houses and owls, and display them on a shelf or a glass cabinet.

Angry birds crochet pattern - bwah haah haaah! 

My new little friend

I adore LaLa Loopsy dolls - even though they are mass-produced plastic button-eye dolls and I do make the sweetest handmade fabric button eye dolls - well, I just can't help it, I think the LaLaLoopsy dolls are adorable. The girls have two of the dolls - I got them for their birthday last year. This weekend we were shopping and I found MINI versions of the dolls!  They are so cute!  I bought myself one. She is so very darling. 

Meet my new little friend, her name is Peanut Big Top, because she was made out of fabric from a clown's costume! 

She has a little pet elephant, a ball, and a box of popcorn, and a little cardboard house!

I want to collect all of the mini dolls and put them on a shelf in my next craft room. I really want The girls really want this ferris wheel that goes with the mini dolls!  Isn't it cool?!

Happy Valentine's Day!

This morning, bright and early, two little girls jumped on me to wake me up and gave me kisses and hugs because today is VALENTINE'S DAY so IT'S EXCITING and it's a really special fun day!  The girls were soooooooooo excited to go to school and give their Valentine treats to their friends. 

Yesterday, we made decorations!

{Our deco-making operation base was my bed. Because it's big and cozy!}

 Lydia was the chain-making master!

This was my garland.

Look at all of the chains!  It looks so festive!

Today the girls wore their new heart dresses to school.

They are looking so old!!

**Sniff sniff**

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!



New commenting format

Hello!  I've just installed a new commenting form. {It's called Instense Debate which is a funny name since there's never any debating on there here Couple More Hours blog!}  I hope the new format works okay for everyone. It allows you to comment anonymously if you'd like, or you can leave your name. 

Feel free to leave a comment, even if I don't know you!  I don't bite, I promise.  The cool thing about the commenting form is that it allows replies to be made directly after each comment - which is helpful if someone asks a question or if I just feel like replying and saying thank you for the comment!  So go ahead, try it!  Don't be shy now ...

House hunting: What's the catch?

We may have found it, THE ONE!  OOooo!  Excitement!  It's with cautious excitement that I share this because I don't want to get overly excited because we still have to do some more digging.  We had house hunting trip number three this past weekend.  {I have blogged about our previous two trips, trip number two and trip number one.}  For trip number three we sat down with the builder we liked and priced out options for the two floor plans we liked.  Wowzas. High, high, high. This particular builder nickel and dimed us to death on options. We ended up adding in about $100K in options!  And these weren't extravagant things either!  Every single little thing we added had a large price tag attached to it.  Bottom line: we weren't impressed. We're not completely new to this - we had built a house in '08 (that we couldn't move into) but from that experience we knew a little about what should be included in the price of the home and what's overpriced for an option. We were disappointed, because we really liked the builder and their floorplans.  But we weren't getting the good deal that we wanted, so we scratched them off our list. Moving on.

After we had that appointment to talk numbers with that builder, our Realtor had lined up another neighborhood for us to scope out. We were really really skeptical even going into it, having just gone through two hours of "options pricing." We were tired, feeling melancholy and our brains were a bit fried.

But low and behold, our second appointment of the day?  It was amazing.  AMAZING.  The neighborhood we went to is almost completely built up.  Which is a plus. Although we had liked that mystery neighborhood that I had blogged about in hunting trip number two, we were unsure what it would be like being the first house in an undeveloped area. It would make us nervous to watch what other types of builders came in after us. But this neighborhood, the one we were in Sunday, was almost completely finished.  The builder we met with had a few lots left, and he was ready to make a deal. The builder is considered a "premier" builder around here, and because of that, we would have never even considered them an option for us. If our Realtor hadn't led us to them we would have never even given them a second thought. Their homes are quality, quality, quality, but they're also pricey.

The minute we drove into the neighborhood, we felt that it was right. It just felt like us. And for the first time, we got excited.  REALLY EXCITED.  The neighborhood has a good mix of houses in our price range and houses that are double our price range.  The streets are all cul-de-sacs, so there wouldn't be traffic. There are sidewalks throughout.  This particular little niche of a neighborhood is a part of a bigger neighborhood that is completely 100% built out, with walking paths, PARKS, a POOL and lots of dedicated green space.  THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT WE HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR!

The lots remaining are smaller than the rest in the neighborhood, which is why they are left, but they're big enough for us. The lots have a little tree line behind them, which is what we wanted for privacy. Most importantly?  The salesperson ran numbers for us and the houses are pricing there $50-$75,000 LESS than what they should be!  Major sale!  And those prices already include the "options" that the other builder was pricing for us. Not only "options" but really great upgrades.  Granite counters!  Upgraded cabinets!  Deluxe master bath with a vaulted ceiling!  DROOOOOOL! 

