Cheap Retail Therapy - It's The Best!

I haven't been in the buying mode much lately as I am more likely to be selling or getting rid of things in preparation for our move.

HOWEVER

After experiencing my little lapse in memory skills yesterday, it was apparent I've not been stopping to smell the thrift stores often enough these days.

Well, I think this is actually the one in another part of town, but it's the best I could do off of google.

I headed to our favorite nearby thrift with one of my favorite people and keen-eyed CG spotted this piece of pressed aluminum - of which she collects and owns a fair amount.  She immediately put it back and I hardly gave it a glance because I thought, the last thing I need is a napkin holder.

But, wait....

Out of the corner of my eye I saw some familiar images that are close to my heart.

And it was under $2 of which I had a few in my clutches.

My motherland.

I thought the details were great and had to take a good look at the area I grew up in  - suburbs of Toronto.

And of course, my birthplace, Montreal.

Oui, I am from Quebec, mon amis. 

Didn't want a napkin holder, but I thought it could be used to hold cards - you know, thank you cards, birthday cards, etc.

And it's sitting right next to the lamp my dad used to have on his desk in the den in Toronto.

I like it!

And it doesn't weigh much!

And I feel good!

Thanks for all your kind comments - they made me feel less, oh what's the word?

Can't remember!

Have a great weekend!

P.S.  Inspection came up with a few annoying items, nothing too major.  So now we move on to next phase which is buyers' financing institution's appraisal. 

Of All The Things I've Lost....

....I miss my mind the most.

Well, folks, it finally happened.  I have cracked. The perfect, calm, smiling, smart-as-a-whip veneer has worn away and this morning it showed.

I'll set the scene for you.  Mr. Tennis and I arose bright and early to do final wiping and fluffing before the inspectors, buyers and realtor showed up.  Had a cold breakfast so the house wouldn't smell like eggs and made Mr. T go without his morning shower so mirror wouldn't fog and bathroom wouldn't be humid.  Took dogs to kind neighbor so they wouldn't be underfoot.

Mr. T went into his home office and kept busy with office-stuff.  I greeted first the inspector and then eventually the real estate agent and two strangers with a small child.  I took the realtor aside and said "Who are these people?".  She gave me a funny look and said, "These are the buyers".  I looked at them again and, nope (!), they didn't look familiar.

Cue Twilight Zone music.

In my memory (which is very short apparently) the buyers were a couple about our age and there had not been a child.  The woman looked slightly familiar, but her husband looked nothing like I remembered, not to mention they were about 20 years younger that I thought they were.  

WHAT IS GOING ON??!?!?

I did confirm with them that they had a Boggle (Boston/Beagle mix). Obviously the only thing I focused on during their previous visit.  I felt much better when I was able say something to them that made sense.  We all chuckled and I talked with their sweet son who is four years old to cover up my humiliation.  He and I seemed to be on the same wave-length.

And in my defense, these nice people told me that their son hadn't been with them when they came to look at the house. Whew! At least I hadn't totally erased the poor kid. Just his parents...

As the inspection continued I slunk out to the office to admit my faux pas to Mr. T.  "They didn't hear you ask that did they?".  Well, not exactly, but my performance afterwards was surely a clue that I did not recognize them and that I am one step away from being tested for memory issues.

Wow. 

Wow. 

I have nothing else to add except we now wait for the inspection results and see what those people who were here today (apparently our buyers) say is the next step.

It's me again. 

I realize this was a result of a week of stressful (some good, some not) events.  A lot has gone down in the last seven days.  Including Mr. T's procedure at the hospital and him finally hearing that he will be able to transfer with the company he works for.  As for me, I think I'm thinking too much and not concentrating on what's going on around me, so I am determined to be more aware.  One more thing, this really rattled me and I feel like I got a glimpse into what someone who struggles with Alzheimer's must experience, especially in the early stages.  And no, I don't think I have that - not yet, but really, who WERE those people?? 

May the weirdness resume.

