No Wheels, No Problem

We are with out a vehicle at the moment. No Impala (how I miss that car!), no truck, not even a bike, or a train, or a bus, nothing.

We now travel at the mercy of family.

I am thankful, grateful, and blessed by and for our family! 

I am so thankful that God blessed us with loving parents and relatives and extended church family who will let us borrow their wheels or scoop us up or bring us back when we need them.

With any luck By God's grace and mercy the truck will not be broken too bad and it will be an easy and cheap fix. And if it is not an easy or cheap fix then I know that God has something planned. He knows the balance in the checkbook and where we need to go each week, it will all work out.

4/15/2011

Truck is fixed. It took $200 and the garage owner said we can pay him when we have the money.

Thank you God!

Foster Care

Awhile ago, back before we had officially started trying a friend of ours said: "You two should consider Foster Care, you'd be great at it." To which my hubby replied: "No, because the first time I had to hand a kid over to their scum bag parent I'd have issues."

I didn't push him on it because I could tell that he had made his mind up and wasn't going to budge on this issue.

Thursday we were in the bank and ran into the same friend who had just finished adoption on her second Foster Child and reiterated her statement to Jason to which Jason replied: "No, because the first time that I saw the scum bag parent in the facility...."

There we are sitting in the bank trying to see if we can get a credit card for 9.9% instead of the one we have now at like 300% ... and the bank lady leaves for a moment and he turns to me and says: "Let's do it. Let's try Foster Care."

Such a turd my hubby.

I was feeling rather hopeless. We don't have the money to go much further then we are with fertility treatments (I'm assuming this I haven't researched it much yet, kind of afraid too), and I just can't take the continuing disappointment without a glimmer of hope! Now I feel relief that if the next two rounds of Clomid don't work then there is an avenue left open to us (in our current price range) to be parents.

:)

New House

On November 23, 2009 Jason and I became home owners!

We more than doubled our living space! Since moving I have had a dinner party, a brunch, and a birthday party here! We have been having so much fun!

Odd Signs in Northeastern Maine

If the Bad Little falls in, what happens to the good little?






















We were stumped, even after following the "Handicap Route", which were road signs... what does that mean "Handicap Route"?? ? ???? ???

Are people who are disabled supposed to follow this route and this route alone, that seems discrimatory to us.

Calais, ME

Jason and I took a trip to visit my brother, Ben, at college. We had a really go time up there in the middle of nowhere. We stayed at a crappy hotel. They advertised that they had a pool, but guess what? The pool has been broken since 2007! I was not happy! Jason and I didn't get much sleep, but we have since recovered.

On Saturday we took a trip to nowhere and found some interesting things. We went to Eastport, the Easternmost "city" in the USA. "City" is a metaphor I think, there isn't anything there. The locals gave us funny looks so we went to Machias to find some food. We had a lot of fun being silly.

I miss my brother, but had a blast with him!

Calais, ME

Center Hill

I went with work to a field trip to Center Hill in Weld, ME. These pictures are of the surrounding mountains of Mount Blue State Park

Round 2 with Clomid

Started taking Clomid again today. I'm going to try and be real dilligent about taking it at the same time every day. I'm shooting for noon when I take my other pills.

House

Jason and I think we've found a house! If all goes well the closing date is Oct 28th!

A house for Hamlins?

We put an offer on a house today. This is the second time we are putting an offer on this house. The first time someone else beat us to the punch. That offer fell apart and now we are getting a turn!

We are hoping that it goes through easy. The house is closer to Jason's parents than mine, but that's all right. It is also 45mins from work for me, I'm going to have to commute for the first time in ..... gosh .... 8 years! I worked it out with my "boss" that I will work Mon, Wed, Fri so that we can get the preschoolers to preschool.

Yes, we are taking our daycare kids to preschool. We are so crazy. We are the ONLY daycare in our area that takes the kids to preschool. Here is the logic. These 4 four year olds have been together since before they could talk. Come next year when they go to Kindergarten they are going to have a SHOCK. We thought this might be a nice lead in for them. Apparently the parents agreed because they are paying for preschool in ADDITION to the normal daycare rates (we aren't giving them any discount). We'll see how it goes with all this carting around.

We are very excited. We are hoping that this is IT!. We have looked at 20 or so houses in a couple of months. I think we have seen everything in our price range with in an hours travel! I'll be so happy when that is done.

Keep those fingers and toes crossed!!

Couins! 2

Cousins!

Update

Dieting:

So the eating style is coming around good. I haven't weighed myself yet so I don't know what my starting weight even is! I plan on doing that tomorrow. My mom was telling me that she can't eat carbs because of the "let down" when the carbs/sugar leaves the system. I believed her but didn't think much of it.

