I'm a HOMEOWNER!

It is true, they accepted my offer! I was on pins and needles all weekend. Monday, they had denied my offer and so I gave them my final price. He wanted to "sleep on it" and my realtor told me not to get my hopes up and had already planned on showing me more houses when she got back from vacation. I was so upset as this was the best house in my price range.

My realtor called me last night and said "Congratulations!" I couldn't stop jumping around. I was so esctatic. I can't believe I am finally going to have my own "place"! No more computer room for me!

I will definitely keep you all posted on our progress. The house needs some work, and I don't have the money to do all of it right now. I'm putting my entire savings as a down-payment. We won't have a couch, table or refrigerator and we might be eating off of cardboard boxes, but at least we have a "home". :)

My New Home??

Friday after work I went and looked at this house again that I really liked. I wanted to take a closer look since I looked at 5 different houses the night we went by to check it out. When we got there, I noticed some things that I hadn't noticed before. The seal on the back door was broken, so the carpet was wet and the floor under it was rotted. The water even went under the tile so you could see black mold or something under there. They had taken the door stoppers off the walls, so there were holes behind the doors from the knobs hitting. The garage door opener was broken and needs replaced. The built-in microwave also needs replaced as it doesn't work. There was mouse droppings all in the hot water closet, so I will need to have a exterminator check it out. There was also mold growing in the windowsills from the lack of air to let the moisture out. The bathtub was also dirty and needs scrubbed. Dad also noticed mold growing on the siding, but he said a good power-washing and it will come right off.

So all of the "problems" with the house are mostly cosmetic. They are all things that dad can fix. I just need to replace the flooring in the living room and the kitchen (I want wood floors anyway) and then a little bleach will fix the rest.

I put in an offer on Friday night of $90,000 plus 1/2 the closing costs and $1000 for repairs. They were asking $98k, so I expected a counter-offer. They countered with $95,000, 1/2 the closing costs and $1,000 for repairs. I countered again with $91,500 and 1/2 the closing costs, which equals $90k. They are going to think about it and let me know tonight, so as of this evening I could be an official HOMEOWNER!

Below are some pictures of my possible house! (Furnishings and shed not included.) Keep your fingers crossed. I really have a good feeling about this. I can't go much higher than that, so I really hope that if it is meant to be, this will go through. Otherwise I will just keep looking.

I was extemely nervous meeting my mortgage broker. I was stressed out all day. I didn't know if I would be approved or not for a loan since I don't make that much money, have had mostly temp jobs over the past couple of years, and I don't have credit. I had no clue what to expect.

I arrived and met with Jeanie, my mortgage broker, and she gave me great news. I had qualified for a great loan... almost $100k! She said even though I don't have credit, the credit that I do have is excellent. My credit score was 803, which apparently is fantastic. She told me I even qualified for a conventional loan, which I guess is harder to get. So it was a huge relief to know that when I do find a house, I will be able to get the assistance needed. Now I just have to find the perfect house for me and Zoie!

Before I Was A Mom...

Before I was a Mom, I never tripped over toys or memorized the words to a lullaby. I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous. I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom, I had never been puked on. Pooped on. Chewed on. Peed on. I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts. I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom, I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests. Or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom, I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put her down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt. I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom, I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body. I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child. I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom, I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay. I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom.

Mommy's Lil' Wild Child

I took these pics of Zoie after she got out of the bath. I pulled her towel off her head and her hair stuck straight up! I thought it was a great idea for a layout.

At the Park

Mom and dad went out for their anniversary the other night, and I thought it would be nice to take Zoie to McDonald's and then to the park. She didn't eat much of her happy meal since she was so excited to go the park and play. We took her hamburger with us and fed it to the ducks, who quickly surrounded us. Zoie wasn't scared at all, unlike her mom who was very hesitant around all of the hungry ducks!

Afterwards, she played and played until it was almost her bed time. She played so hard her little cheeks were so red! We had a really good time just the two of us.

Here are some pics from the park.

Future Homeowner?

So I've been wanting to move out for months now, and it just hasn't worked out in my favor. I couldn't find a decent apartment, and the one I did end up finding has told me for months it will "be ready" and it still isn't. I know it is somewhat my fault because I am being a little picky, but hey, that is where I am going to be living and raising my daughter so I want to live where I will be happy.