All Is Well

Thanks to everyone who sent their best wishes for a successful "scoping" session for Mr. Tennis.  We really appreciate all those positive thoughts and prayers.

We are sticking our tongues out because the scope is over, Mr. Tennis is feeling well and there was no bad stuff found during the procedure.  We are truly fortunate.

Thanks again!

Positive Thoughts for Mr. T on Tuesday!

We are feeling a bit upside as we approach this week.  

Mr. Tennis will undergo a final scope procedure Tuesday morning to hopefully eliminate one last possible cause of his low blood levels a few months ago.  He is feeling strong and good, but we just want to make sure our bases are all covered.

We can always use the positive bloggy vibes from our virtual and RL friends.

Thursday morning brings us inspections on the house (I am a little nervous about these, but am told to "hush", it will all go well)

So pretty soon we will be as relaxed as Miss Sadie sitting in the sunshine with her tongue out.  That's always her sign that there are "no worries".

I think I will go sit outside and stick my tongue out for a bit.

Here's to a good week for everyone!

Good News!

When I got up this morning-Friday the 13th, I might add-and read all the wonderful comments on my HH post/rant, I had no idea that within a seven hour period, starting at 10am today, we would have people come look at the house, want to come back and look again 2 hours after they left, make an offer within an hour of that, we counter offered and by 5 o'clock this afternoon we accepted an offer for our asking price!

I know that's a run on sentence, but so what!!!!

So, now we have an inspection to go through next week and a closing date towards the end of August.  I know it's not done until it's done, but we feel really great/sad/excited/scared/stressed/relaxed.  Well, at least I do, Mr. Tennis takes these things more in stride and is happy that he gets to play his Saturday tennis game tomorrow and not come home to a neurotic wife, feverishly cleaning and fluffing.

And, me?  Well, I can't tell you how tickled I (although I wanted to take it with me, but am glad someone else liked it as much as I do) was when the buyers said they wanted to include this in the contract:

Bought it at the thrift right before we had the wedding reception in our backyard last September... 

It's all good.

Oh, and they have a Boggle.

A Boston Terrier/Beagle mix.

Niiiice!

House Hunters Has it Wrong!!!

First I must say that I promise every post I do in the next few weeks will not have to do with the sale of the house, packing or the move.  I will find other topics, although this is all I can think of these days.  That said....

House Hunters has it so wrong!!  I have been taping and watching that show like a woman possessed the last few months.  At first to pick up tips on what looks good in a home to potential buyers.  Pretty soon I started seeing an annoying pattern in what these buyers were looking for.  Did I have any of these "hot button" items?

Nope.

Worried. Worried.  Worried that our smaller, older, modest home would not be appealing enough.  Especially to young couples who House Hunters seem to feature the most.  And the most likely candidates to buy in our area because of the very good school district, dead end street and stable community.

This is how our house stacks up against the "must haves" according to HGTV's House Hunters.

MUST have double sinks in Master Bath.

Hah! We have laughingly referred to our small, "cozy" bathroom area in our "Master Suite" as our Master Bath, but it would never hold two sinks. We seem to have survived 23 years sharing a sink.  But can we survive 23 more?!?!?

MUST have luxurious water-jet soaking tub separate from glassed in shower.

Ahhhh. Hello? Well we do have a pulsating shower head.

Just the fact that I have put a picture of our shower in here is a big step for me.  Baby steps, Ann, baby steps.  It's all going to be okay and no one has freaked out over the shower. In fact, it seems to be a non-issue.

MUST have stainless steel appliances.

Check!

AND we have a stainless steel sink in there too! So there!

Oh, was that supposed to mean a fridge or oven?

Well, we have them, but we have white ones.  

Because... when we moved in we had a "Mustard" colored  fridge and beige appliances.  Originals to the house I might add which worked well up until about 10 years ago.  Then we went white because, well the kitchen was kind of dark and needed lightening up. And, I like them!

There's that pesky ice and water dispenser.  Lime Away has helped - A LOT!  Thanks to those who suggested it! BTW the fridge doesn't have that much stuff on the front of it now, mainly the cute baby pictures.

