That virtue Patience? Yeah, I don’t haz it. April 1, 2012

There are boxes everywhere in this house right now. Mostly because Tiny has been playing in them all, but you know… I’m aiming to fill two boxes per day for the next week and a half, and hopefully by then everything will be packed. (And if it’s not, I’m tempted to just leave it here…) I’m sure there will be a crunch, but right now Mr. and I are making ourselves feel like we’re doing okay on the packing front. Even though we’re not really doing okay on the packing front.

We’ve started getting short with each other in our tiny little kitchen, bumping into each other over morning toast and coffee, muttering about the stupid dishwasher, the f*cking noisy washer, the only one bathroom. (First world problems all, I know.) Both of us are getting anxious to move, to have space to spread out, to have more than one washroom, a dishwasher that works well, a garden, etc., etc. But. I’m going to miss this house. We’re a five minute walk to one of the nicest beaches in Vancouver. We visit the beach at least once a day, if not three or four times. This whole community makes a point of going to the boat launch to “check the tide”. It’s lovely. We have a beach close to the new house, but I think it’s going to be more of a walk (20 minutes in toddler time equals what, an hour?), and it doesn’t have as much sand. (Wow, first world problems, I haz them!) I think I will miss (a leetle) the coziness of this house – we can hear Tiny playing in his room from the kitchen, and it takes about 10 paces to get there if it sounds like there’s a problem. This house tops my list of favourites, but I’m sure the new house will make it very close to the top of that list in no time.

To add to the stressy feelings, we’re short on help for moving day (so if any of you want to come on by, we’ll spring for pizza and beer!), so Mr. called one of his good friends back east today to see if he wanted to come out for a “working vacation”. My awesome brother will be here to help load the truck up on this end, but at the other end, despite the fact that those were my old stomping grounds, I have few resources.  So our eastern Canadian friend can help unload the truck, then the boys can go off to Whistler for a ski trip while I put everything exactly where I want it! Mr. said he would feel bad about leaving me to unpack, but my inner control freak was jumping up and down cheering. Is it just me who does that?

Much love to all!

It’s a Long Road… March 24, 2012

Well, that’s it! Finally our little beach house is sold, and our little bit bigger rural house is bought. We move in the middle of April. Mr. went hunting for boxes already, and I’ve started filling them. We freecycled an Ikea desk that just won’t fit, and the box stacking has begun.

Side note: I used to hate moving because I couldn’t stand seeing how pitiful my life looked packed into a bunch of boxes. Now though? I kind of like it. It’s a good opportunity to purge stuff, and it’s maybe the only time my house is super organized.

So we’re heading up to the Sunshine Coast. Mr. has been trying to get me up there for 7 years. But I’m stubborn, and a wannabe city girl. (Another side note: autocorrect accepts wannabe as a word. Huh.) It took the arrival of Tiny to realize the there were more important things to life than how long it takes to get to Granville Island.

I have had this dream of making less impact in the earth for a long time, and have been working towards it. But the place we’re in right now doesn’t have any space for a garden, and our neighbours would freak out if we got chickens. Those were two big things I’ve been wanting for a while. So, that was part of the deal; we move there, and I get a garden and chickens. Of course, Mr.’s going to say yes, because he gets more room, a garage, a shop, and the Coast.

So now we’re talking about all the different ways we can reduce, reuse, lessen our impact, etc., etc. What I’ve found is that if Mr. is unsure about some of the ideas I suggest, I just have to reframe them in the context of the “zombie apocalypse”, and he’ll reconsider. It’s a dirty trick, but it’s also kind of funny.

So I’ve been pinning like crazy these days – most ideas and plans for gardens, chicken coops, and other cool home stuff. I can’t wait to put some of this stuff in motion! It’s an exciting move, much more exciting than I had initially thought it would be. I’m looking forward to being closer to my mum, and to taking Tiny to all the great beaches and lakes I grew up on. I’m really excited to start my own garden again, and to using that fabulous kitchen to preserve all the (hopefully) extra stuff we grow.

I “borrowed” the photos off the realtor’s website, so for now, here are a few shots of the new house! There will be more, I promise.

Much love to all!

Counting blessings. Again. March 7, 2012

Whoa. Seriously. I’m about as frustrated as I can be with this whole real estate process now. It’s been time after time of our realtor promising us that our subjects will come off, and then at the last minute, telling us that something’s come up with their other client, and that they’ll need an extension. So we heard this evening, again, that the buyer will need an extension because of some financing shenanigans somewhere down the line, and how FOR SURE everything will be settled by Friday. (Riiiight….)

