Accepted!

Today on our lovely summer drive through the Gorge (originally planned as a hike at Bridal Veil Trail but there was no parking, and then turned into a trip to Hood River) we got a call from our Realtor, Scott. The seller basically accepted our offer with one small change, a closing date of August 7th instead of the end of July. We are so excited but at the same time cautious...We now need the house to pass the FHA inspection for value (that shouldn't be hard) structure and safety. We had a little back and forth this week with counters.

We originally offered 160k due to all the work that needs to be done for it to be liveable for us AND the boys. The house also needs a new roof. The owner countered back at 190k which was only 10k off the asking price. We countered with 180k and the seller pays closing costs. He was supposed to make the decision by 2:30pm yesterday but wasn't ready and wanted the night to think about it.

I am so excited but still holding back waiting for the closing date to actually get here with no hiccups. 

I found a program the the PDC (Portland Development Commission) has in the city for a renovation loan up to 30k to help low income homeowners do major repairs for things such as roofs, bathrooms & kitchens. Monday we will be calling to get more information and see if we qualify, the house we know if in the Interstate Corridor for Urban Renewal where the city gives money to help fix up poor areas of town (Gentrification...)

We are also excited about the fact that after some love and sweat, we will make A LOT of equity. Currently according to Zillow.com (which doesn't know the condition of the house) it is worth 261k, the house next door 325k. Will some fresh paint, cleaned up floors and a new bathroom, we should be able to have the house worth at least 250k!

Last night I kept dreaming about the house and already decorating it...it has been almost 3 years since I have been able to paint and really decorate a home. I kept telling myself not to think about it or plan because I might jinx it!! I still will hold off on real plans until it passes inspection.

I will be so happy to have a home that the boys (Oliver at this point) can run around it. Right now we spend out day crammed in 1 small room and he is so antsy to go "walk". 

The house has so much space, so much more than I thought we would have at this point. The 1st and 2nd floors equal 1500 sq ft and then there is a full unfinished basement with another fireplace. Unfortunately, the ceiling height is non-conforming to consider it part of the sq footage but we plan to finish it anyway for a wine cellar, possible work space, entertainment/playroom and it is where the washer and dryer live. That will be way down the line, but it is nice to know that there is that space. The main floor has a large living room that used to be 2 but the owner took the dividing wall down 20 years ago. The Kitchen and Dining Room are open to each other as well making it easier for a future kitchen renovation. there is only one bath room and then there is a "bedroom" that is perfect for a walk in pantry with a lift top freezer. Upstairs there are 4 bedrooms.

The ceilings are high on the first floor making such a difference, just that alone makes a space feel bigger and more open.

We are crossing our fingers and holding our breath hoping that the next step goes smoothly and hope you will do the same for us!!

**On another note: Graham has a cooking interview (part 2) on Wednesday for an AM Sous Chef job at the new hotel in Newberg that is opening in September & I have applied for a 6 month temporary Product Developer position back in my old department at Columbia. If all goes well, I would start work (assuming their date is correct and I got the job) July 15th and if G gets the Allison Inn job, he would start on July 20th.

2 Months

Today Henri is 2 months old (and it's uncle Max's Birthday too...Happy Birthday Uncle Maxi!)

Monday Henri had his 2 month well baby check up. He has stayed right on his growth curve and is still a big baby for his age. He is 14 pounds (Oliver didn't reach that until 20 weeks...) and 24" long. He is in the 88th percentile for weight and 95th for height. 

He loves to smile, as I have mentioned before, being swaddled, hanging out in his swing and lounging in the Boppy on the couch cooing. He laughed for the first time yesterday and it was the sweetest cutest thing ever! I did not expect that to happen already. It's hard for me to believe he is already 2 months old. Yesterday he also batted at the Owl that hangs on his swing. The first time he has tried to go after an object.

He is such an easy baby and makes Oliver look hard as a baby, which he wasn't!

Here is my little man from our Father's Day Zoo Trip.

 

Hangin' out in the Baby Bjorn.

Anticipation

So we got approved for a home loan last week. This past weekend my Dad and I hauled the boys around to look at some places but primarily one place that is drastically reduced due to the condition but in the exact area of town we want to be in. I love the house even though it needs a lot of work, and needs some things to be done before moving in.

Yesterday morning Graham and I took the boys back to take another look and so Graham could see what it was really like in person.

We put in an offer that is a good amount lower than the asking price, but like I said there is a lot of work that needs done. One of which is a new roof. 

First off we are hoping that the owner either accepts our offer or counters and then if that goes through, that FHA will approve it for our loan. If not we have a couple of different options to look into.

For now I am just waiting with baited breath to hear if its a Yes or a No.

http://www.johnlscott.com/propertydetail.aspx?GroupID=201167545&ListingID=300239118

click on the picture to be taken to the listing...