Last week I ate a steak bomb which was surrounded in bread and smothered in cheese. That night I was very cranky. I don't eat carbs anymore because of what it does to me. That make "dieting" much easier.

I put a bag of almonds by the computer so I would snack on them insted of junk food like chips or prezles or cereal. That is helping too because I get full. Jason has been really great about getting on board with this eating plan. He has been very supportive!

Debt:

Instead of getting out of debt, Jason and I decided to buy a car. *lol* However, the loan in 3.38% for 2.5 years so as far as loans go itsn't not horrible.

The new car is a 2005 Chevy Impala and I LOVE it! It drives and rides like a dream!

TTC:

I just found out that a couple who were married on the same day as us are pregnant. That makes the count 4. Jason and I are holding off on testing or anything because I just can't take it anymore. I need a break. August will make a year and then we will be calling a Doc.

Piper

I told Jason that until he "knocks me up" he has to get me a kitten every spring.

Say "Hello" to Piper!
She is four weeks old and oh-so-cute!

Bangor Trip

Jason decided that we didn't need to be totally "responsible" with our federal tax return for 2008 and decided that we needed some R & R. We picked some place coastal and nearby, set a date, got some hotel reservations, and headed to Bangor, Maine!

The weather wasn't all that great (did I mention coast in the spring?) but the clouds did appear long enough for us to take a stroll in downtown Bangor, Maine. We did some window shopping, ate some food, and thoroughly enjoyed each other's company.

We had our lunch at Paddy Murphy's Irish Pub. The food was good and the ambiance relaxing. We tried a new kind of fried food there. Have you ever had Pickle Chips? As in battered and fried dill pickle slices? I'm still not certain if I like them, but I'd have them again.

We took a short walk around the park near the river so Jason could enjoy one of the few cigars he smokes in a year. We would have liked to have walked longer but it was very windy and chilly (coast in the spring, what were we thinking?)

We went back to our hotel for a dip in the pool and some rest. Later that evening we tried our hand at pool (neither of us is very good) and then tried our hardest to find some place to eat. There is just nothing open at 9 o'clock at night on a Sunday in Bangor, or hardly nothing. We found a 99 that was open.




The next day we checked out and headed to Bar Harbor to check it out. I have gone to Bar Harbor four times (twice on business) and thought that Jason would enjoy walking in the town. There are a lot of little shops and some fantastic restaurants, not to mention there is a state park nearby and lots of stuff to look at. Anyway, we got there and found some food. I couldn't tell you the name of the restaurant. It was an odd name from like Brazil, but the food was American (go figure). I had tuna. Not the canned kind, real tuna. Which is amazing since I don't like fish. The food was awesome but I'm not certain if I'd return. The place is a little "stuck up". We had a good time walking around and going down the the pier. Sadly, not much was open since it was the off season. We are hoping that next summer we can return and enjoy the area a little better. I want to take him to the park, because it is pretty fantastic up there.

A House for Hamlins?

(Click on the pics to see them better)

Yesterday Jason and I went to look at a house. It is not the most beautiful house, it is not the newest house, it is not the most intelligently constructed house but it has two things that our current apartment lacks: 1)space and 2) 6.5 acres of land!!!

First let me tell you about the house's history. As Jason has this to say about the short man who put the house together: "It is hard to build a house with only one hand." No, the man was not a victim of some unfortunate accident or birth defect, we are talking beer in one hand and a hammer in the other. Yes, a drunk man built his house upon the dirt. Well, it started out as a camp and then morphed into this odd shaped, multiple roofed, unique structure. None of the roofs really match up, none of the floors match up, the walls are less than straight, and the ceiling fairly low.

My Dad is currently in the process of putting on a singular metal roof on the house. The project is nearly complete and once finished the snow will slide right off it instead of stay and step up house for the winter. My Dad is also putting in a closet near the kitchen for coats and a pantry.

We talked for sometime with the owner and she assures us that although the house leaks heat it stays more than enough warm inside with the wood stove pumping out a serious amount of BTU's. She also has a monitor heater (soon to be two monitor heaters) to make up the difference when no one is at home and the fire goes out. As far as renovating she has completed: removing a whole room (it was badly constructed) and adding a deck in it's place (so that she could sit out and watch her horses); replacing the washer, dryer, fridge and hot water tank; added a monitor heater; added a closet; put in an arch between the kitchen and the laundry "tunnel" room/space to let in more light; and some basic pain touch ups.

The house's most strangest room would be the second bedroom which barely has a window. The window looks out over an entry way in the back of the house. The second strangest room would be the laundry area. It is only as wide as the washer and stretches nearly the length of the house on that side. I have no idea what the original intent was when the drunk (or the crazy mean man that owned it after the drunk) put that section on to the house.