So Mr. and I discussed it over dinner, and we’ve decided to give until Friday, and then that’s it. We “pull the plug” on this realtor, and sign with the competition. (How’s that for a slap in the face?) We’ve found a house close to the ideal area for an excellent price, and it’s beautiful! As beautiful as all those other places I’ve posted. I’m not going to post any pictures of this one because it’s like a tease. If and when we get it, I’ll jam up the lines with pictures of the joint!

So then, after we’d got done talking it over, and Mr. was still looking pretty despondent over the dishes (maybe it was the dishes?), I suggested that maybe we count our blessings instead of our disappointments. And it seemed to work! We’ve got a great little family; we live in a lovely area in a sweet little house; we’ve got family and friends who love us, and whom we love; we’re healthy; we live in one of the best countries in the world; we have a good income….On and on it goes. Seriously? We’re so fortunate that it makes it hard to be disappointed about anything for very long. It’s stressful to deal with this real estate debacle, but you know? It’s okay. We’ll make it through all of this. I know it.

Much love to all!!

I’m a Hypocrite. February 22, 2012

I want to preface this post with the following: I am what a friend calls “an urban hippie”. I guess that means I recycle, eat organic and fair trade where possible (and affordable), avoid chemicals, and generally try to live simply. I would like to head further down the path, but am intimidated by the commitment.

Mr. and I watched a documentary the other night about the ELF. It was interesting but disturbing. I can appreciate these people holding such strong beliefs that they feel that their actions are justified, but I cannot understand or support the destruction of property that also causes environmental harm. I feel like the tactics that they use (arson and property destruction) end up clouding the issue for many conservative folks who might pay attention to a well laid out argument for environmental conservation. Anyway, Mr. and I had a bit of a conversation about it afterwards, and he was all hot under the collar about companies cutting down these beautiful giant redwoods in order to make profit, and then about companies raping the environment to gain shareholders etc., etc. I’m usually pretty non-committal when these kinds of discussions come up, because they usually end up in loud heated conversations, and I’m just not up to it these days.

However, after he went off for a while, albeit with really good points, I finally said, calm as can be: “We cannot sit here and say anything about any company doing anything to make profit, because we support many of these companies in the consumer choices we make. We could choose to spend more money on clothing and furniture that is made locally from sustainable materials, but the fact is, we don’t. We choose to purchase consumer goods that are less expensive, and therefore, generally more environmentally harmful. I know I could get my clothes from the thrift store, but I don’t. I order from one of those big conglomerates that delivers the stuff to the house. I know that I am remiss in my choices for a large part, and so are you. Our investments are in oil and gas. We are voting with our dollars to support companies that add to the destruction of the environment, so we can’t call anyone else out about it when we are part of the problem.” Then I sat back and continued my game of solitaire with my heart pounding wildly in my chest. (I’m really bad with confrontation of any kind.)

He was quiet for a second and said, “You’re right. I didn’t really realize, but now that you’ve said that, it makes all the sense in the world.”

We discussed a little further, and got into the whole “we as a society” thing, which I think is a terrible way to look at things, because it separates us from society, and I feel like it reduces our personal responsibility by saying, Well it’s okay that I do this because I’m just one, but look at society, they’re all doing that. So, we decided that a big part of our responsibility “as a society” is to get out and appreciate nature as much as we can, and to foster that kind of appreciation in Tiny so that he can pass it on down the line. We’ll take visitors to hiking areas rather than tourist traps, and cultivate a love for gardening and free, environmentally friendly things to do; biking, kayaking, walking, etc. We’ll try to be more aware of our purchases, and buy second-hand a lot more. There are so many lifestyle changes that we can make that will make a difference, and I guess that’s the key: one thing at a time.

I know we’re going to have ups and downs with the path we’re on, but if we can live comfortably with less, and be role models for a simpler lifestyle, we can be comfortable knowing that we took responsibility for ourselves and our actions. That was originally part of my plan for this blog; to talk about my contribution to the world, and to hold myself accountable to someone. So far, I haven’t made many changes, and I feel like a bit of a hypocrite. Time to get back to it, I think.

Much love to all!

A real estate update February 21, 2012

For all of you (super sweet people!) who are following the debacle that is our real estate situation these days, the gorgeous house with the cottage, shop and gardens has passed us by. We were approved for the mortgage from the bank without a blink, and then the CMHC sent out an appraiser to assess the value of the property. He loved it! So we were sure we were in the clear for it. Then, a day or two went by and we didn’t hear happy news from our mortgage guy. Then we did. He said the CMHC had done a second assessment because the first appraiser hadn’t used current numbers. The second assessor did not move from their desk, but compared this amazing house with that amazing view and all of that wonderful spirit to a bunch of other listings for houses that were nowhere near as nice, but that had sold in the area, for nowhere near the price. Then he (or she) valued the house at almost $100,000 less than the selling price. Boo. Meaning we would have had to have made up the difference in the down payment. Which, not being gazillionaires, we couldn’t. All because the property was “rural”. Which it is, but then EVERYTHING is rural up there! Gah!

