A Reluctant Thankful Thursday

I don't want to write a Thankful Thursday today. Instead I want to bitch and moan and complain and whine.

I could tell you that our "dream" house now has an accepted offer from another buyer and there is really nothing we can do about it. I could tell you that the stinking realtor who is still holding on to our earnest money from our expired offer didn't even bother to tell us that there was another bid on the house. We found out from a friend from church who lives across the cul-de-sac from the "dream" house. Had we known we could have put in another offer to secure our position and the seller (the REALTOR'S CLIENT) could have had the benefit of a bidding war on their house.

Nope. Now instead we are out of a dream house with our house up for sale. And the only reason we put the house up for sale was to buy the "dream" house to begin with. And the timing couldn't be worse with another little bundle on the way in just a few short months. Any other time I think I would just shake it off. But I'm just no good at being in limbo right now.

I could tell you how there are NO OTHER houses in the area that have everything the "dream" house had, and those that come close are twice the listing price.

I could tell you that I am devastated.

I could also tell you it is approximately the 12th day in a row of rain, and that does not help my mood.

And I could tell you that my mom's cancer and open heart surgery is weighing very heavily on me right now too. And that I am also worried about my dad who keeps falling out of his wheel chair and bed at the nursing home. Have I even mentioned that my awesome mother in law is fighting cancer and my wonderful father in law has early Alzheimer's as well? Because, yeah, that is going on too.

I could tell you that I really feel like it isn't just raining right now. It is pouring. POURING.

But I'm going to write a Thankful Thursday post instead. So here it goes:


-I'm Thankful that I have a warm, safe house to keep me and my family cozy and dry.

-I'm Thankful for my hubby's annoyingly optimistic outlook on this situation even though at times it makes me want to punch him in the face.

-I'm REALLY Thankful that right after hubby told me the news last night he followed it up with, "It doesn't really matter to me what house we live in. As long as I'm in a house with you."

-I'm Thankful that baby girl is kicking up a storm today since she hardly moved at all yesterday. It is good to feel those healthy limbs in action.

-I'm Thankful that we have our fabulous folks with us and that we are so close to our families.

-I'm Thankful that we even have the option of looking for a bigger house.

-I'm Thankful that Todd and I are healthy and that we have three healthy boys, and a healthy baby on the way.

-I'm Thankful that I have always preached that "everything happens for a reason" because now I have it perfectly rehearsed to repeat to myself.

-I'm Thankful for being thankful, cause whew!, I feel better now.


Continue to cheer me up folks. Heard any good jokes lately? Have any embarrassing stories you want to share? Or tell me, what are you thankful for?

Destressing

This past weekend was a bit stressful. On Friday my mom went in to the doctor to get an Eco cardiogram done on her heart because it looks like she may need open heart surgery. This while also fighting Multiple Myeloma. To say that this has me worried is an understatement. My mom is stressed and worried, and her usual flippant attitude is gone. That is a worry as well.

Stressful.

Then on Friday night I started to feel kinda sick. My stomach was feeling pretty upset. I ended up ridding my stomach of it's contents that night and early into the morning on Saturday. The rest of the day was spent trying not to move too much. Thank goodness Todd was home and able to get the boys out of the house for most of the nasty, rainy day to leave me to recover. But still.

Stressful.

And I know I said I wasn't going to write about it anymore, but here it goes. This house selling process is starting to take its toll. I know that houses in our area are taking an average of 12 months or longer to sell, but this 7 months already feels much longer. And I also feel like I am on a timeline here since we want to buy that other house before someone else does. Not to mention the process will get so much more complicated in a few months when we have a newborn here. PLUS, I am normally a very organized person and have the nursery and clothes and everything all ready by now. I haven't even bought anything for baby because I have no place to put it. I don't even know where we will be living. So frustrating.

Add to that the fact that Ben is still in his crib because we can't fit a twin size bed in that room and I'm starting to feel a bit nuts. Joey and Tommy were both out of their crib well before their 2nd birthdays, and I know Ben is ready. Every night he crawls into Tommy's bed and doesn't want to get out. I didn't want to get him a toddler bed because he is pretty big already and close to the weight limit on most of them. I felt like my hands were tied. Plus, PLUS, now is the time to potty train the little fella. He has been ready for a while (Joey and Tommy were potty trained at 2 years too) but I've been waiting to get him out of the crib first. See how this all wraps together? Ugh! I know I'm making more of this than I probably need to. And yet.

Stressful!

So. I've decided to stop the madness. My mom's situation is out of my hands. I will put it all in God's hands, were it is best dealt with anyway. So please. Pray for my mom if you would.

The house will sell. It will just take time. If we are meant to have the other (PERFECT) house, we will. I suppose this is helping me to learn patience. And, because this has been taking so long we have paid off some big bills. AND! Because Todd settled a massive case at work recently he should be getting a pretty hefty bonus that would help us with moving expenses and even new furnishings and updates for the new house. So there ya go.

This morning I bit the bullet and decided to order a toddler bed for Ben. And it is adorable. I also ordered some new bedding that I think he will love. See?

The bed also looks similar to the one in the pic but it is a caramel color and has little side rails. It is gonna look great! :)

*sigh*

Breathing a sigh of relief. After a week of rain the sun is finally making an appearance. Figuratively, and literally.

PSF- Belly Shot- 6 Months

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek
It's heeeeere! And it is really looking like a baby belly now, and not like I've had a few too many donuts. Though I may have.
Because, oh dear. I am packing some serious junk in that trunk. Wooh!