Vote Now...Please!

This is the first step...
I am so sick of these people and the fact that they are famous for being horrible human beings...
They make up their own headlines and the media reports on them, for what?
I for one am excited that E! has taken upon themselves to see what the public wants...
If you are sick of "Spiedi" vote now on eonline.com
Should E! Be a Speidi-Free Zone? You Make the Call - E! Online

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21 Months

Today Oliver is 21 months. It's hard for me to believe that in 3 short months he will be 2 not to mention the fact that he already has a little brother!

I really have a lot of fun just watching him play. I find it amazing what he comes up with and picks up on. The other day he was sitting in his chair eating breakfast as I was getting ready. He saw me put on deodorant and for the next 15 mins pretended to put on his own...

He talks A LOT, but most of it is not understandable, or if it is, only I know what it is. Recently at the store I learned that he knows how to say Spongebob and TV. He is crazy about balls right now and has started calling balloons that are not filled with helium, balls.

Yesterday he picked out a pair of sunglasses, i don't know if he will actually wear them but it is so cute when I realized what he calls them. To him they are Eyes. But if you ask about eyes he points to his own or scrunches them up. You have to refer to them as glasses but I guess it is easier to say eyes.

He is really great at pointing to various body parts and naming them. He loves his Shoes and Socks or Acks, and always wants to go on a walk.

He gets himself up into his chair and buckles himself in when he is hungry which helps us a lot except we don't really know what he wants to eat so a lot of questions follow. He can say Cracker, Cheese, & Cookie really well so as soon as you ask what he wants you get Craaaccker, Cheeeese...Coookie. Funny thing is he says cookie like Cookie Monster. Too cute!

We have our Monster days, some i think due to teething issues and being tired and some due to not being able to communicate what he wants. Not to mention wanting to be more and more independent.

We were having some issues with him being afraid of the bath/tub & water. It appears as though this is fixed now. We picked out some Wall-E bubble bath, a Little Einsteins Rocket with Leo in scuba gear & some bath tub crayons. I knew the crayons would do the trick. He loves to draw and color but hasn't gotten to play with much lately due to him trying and succeeding in eating them...This way he can color all over the walls and not get in trouble and he loves it! I have stopped using a cup to rinse him and just use a washcloth. It takes longer to get the shampoo out of his hair but is worth not having a freak out or meltdown in the tub!

He loves his baby brother and is nice most of the time. He does have his moments of stealing Henri's blanket or binkie and turning off the swing but for themost part he like to help out. If Henri is on eh couch or floor Oliver goes up to him and says "Hi!" and gives him lots of kisses. He calls him Baby and loves to snuggle next to him. I am glad to see that he isn't jealous and hope that my attempts to give them both individual attention is working.

The Going's On

The past few weekends have been busy ones and it's looking like the rest coming in the next few weeks will be as well.

Last Sunday we went to our friends Joel & Jena's house for Joel's graduation party. He just finished school to become a Sommelier. I didn't get too many pictures but I did capture a couple.

 

Oliver found sidewalk chalk.

Eliot (Joel & Jena's girl) found Henri's binkie & carseat.

This past Saturday the boys and I went to our friends Shawn & Dena's baby girl's 1st Birthday Party. Unfortunately the party started at nap time and Oliver had been having a few Monster days leading up to it and was in no mood to behave. We lasted 2 hours and had to leave just as the food was coming off the grill. No cake, ice cream or presents...Lucky for me he fell asleep with in moments and got about a 30-45 min nap in. Not enough, but better than no nap!

 

Playing on the slide with the birthday girl, Addison Olivia

 

Miles & Smiles bonding.

Henri has been Mr. Smiles the past week. He rarely cries, only when he's hungry usually and often not that bad, more of a whimper. Once he woke up at the party he threw on the charm and was wooing all the ladies with his sweet smile.

Oliver on the other hand...

has a mean Stink Eye.

 

And now I present...Anatomy of a Tantrum

(i may have done this before but can't remember...here's a new one!)

Wow that feels like a lifetime ago!

Sunday we had 2 BBQ's to go too. Actually the first was a surprise birthday party for Graham's friend, Sonnie's Mom. Whew! At their restaurant in Tualatin. The other was a pig roast in Laurelhurst Park with Graham, Aaron & Joel's former co-worker/chef at Olea (now out of business...)

First up was the Malaysian/Italian BBQ.

 

  

He found ants and a drain and picked up the ants and dirt and such to put down the drain.

 

The restaurant is on a little man made lake with ducks.

 

 

He will be 21 months tomorrow! Hard to believe that in 3 months he will be 2!

As we were leaving we spotted 2 ducklings and I HAD to snap their picture.