MUST have granite counter tops.

Shnope. Formica baby.

MUST have an eat in kitchen!

Check! So what if it's right beside the dining area. It's in-the-kitchen. 

It counts!

And the fur-children have their own eat in kitchen too:

Which is cleared of any wet food and wiped before each visit. Don't worry.

MUST have custom cabinets. 

Well, I'm sure in 1963 these cabinets were custom built for this house and they have held up darn well.  Painted them white awhile back to bring some lightness into the kitchen and added the knobs. 

Hey, and there's my stainless steel appliance over there!

MUST have vaulted ceilings!

Again, 1960s ranch home. Eight foot ceilings, popcorn to boot!

MUST have an open floor plan!

Got it!

 Hah, House Hunters, our floor plan is so open we can see Russia, I mean, almost the entire house when standing in the middle of it.

MUST have a room for a home office!

Check. 

 Good thing The Writer moved out so you-know-who could move her stuff in his old room.

Can you tell this is my space?

Why do I say they have it wrong?  

Because the young couple who seem so interested in the house came back to look at it again last night and said they just love the old Florida homes. Good construction, character.  What seemed to concern them most about the bathrooms was if the water pressure was good. It was, they went and ran the water.

They LIKED the kitchen, said it was efficient and cozy.  That the open floor plan was great and they loved the flow of the house. 

I know, I know.  I was stunned. And happy. 

 Happy that a young couple starting out their married life appreciated an older home and its quirks. 

Yep, made me feel really good.

I will still torture myself and watch House Hunters because yelling at the TV is a good stress reliever in these times.  And because I know the truth. Reasonable buyers are out there.

Disclaimer: This is my attempt at humor and in no way do I want to offend anyone who has some of the beautiful upgrades mentioned in this post.  It is more a jab at HH which, in my opinion, does not always show a well-rounded view of the selling/buying situation out there.  Besides, who knows what I will have in my next home! In California!  I might go all granite and vaulted ceilings.  We will be renters at first, so it's all up in the air.

The Sell Your House Shuffle: Weekend 3

I will admit, there were times during this past "sell the house" week when I was a bit of a basket case.

Alright, let's start with July 4th.  A day of fun and relaxation.  A day we figured we could go goof off at Disney World for a few hours and use up one day on a three day pass we had.

Aaaahhhh, it was good to get away from the cleaning products and constant nit-picking for some time to blend in with the tourists. 

First stop The Little Mermaid.  Haven't seen that show in years!  First and last stop, I should say.  My phone was blinking when we emerged from the theater.  A realtor had called and said he had an interested, pre-qualified buyer who was using the day off to look at houses with his family.  They were relocating to our area because his wife is a teacher at one of the schools nearby and his kids attend the schools in our district.  After some hemming and hawing, Mr. T and I decided we should go home since this was the ONLY time this family could look at the house.

Drove home, Mr. Tennis mowed the grass while I did the inside wiping, scooping, fluffing, etc.  Shuttled the dogs across the street to beloved neighbor's house and we were ready for our showing.  Car pulled up at 2pm on the dot and two men emerged from the car.  Whaaaa?  It was the realtor and the husband.  Surely wife and kids were to follow.... Nope they were out at Disney at a dance competition.  The irony was not lost us. Now, no offense to any husbands, but unless the wife comes it is a waste of time.  

No, we didn't go back to Disney, too wiped out from "The Sell Your House Shuffle".  Lesson learned.  Make sure husband and wife will be showing up.

The weekend went much better as you can see by the relaxed demeanor of our good luck charm, Darcy.

Saturday we had back to back showings. Grass was already cut. Minor fluffing, wiping, floor cleaning, etc. had to be done.  Mr. Tennis actually played tennis in the morning!

Even Bumby was relaxed.

First couple (yay, they both came!) showed right on time and really made lots of positive comments about their impressions of the house.  Asked lots of questions, which interested buyers usually do. Left saying they would be back to us after thinking things through.