WW- Mmm...Cake

The day started out sunny and warm, and though it is not even 9:00 yet the boys have asked me approximately 800 times if I am having a good birthday. Yes, I am. I don't even feel any older. Imagine that! ;)

And just look at this cake! I'm a little nervous that I may eat the whole thing before Todd gets home from work tonight. It's just a little egg whites and milk. That's healthy, right? Surely my doc wasn't talking about birthday cake when he said to take it easy on the simple carbs.

I'm Not Afraid!

Tomorrow is my 33rd birthday. And even though I posted my age on my "bad" list yesterday the truth is that it really doesn't bother me. To me age is just a number. Turning 30 didn't bother me and turning 40 most likely won't bother me either. Just numbers. Really. It has caught me a bit off guard that I am at the 33 year marker already because I feel much more like 23, but how you feel seems to be much more important than the actual number anyway, and I still feel like a kid.

Nope. I'm not afraid of getting older. Maybe because I'm not afraid of loosing my good looks. I never claimed to be good looking in the first place, so that isn't a big worry. Not much to loose. Haha! I actually feel much more confident about myself now than I did at 16 anyway. So maybe my age is working in my favor in that department.

Perhaps I'm not afraid of getting older because I don't think getting older equals death. I mean, on a certain level I guess it does. But my sister died when she was almost 9 years old and so I grew up knowing that death can come knocking at any time. It isn't an age thing to me. Nothing to fear there.

Nope. Birthdays are just another day. I'm not really a whole year older than the day before. Just another day. No big deal. Now if I woke up tomorrow and I was suddenly 78 years old? Well, then that would be depressing. But I suspect that I will only age one day at a time, which leaves me plenty of time to enjoy and many more fun times to look forward to.

Tomorrow is already looking good. The predicted snowfall for today turned out to be a false alarm. I looked out the window this morning and saw green grass. Yay! And tomorrow the weather is supposed to be sunny and in the mid-fifties. Woohoo! PLUS, my mom called and said she is making me my favorite chiffon cake with cream cheese frosting. Does it get better than that? I think not. AND, I get a birthday wish. Can you guess what I'll be wishing for? I mean, I said I wasn't going to post about it anymore, and you aren't supposed to talk about your wishes anyway, but I bet you can guess. It rhymes with "bell our mouse".

And look at this!

Shauna sent me a birthday gift last week. Isn't that so sweet? A bookmark, a memo pad and pen, and a photo album (that I couldn't get in the picture because the boys have already stolen it to use as a wallet). So nice. Thanks, Shauna!

I think this birthday is also easy on me because I really love my life. I am exactly where I've always wanted to be. I've got the yummy hubby, three fabulous boys, and a baby on the way. I've never actually been pregnant on my birthday before so that feels like a gift in itself. Life is good. And I think my 33rd year will bring even more wonderful times. And some hard, trying times too. But having another birthday just means getting to be here for it all. And that is the important part. I'll gladly and gratefully add another year on.

Good/Bad

Good- We were outside all day on Saturday enjoying the sunny 70 degree weather and we had a blast!
Bad- Today is 40 degrees and rainy as it was yesterday for our open house.

Good- Five groups of people came to our open house yesterday.
Bad- The couple that was supposed to come back for a third time was not one of them. I don't know if that is good or bad.

Good- I will not be writing about selling our house again until we actually get an accepted offer, because I'm sick of thinking, talking, and writing about it.
Bad- Selling the house is all I can think about lately which means I may not be posting much. Well, actually, you might think that is a good thing. ;)

Good- My birthday is in a few days.
Bad- I'll be 33. 33! Huh? How did that happen so quickly?

Good- Another birthday (even 33) just means I'm still alive.
Bad- I'm 33.

Good- I just bought a WHOLE TON of fruit this morning. Lots of apples, pears, bananas, two packages of strawberries, and two huge bags of grapes.
Bad- It was super expensive and it will probably only last us until Thursday in this house.
Good- The grass is getting green and pretty, and buds and leaves are appearing on the trees. Woopee!!! Spring may finally be here!
Bad- We are supposed to get a few inches of snow tomorrow. Spring may have to wait.

Good- I had a 24 week check-up for baby at the doctor's office and everything looks fabulous. Baby's heartbeat was 159.
Bad- The doctor annoyed me with all his "easy on the simple carbs, and keep exercising" crap.
Especially when I noticed the doctor's scale has me 8 pounds heavier than my home scale. Grrr.

Good- My spell check is working.
Bad- I know that because I always spell exercise incorrectly. Shouldn't there be a "z" in there somewhere? Or maybe an "s" in place of the "c"? Whatever.

Good- I had a dream about donuts last night, and it was lovely.
Bad- Todd dreamed that I was cheating on him and woke up angry with me.

Good- My boys picked wild flowers for me from our backyard because, in their own words, "they love me so much".
Bad- Nope. Nothing bad about that!

Third Times The Charm?

The open house went really well last night. Don't they all? Everyone seems to be in love with our house, and yet we still haven't gotten an offer. I guess that is the problem with most first time home buyers. They just want to keep looking and looking, just in case.

The couple had actually already been to see our house when we had the open house two weeks ago. This time they brought their realtor and their parents with them. They seemed to really like the house but said that they were going to see a few more houses last night as well.

This morning I got a call from their realtor who told me that they really love the house and are very excited about it and will probably be coming to our open house on Sunday. Huh? So glad I did all that extra cleaning yesterday. Ah well. I guess the only thing they had reservations about was the one car garage. We'll see if Sunday's open house makes any difference for them. I bet they'll want to see it a 4th time. ACK!

So, I guess it will be a weekend of more cleaning for me. Woohoo! I hope you all have something more fun than cleaning planned. It is supposed to be a lovely weather weekend. Have a good one! And keep those fingers (and toes) crossed. Hopefully you'll be able to uncross them soon before you develop cramps. ;)