Now you are wondering why Delia, why would you want such an odd house? .... 6.5 acres of land!!! Jason and I walked some of the property and it has GREAT potential. There is a cleared off, nearly level area where a house could go. A real house. A nice house. Not some Alice in Wonderland house. We wouldn't have to CLEAR any trees like we would if we were to build on my parents land, we wouldn't have to pay to dig a well or to get electricity in or to make a driveway because it is already done!

I am so in love with the land there. There is a little stream and some woods and I can just envision children playing in it and having so much fun. There is a nice barn and a shed for Jason to do his "man stuff" in or get goats for pets or get me a runner duck....

The downside is that her brother(s) are living on the property in a trailer. It's a nice trailer (at least on the outside) and she's letting them stay there and in return they are supposed to help her out with the house. They haven't helped and there is more work than she is able to do on her own so that is why she wants OUT of her mortgage and out of the house. Jason and I would probably get a lease with the brother(s) that they'd have to be out in 2 months after we bought the place. There are also some crudely built add-ons to a fairly decent shed that will need to go. Plus there is the usual stock pile of junk that old places get: random pieces of tin, machinery, wood, concrete, ect. I don't think that we'd be biting off more than we could chew.

As far as the funny little house goes. Well I have some plans. Dad tells me that since the roof is now supported on the outer walls that we could move some walls around. The first thing would be a major bathroom renovation. It is wayyyy too small. So the weird entry way in the back would go and the bathroom would fill it's place. I think that the 2nd bedroom walls should be moved so that it could be a real room with real windows and possibly retain an exit to the back for the dogs to use so that I don't have to chase them every morning.

The house isn't some down-on-it's-luck fixer-upper. It's just odd. Everything works in it. Nothing leaks or is in bad disrepair, it's just really really really odd.

The goal would be that in 5 or so years to refinance and get some more money and build a REAL house or get a modular house of some sort.

On May 6th we are talking to a loan agent to see if we can get pre-approved or at least find out what we need to do to improve our credit score.......

OH!! that reminds me.

Jason and I are with-in $750 of being DEBT FREE!!! With our income tax return & the vacation pay Jason got from Franklin County we paid off a credit card, Jason's school loan (from the whole month he attended), half of another credit card, and the whopping $78.00 we still owed on the car

If you can't tell I'm super excited. Maybe, just maybe in 6month I'll be in a house!!!

( All drawings were done by Delia and are not in any shape or form close to being accurate in size or proportion, they are all a rough estimate of the fact )

Cute Kids

Wanna see the cute kids of my daycare?

http://www.blueheronkids.blogspot.com

Happy Sad Still

Jason's Aunt Judy isn't doing good. His mom suspects that Aunt Judy didn't tell us the full scope of her cancer and it is worse than his aunt is letting on. She was admitted into the hospital on Thursday because her white blood cell count was dangerously low, like she had 5-10% of the count that she is supposed to have. She's going home on Tuesday.

In the back of J and my minds is a happy sad thought that when Aunt Judy goes, we might be able to have a larger place at a small price. I feel so evil thinking this way. Not that I want her to die, I just feel so cramped in this tiny place.

I was watching "Top 10 Kitchens" on HGTV and there are people out there with kitchens BIGGER than my apartment (including my kitchen) that is just crazy.

Good Feelings

I vacuumed, put away laundry, and did some dishes. I am feeling accomplished!

There is just nothing like not feeling like a slob.

Happy Sad

Jason just informed me this week that we may have an opportunity to buy a house in about a year (maybe less maybe more).

His great aunt is dying of cancer and she has not been given a good prognosis. She could have anywhere from 6months to a year. She does not have a formal will (I don't think) but she has told her power of attorney (Jason's Mom) that she wants Jason's Mom and Aunt to have the house to split the profit. However, they would sell it to us at what she owes on it.

It's a trailer with two additions, and from what I've been told a high end trailer (it has a good sized bathroom, tiled kitchen floors, and a fireplace in the living area) and one of the additions is a garage (perhaps two bays?).

Hopefully great aunt Judy has several years left in her and Jason and I will have to buy a house some place else. But if not this is going to be a good move for us. Not a final move to be certain, but a move up from 500 square feet!

Another Baby

Just found out on Sunday that one of my friends is due in March! Ugh!

I really, really, really hope that Jason and I can announce that we are pregnant on Christmas. When we have a baby it will have a living great great grandmother, great grandmother, and grandmother all on the same side! How cool would that be? I know that we aren't going to get pregnant fast, but I still have a little bit of pessemistic hope.

We saw a set of infant twins at a restraunt on Monday. I smiled at Jason and he said, "No, no twins." Like either of us have a choice. Oh how I love him!