Second couple (yay again) also showed up right on time.  We were so relaxed this time that we just popped the dogs in the backyard for this showing.  Again lots of good vibes from this couple, who have family living nearby.

Monday morning I changed the sheets and duvet cover in the master suite at Boston Manor and noticed how wrinkled the duvet cover was.

No worries.  By the weekend those wrinkles will have shaken out and relaxed.  I headed off to do some grocery shopping and Mr. T settled into his office for his Monday routine.

Phone rings while I am in the cereal aisle. It's Mr. T. A realtor wants to bring an interested, pre-qualified couple to see house at 2pm that day! Great!  Fantastic! I don't remember much else about the grocery store trip because all I could think about was that wrinkled duvet and vacuuming the floors - and wiping the counters, cleaning the mirrors, scooping the -you-know-what.... you get the picture.

After I ran around like a woman possessed AND ironed the duvet,  the realtor called again and said they would have to push the time to 3pm.  NBD (no big deal). Shuffled dogs over to kind neighbor at 2:50. Came back and perched on the couch waiting for THE arrival. And waited, and waited.

Meanwhile.... while we were waiting and just about to call realtor who was now 45 minutes late, and I had run over to neighbor's house to see if dogs had wreaked havoc, the realtor who had brought first young couple on Saturday called and said they wanted to make an offer. That night.  

Long story short. Too late for that, I guess. We asked if the offer was our asking price. Realtor said he would call us back. No-show realtor was called and asked if they were coming. She didn't seem to know if they were or not. So, not. Retrieved very confused dogs. Realtor for young couple called and gave us the offered price.  Too low. We counter-offered.  And supposedly we will hear back sometime today.

Did I mention that I ironed the duvet cover?  I ironed the duvet cover and no one saw it!

Stay tuned....

Tired from "The Sell Your House Shuffle"

Whoooooooooo's That?

Looking out the back window the other evening I saw this sitting near the power pole.

Can you make him out in this blurry shot?

I've never seen one without the cloak of darkness.

He was trying to keep up with all the birds flying around and yelling at him - as well as watching me creep closer and closer.

Lots of smaller birds were excitedly chattering, which is what drew my attention to the area first.  This owl must have been too close to their nests or their little ones.

When an owl looks at you, you know you've been looked at!

I managed to edge closer and closer.  My camera does not zoom in very far so I ended up standing with the sprinkler water hitting my back while I shot a short video of this feathered beauty.

Not the best quality video, but it gives you a good look at his head-swiveling talents and to hear the other birds.  Please forgive the narrator's shrill vocalizations...

Hoot! Joining Elaine for Sunny Simple Sundays. Please take a look at some of the other wonderful bloggers participating!

Some Days Its Just Nice To Lay in The Pillows

When you reach the ripe old age of 10, sometimes it's just all you want to do.

Take a pillow day for yourself once in awhile!

Weekend 2 - House for Sale

I was expecting a little bit of buyer action this weekend since it wasn't raining.  

Nope.

Nada.

Zip.

So were people bored during the weekend of torrential rain and couldn't resist braving the roads to see our house?  Were they catching up this last weekend with the stuff they didn't do (except stop by our house) the weekend before?

Is it because of the upcoming 4th of July holiday?

All I know is we were ready.

For the flocks.

Stay tuned for reports on weekend 3.

On a brighter note, saw two good movies this weekend:

Quirky doesn't begin to describe this little gem of a movie. Fantastic costuming, set detail and camera work aptly describes this visually colorful film. 

and...

I know it's about the end of the world, but I expected it to be funnier. Instead I found it very touching, with good performances by Steve Carell and Kiera Knightly. Great accompanying soundtrack!

And our good luck, charm-the-buyers, kitty returns for this upcoming weekend.

They always come in droves to see HER!

Here's to a good week for everyone!  

No more wildfires, soaring temps, destructive wind and rain, power outages...

thinking about all my friends who've dealt with these things in the past week. 

 A better week ahead.