So, we put in an offer on our second-favorite house. It is GORGEOUS!! Like I can’t even describe how amazing it is! It’s fairly new, is MASSIVE, and has a suite in the basement for a bit of a mortgage helper. It’s in our preferred location, on an acre of land, gets good sun for gardens, is zoned for chickens, and is close to some very good friends of ours. Problem is: Buyer’s Remorse. Big time. The mortgage is higher – doable, but higher, so Mr. will need to work as much as if we stay here. The house itself, though amazing, show home quality, is not *quite* us. The gardens are not there yet; we would have to put them in. There is a decent list of things that are not quite right and it’s making us nervous. So, now we wait. Because at this end of things, this house is not yet officially sold. The buyer wants it badly, but their house is not sold, and there has been hold up after hold up on their sale and their financing and everything. It’s been a frustrating time, let me tell you. We have only a couple of days till the offer expires on the second favorite house, and at this point, we’re both hoping it just quietly goes away. I’m not posting any pictures because, well, I’m just not.

I’ve had enough real estate excitement for a while. I’d like to find a place, sell this one, move, and get on with our lives. But, I will continue in this holding pattern for a while longer because what else am I going to do? And, when eventually this place sells, I am going to open a really nice bottle of wine and have a giant cry of relief.

Much love to all!

Acceptance December 30, 2011

After all the intensity of the other house, there is yet more real estate drama to report. After wondering for weeks why we didn’t get a good feeling for the “wonder house”, we decided to just accept that there was something about it, and move on. Search after search after search on the MLS website showed so many houses – overwhelming, really. Mr. had a wider parameter for his searches than I did, but I stuck to my guns and fought him when he got out of bounds. We took a few trips up, looking at various places, but not finding the place that really “wowed” us. Finally, after torturing Tiny with a six house visit, I decided that was enough. Mr. found a few more places to look at, and we agreed that he would just take video footage of them, and that if anything popped out at me, we would go for another visit all together.

Well. Find a place he did. Actually, he found 3, but only one had the same cozy feel that our little beach house has. So…after 7 years of him trying to get me to move up there, I told him to go ahead and put an offer in on the house! Without even having seen it physically! I am going to try and accept whatever comes; I have a feeling that if I don’t fight things, my life will be a lot easier.

Here we go – loads of room, a great view, garden space, zoned for chickens, and with a tenanted cottage as a mortgage helper!

Isn’t it lovely? It’s got a great dining room, which leads out onto that big ole patio, which has an amazing view of the ocean! Mr. is ridiculously excited to sit out with a beer and just stare. I’m ridiculously excited about the garden, and about having chickens! (CHICKENS!) There’s loads of extra bedrooms, so of course, we expect guests (I’m lookin’ at you!)…

So, we countered back and forth a couple of times, and settled on a number. So now we’re waiting for our place to sell…oh goody…open houses…Will keep you all posted!

Much love to all!

Breathing December 16, 2011

Things happen for a reason. We truly believe that if we’re meant to do something, it will come to us easily and without struggle. So, we made our offer on the house, and it was met with a ridiculously high counter offer. We hadn’t had a good feel for the seller’s realtor from the beginning, so we decided to let it go and not make a higher offer. He had informed us that there was another couple interested in making an offer, and we were not interested in a bidding war, so we said Thanks but no thanks. Our own realtor called us yesterday to say that the seller’s realtor wanted to know why we weren’t countering, and that there was indeed no other couple interested. Funny. So the hunt continues for the perfect house that sings to us and calls for us to make it our home. We shall see. We shall breathe.

Much love to all!

Rollin’ on with the changes… December 10, 2011

So I’m wondering again why I called this blog Buying Karma. I don’t feel like I’m doing much of that, unfortunately. Oh, I have good days where I feel like I’m contributing to the world, but lately I’ve been having a lot more where I feel like a failure at so many things. It’s a terrible feeling, but really it makes me think a little harder, and pay more attention to my actions and my words. I guess I’m glad for that but wow is it ever nasty to go through!