Based on our initial experience with this builder, we can build a very nice sized house, on a really nice lot, in an excellent neighborhood, for exactly what we had been expecting to pay!  It's unreal.  It feels too good to be true, which is why we're going back this weekend to talk about pricing some more and to look at some more floor plans.  We keep asking our Realtor, what is the catch? and she has tried to find the catch, but can't. We are cautiously optimistic about this. We're very very excited though.  If there isn't a catch, if this is legit, then this situation is EXACTLY what we wanted - to get in with a builder that is selling stuff like hotcakes just to finish out the neighborhood. But the super duper plus side to all of this is that we know that we're getting a quality home, because the builder has a rock-solid reputation. We want to catch a deal on a quality house, and this may just be it! 

When we go back this weekend we’ll be asking some more questions to make sure there's nothing lurking beneath the deal that would be a red flag. We're going to make sure it's legit. Stay tuned!

Drooooooool

And we have VICTORY

It's time to celebrate. Why? Because the "situation" the "issue" the "oh my god that is so freaking annoying" the "Wendy is going to lose her mind" thing?  IT'S OVER!  Miss Loud Music Playing poopy pants upstairs IS NOT PLAYING MUSIC IN THE MORNING!  Hallelujah!  Score one for ME! I was skeptical when she didn't play it on Monday morning, but she's kept it up all week!  YAY!  I guess the third noise violation with the threat of eviction actually did sink in with her!  YAY!!!  I wake up so happy!  My day starts with a bucket full of sunshine! 

Etsy Favorites Wednesday - heart's a plenty!

Who will be your Valentine?  The girls are very concerned with who will be their Valentine and who will be our Valentine on February 14.  They tell us it's OK for Daddy to be Mommy's Valentine. Daddy can also be their Valentine, but Arlene is Lydia's Valentine and Lydia is Arlene's Valentine. They can't be Mommy and Daddy's Valentine. They have this all worked out, because it's serious business!

Here are some lovely Valentine-related items from Etsy!

Heart shaped pin - this pin is made out of a hard shell gourd!  Isn't that cool!

Red velvet cake truffles - Oh my.

Copper enamel heart necklace - I really like the look of copper enamel jewelry.

Valentine doll - so sweet!

Pink peppermint heart marshmellows - I'll take six please!

Dance dance dance then ... pose

Tutorial! Moustachio'd {and kissable!} Valentine lolliops!

Here's how you can make Moustachio'd {and kissable!} Valentine Lollipops! 

I came across the idea for the lollipops on this web site and also on this blog . I drew my own moustachio shapes and made personalized sticker labels. They came out so cute I decided to provide this tutorial!

Supplies needed:

Craft foam in pink and black (available at Hobby Lobby in big sheets)
Permanent marker
Wrapped lollipops
Printable label sheets, plain adhesive paper or regular copy paper and tape
Scissors
Hole punch

I found Valentine tootsie roll suckers at Hobby Lobby - they are the girls' favorite kind of sucker!

First, print the stickers using the PDF at the bottom of this post.  I used 2" x 4" white shipping labels to print the stickers. The pattern below prints perfectly on the Avery shipping labels which you can buy from any office store or big box store. You could also use a plain sheet of adhesive-backed paper, or use plain copy paper and clear scotch tape. However, I found that the labels worked pretty good - we pressed them together and they stuck right to the sucker stick and stayed in place and helped to keep the foam shapes in place.

Next, have the kids write their names on the stickers.

The girls told me they didn't want to say "Love" to the boys in their class, so all of the tags say "From Your Friend."

Next, print out the shape pattern from the PDF below and cut out each shape. Trace the shapes onto the craft foam and cut out. I used a disappearing fabric ink pen to trace the moustachios onto the black foam because it showed up better than a black marker but you could use any type of felt-tipped marker.

The girls each have 25 kids in their kindergarten class, so we had a lot of shapes to cut out! I took this task on myself because the girls are still a little too young to cut out the shapes. They watched a cartoon while I traced 32 moustachio shapes and 18 lips. {I forgot I was using my Twilight cup while I was making these - haha that looks silly!}

Next, punch holes into the centers of the lips and moustachios.

Then, push the shapes onto the sucker sticks. The kids can do this step!

Next, cut the labels into strips evenly, fold them in half and stick them onto the sucker sticks. The girls pressed the halves together. 

Finished!

PDF pattern for tags:


Tags for Valentine's Day lollipops -

PDF Patterns for Moustaches:


Moustache Pattern for Valentine Lollipops -

Have fun!