Still House Hunting

As most of you know, my mom is trying to buy a house. It seems every house she likes, there is some reason that it doesn't work out. The last two were foreclosures, and that seems to be a common thing these days. My mom likes to look online for houses, and then we drive around and look at them in person. When she finds one that she likes, she contacts her realtor, and they go and look at it. She has found some beautiful Studio City Homes, but doesn't really want to move out of state. Her realtor has been telling her a little about short sales, and it sounds like a great deal. In a nutshell, this is where the seller of the home shows their bank that they can no longer pay their mortgage, and instead of going through with a costly foreclosure, the bank agrees to settle for less than is owed on the house. It sounds to me like this benefits the buyer, who can get the house for a steal.

I hope my mom can get in on one of these deals.

Fingers Crossed

My mom went and looked at the house today. She said it was nice, and that she would probably make an offer. It is a foreclosure, and needs a little work, but most of it is cosmetic. The carpet would need to be replaced, and the walls repainted. She said the kitchen was kind of small, and somewhere down the line she would look into Rochester remodeling to maybe make it a little bigger. They weren't sure if the pool filter worked, but she did get to look in the building out back. Apparently the previous owners were making it into a pool house because there was a toilet and shower already installed. The rest looked to her like it was used as a workshop, and she told me that Junior would be able to work on cars in there. Her realtor found out that the offer that was made on the house was for less than half of the appraised value. Did that make sense? The good news with that is that my mom can offer a little more than they did, and still get it for a steal. Her realtor warned that it could turn into a bidding war, but that's okay. If it's meant to be, my mom will get the house.

I really hope she does, because I will be over there every night swimming. It's good exercise, you know.

Mom's Dream House

My mom is looking at houses again. I am excited for her, that she is able to find exactly what she wants, and she won't have to settle. I know her dream is to buy an older home, with a wrap around porch and front stair way. You know what I mean. One of those houses that when you see it, you just know it's a Grandmother's house. I hope she can find what she wants within her price range.

The only drawback of these older homes is all the work that needs to be put into them. Junior can do a lot of the stuff himself, and Mike can help, too. Some things, however, may have to be done by Overland Park Remodeling. There are certain things that are best left to the professionals. The first house my mom found was two stories, and the stairway was open all the way up. The walls needed to be re-plastered, and that was something that Junior just couldn't do. Since his shoulder surgery he has to be careful.

I can't wait until my mom does find her dream house. One of her conditions is that it has to have a pool, or at least a yard big enough to put in an in ground pool. That is what I am looking forward to. Swimming.

Ryan And My Mom

One morning last week, my kids were arguing. I was in the bathroom, so I couldn't hear exactly what was going on. When I came out, I asked what all the fighting was about, and Ryan replied:

"Kasi is being a bitch".

Yeah, I was floored. He got in trouble, and I gotta tell you, he's lucky we were ready for school, or he would have enjoyed a nice mouthful of soap.

So that night was Brandi's performance, and my mom came with us. I was telling her the story, and I had my back to her. She didn't say anything, so i turned to look at her, and she has this look on her face. I asked "what", and she said:

"Well, was she?".

Yup. floored again! My mom is Ryan defender...he never does anything wrong in her eyes. I tell her he said a not so nice word, and she just wants to know if he was right. But, man, that was too much!

And too funny!!!!

My Life Since High School

What have I been doing since high school?

I have had the question asked of me a lot lately, thanks to finding a lot of old friends on a certain networking site. My answer is an easy one. I have been raising my kids. I think this is the most important job in the world, and I love that I am able to stay home and be here for them. Sure, I have had part time jobs here and there, but being a mom was always my dream, and I am so thankful that I was lucky enough to be blessed with three wonderful children. When I go to my next high school reunion, it will be with a wallet full of pictures of my children. It is my right as a mother to brag about them and show them off.

So tell me, what have you been doing since high school?