If you remember, I was looking for signs from the Universe about Mr.’s work situation. I thought I had found one, but I think it was really *just* a seal. Oh well. Enter Plan E (or F or G or H, I can’t keep track!). Mr. has been trying to get me to move back to my home turf for 7 years! I was holding out for the perfect house in the perfect community, and it seems like it might finally have come. It’s a big funky house on a 2.5 acre plot that shares 16 acres with 5 other houses. There’s a workshop on the property, a greenhouse, a garden plot, plus a community garden. A studio (!) in the house, loads of windows and skylights. A 10 minute walk from the beach, a 10 minute walk to friends’, a half hour (or so – depends who’s driving) driving from my mom. In a community that embodies most of our values and accepts almost anyone no matter what. Never mind that the mortgage would be a clear $100,000 less than what we have now, meaning that Mr. would have much. less. stress. So … why am I so hesitant about this?

Our realtor came yesterday and we signed all the papers to put our cute little beach house on the market. It was a very sad moment; I love this little house. Anyway, last night there was much discussion about the old house, the new house, feelings (blech!) and such. After a couple of hours, I felt better, and it looks like we’ll put in an offer on the new place and see what happens. On the positive side (I think), I imagine there will be all manner of trials and tribulations, and I have a feeling that I will have so much more in the way of blog fodder, so that’s something! You all (All…who am I kidding? I know my mom is my only reader!) will probably get a good laugh out of me battling the garden, the wildlife, the cabin fever. Be warned, people, I’m going to need you!!

So, here’s a couple of shots of the house, stolen directly from the realtor’s website:

Lovely, ain’t it? Let’s see what happens over the next week or so. I’m still trusting the Universe to guide us to the right path.

Much love to all!!

Signs? Please? October 27, 2011

Since Mr. has been back at work, we have been discussing at length the best way to be together as a family more often. Clearly, our idea about winning the lottery isn’t coming to fruition, so we’ve had to go back to square one. Well, it seems we’ve got a few different options, and I really only like one of them. So every morning when I take Tiny and the little brown dog down to the beach, we say hi to God (the universe, Allah, Buddha, whatever you want to call the higher power – we are comfortable with God). We say thanks for having great family and friends, and for always having more than enough, and for living in a beautiful part of a great world. And we ask to remember to be patient, kind, and grateful. Also, we ask for Daddy to Please Be Able to Work Here. This is a big one, and we spend a lot of time thinking about how great it would be to have him working from home. We try to be more thankful than asky because, well, we kind of have the world by the balls no matter what the work situation is, but we always tack it on the end of our little talk.

So today, we were on our way down to say hi to the beach, and one of the neighbors pointed out that if we walked a little farther down the beach, we would have a treat! And we certainly did! Tiny loved him/her/it, and we named it Sammy:

Isn’t that the cutest thing? And he has his own Private Dock!

I started thinking that maybe this is some kind of sign from the universe. (Grasping at straws much? Yeah…) I really hope so, because the alternatives are bearable but not ideal, and I’d really like to have Mr. home more often. Let’s keep our fingers crossed, okay? And we’ll keep talking to the universe, and being thankful for what we do have instead of regretting what we don’t.

Much love to all!

Thanks for the memories July 30, 2011

Motherhood has been pretty good to me so far. I’ve been lucky enough to have had Mr. home for almost 7 months with me. I’m sure this has made things easier than they might otherwise have been. We’ve been taking tons of pictures and I’ve been working on a book for Tiny at Blurb. I really want to have a lot of memories for him when he’s older and we can tell him all sorts of things about when he was…well…tiny. I didn’t get a lot of stories about when I was growing up, but I loved the ones I did hear, so I know how important it is!

Of course, we’re still sorting ourselves out nap-wise, but I hear that’s a common complaint from most parents. We’re trying to be as laid back as possible about everything as we can, but sometimes it’s frustrating to know that he’s *so* tired but just won’t sleep during the day. So today, trying to get the guy settled for his afternoon nap, we sat in the rocker for a snuggle. And I thought about the things I’m not able to record for the future with photos.

Like the way his soft little hands feel when they’re roaming around while he nurses.
Or how his hair feels when I rub my cheek on his head.Or the way he wakes up with a fart and a smile at almost the same time every morning.

Or how he sighs and relaxes a bit so I can tell when he’s finally sleeping.
Or how when I’m nursing him to sleep he props his feet up on my legs.
Or how when he gets really tired he chews on my face or blows raspberries on my arm.
Or how he smiles at me when I come in the room.
Or how he yells ”mamamamadadadaamamdmamammm” when I leave the room.
Or how he’s started noticing so much more of the world.
Or how much we love having him around.

There’s so much more. I wish I could keep him at this age for way longer. I can honestly say this is not even close to lasting long enough. I know that there are other fun times (and some probably not so fun times) coming, but this is such a special time, and he’s such a great kid. I can totally see why people have more than one!