Next up was the Pig Party. Lucky for us once again, Oliver fell right to sleep and slept for about 45 mins as we drove back to the city and made a quick stop at the bank.

Henri in the Baby Bjorn

Balloon Face

Jena finding humor in Eliot's cute pout. She was obsessed with seeing the ducks in the pond and they were heading off to another get together.

Oliver spent a lot of tiem on Daddy's shoulders this day. Here he is playing with his glasses.

Oliver took this picture of his feet. I just helped him keep the camera steady and he pushed the button. In the background is Andrea (Aaron's wifey & 1 of their pups, June)

Having some blanket time in the park.

 

The pig with head on display.

Other news. We are hoping to find out today or tomorrow if we will be approved for a home loan. We found out that we aren't eligible until October for the $8000 tax credit since I owned a home. A really annoying rule that keeps Graham from being eligible since we are married. (i was the only person on the Brazee House). If the approval comes through, we will be filling our free Sundays and Mondays with house hunting and hoping to find something Very soon!!

New Direction

As I told you a few weeks ago, there have been many changes with Graham's job. Aaron was let go and the focus of the restaurant has been drastically changed along with Lunch starting last Tuesday.

Graham is now the lunch Sous Chef and got to work last week at 7am. Most days he was home before 8 and one day even 6:30! That might all be changing this week as a Kitchen Manager was hired who also has a family. They will be getting together to decide who will be working when. It was so nice and great having him home early though it did throw a kink in our day to day schedule. It would be nice to be able to get used to the new schedule but I am not crossing my fingers.

I didn't mention much before so as to not ruffle any feathers or tell of Graham's real feelings of the situation so as to not put his job in jeopardy. He was really unhappy about how things went down and the direction the restaurant was going. The staff moped about for at least a week, some people even cried, many started looking for new work. Graham started to look for new work and even went on an interview but decided it was best to stay put. He is still keeping his eyes open and being prepared for the possibility of getting laid off, something that we think could be possible but not sure, there isn't the security feeling that he once had.

Aaron has been talking about opening his own place for awhile now and is taking this opportunity and advantage of the economy to start his own little place. Many people think "Really?! in this economy?" but in Portland, people flock to the new, now who knows if they will stay...but usually they become the darlings of the town. Another great thing is there is a lot of space available at better rates and labor costs are down since people need work. There are no set dates or location, but the idea is about and the planning getting under way. 

So we look to the future and keep our fingers crossed...

Technically

For normal people...Henri technically slept through the night last night. He had a feeding last night and went to sleep sometime between 9-9:30pm and woke up for the next feeding at 5:30am. Too bad for me I wasn't in bed until 2am working on scanning and emailing documents for a home loan....

But he DID sleep 8 hours during the night AND the sun was coming up when he awoke...i know many of my Mommy friends are up at this time. For us it was a feeding and back to sleep until 9:30. 

:)

Networking

I found this site on etsy and got myself listed in hopes of driving more business to my shop.

Yaami Handmade

It is a great little site that I haven't spent much time on yet. They showcase various etsy shops along with all the other networking sites they belong to.

Cranking it Out

I've been having a lot of fun cutting and sewing the past couple of weeks. I hardly even miss my nap time! I have a lot more to fill you in on but I need to finish editing the photos so this post will have to do for now.

Here is my latest creation:

Meet Mr. Owl.

 

  

I think him and his future buddies will retail for $10.

1 very satisfied customer.
 

My new purse.

The Large Pleat Purse.

Mine has silk lining and would retail for $60. Cotton lining will retail for $50

 

Marci's new purse that she custom ordered.

 

  

The Diaper bag.

It is retailing for $115.

I never understood why they were so expensive...until now!

 

 

 

The Splat Mat.

These will retail for $20.

About half of what I have seen in catalogs and on the web...

 

The birthday dress I made for Miss Addison Oliva from an Amy Butler pattern.

 

 

Sleeve Detail.

 

Back Closure.

Inspirations

I've been getting a lot of sewing done lately for my new etsy shop and was able to pick up some new fabrics the past 2 weeks.

 

  

  

These bags came out of last weeks fabrics.

 

  

  

This is a new design I am working on. Adapted from a pattern I found. I am making some much bigger Tote size bags, adding a heavier interfacing to the strap and top piece & waiting on my magnetic snap closures to arrive.

I already have 2 people who want this bag and a 3rd who likes the style but wants different fabric.

 

  

These are the fabrics I got today, along with more of what I call Spring Flowers and the Yellow Birds.

I can't wait to cut into these fabrics and start sewing my new designs!! I have so many ideas and want to just pattern and cute and sew up the new designs but have to finish a custom bag order for Mom and get the stuff I already have cut made and posted to esty!

I am hoping the week to come will be a productive one!