I was talking to my mom today about it and she said that after talking with my dad, they thought it would be a good idea if I looked into buying a house. I would have to first see if I could qualify, but they hate the idea of throwing money away on something that I can't even call my own.

We went to pick up the dogs from the groomers, and on the way back I saw this super cute little house on the corner. It had a for sale sign out front, and I called on it just to see what the price was. I talked to a real nice lady who informed me about the new bond program that is out right now for first time home buyers. If you purchase a home before October 1st, there is bond money available for assistance. She also told me a little about the house I liked and how much they were asking but would probably go down a bit.

I called my mom's friend who is a realtor to get her help, and she sent me some listings to look through. And sure enough, the little house I saw on the corner was in there! I liked it even more after seeing the inside! She told me to call this lady and find out about applying for a mortgage or something to that effect (I know nothing about buying a home) and to see if I even qualify. So I will call her tomorrow and set up an appointment.

Below are some pics of the cute little house I like. I know I can't buy the first thing I see, but I think it will probably be pretty reasonable and something I can afford (besides all of the $100,000 houses on the market).

Little White Rocking Chair

I have always wanted a white rocking chair. Since before Zoie was born, I wanted one to put in her room and rock her to sleep. It would be so cute in the corner of her room with a blanket or quilt draped over the back, and would match her white crib and her white dresser.

But since we lived with my parents, I never bought one. Dad had his "rocker" in the living room that we used if we needed to rock Zoie, and I just never got one. There wasn't room anyway, and there wasn't really a need for one.

Now that we are moving out, I wanted my white rocking chair. I have been looking on Craig's List for a cheap one, but they were all close to $100! I couldn't pay that. I posted a "wanted" ad for one, but didn't get a reply.

Last Friday a lady posted an ad for one, and it was the exact price I was wanting to spend! ($25) I contacted her and she was willing to work with me on getting it. However, it just didn't work out and I couldn't drive the 45 minutes or an hour out there to get it, plus it wouldn't fit in my car. I was sad that I wasn't going to get my rocker, but I knew if it was meant to be, I would find another one.

Friday night my aunt and I had gone to Lowe's, and I saw one for $88. I thought, I could sign up for the credit card and that would give me 15% off, but it would still be over $50. I thought about it, but wasn't sure if I wanted to spend that much.

Sunday night after I had told the lady she could give the chair to someone else, we had gone to Wal-Mart to get some groceries. I was pushing Zoie around in the cart and we wandered back to the lawn and garden section. There, right in front of me, were 4 white rockers! They were the ones that go on the front porch, but it was exactly what I was looking for! They were regularly priced $78, and on sale for $68. I had won 2 Wal-Mart gift cards on Saturday at my cousin's baby shower, so with that $15 off it would be $53. Well I was looking at them and the worker came up to me and told me, "Oh, hun. We marked those down again today, so they are on sale for $45." I couldn't believe it! I would only have to pay $30 for a NEW white rocker! I was super excited.

So I finally got my white rocking chair. I know Zoie is two and probably won't let me rock her for long, but that's ok. Hopefully for awhile she will still let me "rock" my baby to sleep.

Isn't it funny how some things work out?

I had just given Zoie a bath and my cousin called me on my cell. Mom said she would get Zoie out of the tub since I hadn't talked to my cousin in awhile. Mom dryed her off and got her jammies on. I thought mom was watching her, but apparently Zoie went in my parent's room.

The next thing I knew, the phone was ringing. I didn't think anything of it and continued to talk to Kayla.

After I hung up the phone, I found out that Zoie had just called 9-1-1! Mom said the phone call to our house was the Police Department calling us to see if there was a true emergency. They informed her a "small child" had called 9-1-1 and talked to the operator, and mom told them it was her grand-baby and she got ahold of the phone. They asked if there was an emergency and mom said no. Then they said, "Well did you take the phone away from her?" ha! Mom told them yes and apologized. I can just imagine this call in my head:

Operator: "9-1-1, What is your emergency?"
Zoie: "Hi, how are you, how you doing?"

I know I shouldn't be laughing, but it is a little amusing. I had no idea Zoie even know how to dial the phone, better yet call 9-1-1. I guess we will need to make sure she doesn't call China next time.