Realty/reality (or, Crumbling foundations are not good)

The good news: I sewed something!  Finally!  The machine in the corner had become this elusive bit of my past.  Well, not really.  But it had been like a month and the consensus around here is that I am a bit dramatic at times.  People look at the boy and say, "I wonder where he gets it" and then they glance sideways at me and smirk.  Anyhow, enough of this "not enough time to do anything because we're buying a house" stuff and onto the sewing (see: The bad news).  Oh, and before we move on I just have to say I know this baby blanket has a 70's vibe with all of the ties but I like the 70's vibe in this particular case.  It's "cheater" fabric all sewn together, in the $1 clearance, and I had just found these shorts for the boy ($2... Size 5!) and love the look of the plaids.  I've noticed people in the PNW writing about how it's impossible lately to take photos because it's too dark... So true.

The bad news: The house deal fell through late in the game.  We spent much of our Thanksgiving "vacation" dealing with house inspections and almost every other house-buying-related person/situation you could possibly anticipate.  We had an extensive list of things to remedy and they were all things I felt confident we'd have the money for, could learn to do, etc.  I padded all estimations with my extreme rounding skills ($200 becomes $1000 if you have Norwegian ancestry and are thinking worst-case scenario).  Anyhow, it was all do-able until it wasn't, because if the house falls down around you on a rotting foundation there isn't much point in owning the house.  I don't know if the house was on a rotting foundation (well, I do in one place-- beetles) because we couldn't access the back corner.  The whole house would have had to have been dug out to get back there, and to meet code and/or foundation breathability standards (which is not a real thing but just my personal house-speak)...  Phew.  It goes on and on.  The upshot is we aren't in a dreadful situation.  I have house-speak now.  I'm on a first-name basis with permit, building and records folks who work with the city.  Inspections don't scare me.  We have a lovely home and we're still looking every day for the next little house dream (something that's getting a bit easier the longer it takes with current mortgage/financial issues, slowly shifting us to a stronger buyer's market around here). 

It's hard to let those little dreams go though.  I was really cautious about falling in love because we knew there were a lot of issues.  The house was built in the late 1800's and needs lots of attention.  We did a lot of dreaming in spite of ourselves though, about shorter commutes, walking the boy to kindergarten in a few years just a block away, about the cute family next door with a darling girl around the same age as our little guy, about where the bookshelves would go, which flooring we'd pick, about paint colors, where we'd eat dinner... About the life we'd live there.  Poof.

Life's been super-busy with the house and now, all of a sudden, I realized we have to get ready for our trip to Vegas in a few days.  Who takes a trip to Vegas in December?  I'm going to sew something, because I really should be packing, cleaning, organizing, getting ready for Christmas.  Yep.  I'm going to sew some more.   

I'll leave you with the profound Playmobile lessons on real estate reality I found in the toy store catalog the other day: The log cabin is do-able, leaving extra funds for little things like doors and windows.  It's undoubtedly in a bad neighborhood though, with approximately 15 cars parked in the driveways on either side.  At double the price you can get the door, a window and a deck (which might be falling apart due to shoddy construction) but it still won't be big enough and the schools will be bad.  The next step up, with a second story and cute factor is way out of price range and the Grande Mansion Expansion Floor is just disgustingly out of reach.  The expansion floor alone, without the Grande Mansion, is out of reach.  Anyhow, we'll find our (old but non-crumbling) little version of the red framework house.  I know we will.            

Comments

[Sarah Jackson]

You'll find it. It takes patience and when it comes, it will be just right. Have fun in Las Vegas!

[beki]

Aww, I'm sorry to hear about the house deal - I was rooting for you.

Your blankety turned out great! I don't think it looks too 70's at all, I think it's perfect.

[Trina]

I'm sorry about the house. You are welcome to come visit ours anytime!

[Basil]

I know how painful it is when your imagination begins to create a life for you and your family in a place that can't be yours. We went through that a few years ago. We're still renting today. My heart goes out to you. I suppose you can always say that it was meant to be. The right house is still out there and waiting for you. That's what I tell myself anyway.

[kayla_d]

You WILL find the house that's right for you, and this is a great time to be looking. Have a great time in Las Vegas!

[bon]

Pretty blankie, it has that retro modern look that I like so much! I sooo totally know about Christmas coming while projects are awaiting, Projects are so much more fun and stress relieving. I'm sorry to hear about your disappointment about the house. Have you tried telling all your friends, neighbors and relatives you are looking for a house? They may know of something that isn't advertised yet. Also, you could ask at your bank about pending foreclosures. You're doing the right thing with all the inspections, keep up the good work. Your dream home is out there somewhere!