Over eating

I have heard from a few people about our rental. It gives me encouragement. We wont sign anything this time until after we move, though. Craigslist is a great resource. I am also restraining myself from buying anything else for the new house. There are gas fireplaces and exterior doors with windows listed, which I would love for the basement. I will resist the urge though I have found shopping is the best way to cheer myself up.

Yesterday, the boys and I sat and ate a whole family size bag of ruffles while watching junky TV. Thank goodness the bag wasn't a Costco size. Riley later got mad because he hadn't been kept in the loop on our renters backing out. I wasn't quite sure why he had such a fit and tantrum. I think it had to do with Trevor knowing something Riley didn't know. Trevor had been in the car with me when I took the call.

I had company stop by for a brief time. It felt so good to see people. I feel trapped in this house at the moment. Spinning my wheels with nothing to do. I miss work and the camaraderie we had. It is very lonely just hanging with your children. I don't know how the women on the prairie did it. In the James Mitchner book Centennial, the prairie wife went insane with isolation and killed her children. I am not that bad due to some dear friends popping in upon occasion.

It was funny that my girlfriend who helped pack up the game room found the same boxes still sitting waiting for disposal a week later. I haven't made much progress. Last night I went to bed early, skipping dinner since I was full of chips. I have no idea when the boys put themselves to bed as I was asleep, emotionally exhausted from just waiting and waiting.

My Realtor has no news. She did have the listing agent let the second bank and its investors know that we are about ready to walk away. Tom is hating the wait as much as I am. He has no confidences that we will close at all. He is beginning to think we have been played. I remind myself that it is not August 3 yet. We haven't been played unless we pass that date without some satisfaction. Our realtor tells us this is how short sales are done. Everything we read concurres that it can take many months. Thank goodness we opted against this route ourselves and our own house in the end. The poor home owner, who just wants out and to be done with it all, is waiting at the other end. She has had to share all her personal information to these banks who have complete control over her life and immediate future.

The government should have let the banks fail. The turn around would be a lot swifter. Now the Banks are puffed up with power and pomp. Keybank's response to the Realtor's inquiry was that they had until August 3 to respond. No, that is closing date. Papers should be back and filed at least a week prior to that date. The seller needs to sign off again once the banks have accepted just to agree to it all. The Trust company has to run all their papers and give everyone time to read them. All this is supposed to occur before August 3.

We have been to a closing where the papers were not what they were supposed to be. We want to read the fine print prior to signing, especially in this day and age where nothing is as it seems. We also want time to turn on the water and power to make sure everything works, no pipes explode or the house doesn't catch fire. Once we get everyone to agree then I will contact the power companies and have the lights turned on at our expense. It will be worth the cost to make sure we are not walking into a money pit as my mother fears. It was one reason to do our own visual inspection. Not much an inspector can do without power and water turned on to inspect for leaks or problems.

I have some very talented friends I am hoping will enjoy puttering with me while we plan and come up with wonderful ideas on what to do with this lovely house. All that basement room, untapped. I am going to create a boudoir for my clothes. Some place I can hang everything un crowded. There isn't room upstairs for all my clothes and Tom's except seasonally.

The biggest complaint about a modern home is lack of storage. I plan on dealing with that issue in the basement. I also like the idea of putting a wall and closet in the big second bedroom, making both boys' rooms the same size so they stop fighting over which bedroom is who's. It will create a longer upstairs hallway and give us that dedicated laundry room off the bedrooms which is so wonderful in the house we have. Putting the laundry where the dirty clothes are located.

Tom's birthday is August 6. Its a Saturday. We will definitely be having a party if we are in our new house. I will just hide the unpacked boxes in the basement. I don't think we will be ready for a BBQ yet, but definitely a beer, wine and pizza party with Caesar salad will be on the menu. Open house from 2:00 pm on. No gifts. We already have too much stuff.

If we are not in our new house yet, I may take Tom to a hotel with a great bar in it and just hang out. He likes the Marriott downtown. We liked the Nines where we stayed for my sister in law's Great Gatsby party. Tom is not much into costume themes. He was willing to do that night because he likes his in laws. But it wouldn't make a good birthday for him. This is the Big 50, mid century.

I will take suggestions on how to celebrate if we are not into that house. Tom would love to take the boys to another Nascar race. He was thinking Phoenix in November. I wasn't thrilled with the idea, but if I have to make up for not getting him his big house I may have to do another Nascar trip. I do love the symphony so much more.