It had to end

All our excitement and vigor for working on our new house came to an end last week.
Eli was laid off.
Life stopped for a few days.
He is diligently looking for work every day.
You hear all about the recession, but it never really hits until
it affects you.
I hope this economy improves quickly.

We're In

We got the keys on Monday. Partially moved in Tuesday and Wednesday. Still sleeping at the apartment because the water isn't on at the house. It is a little overwhelming to have a house that is a "fixer-upper". It is hard to know where to start and to be patient. That 8K tax credit is going to get spent way too quick. I'll post some pics soon.

A Rant, a Rave, and "A Baby"

Apparently the Realtor for the bank is far from bright. She didn't know that her bank only uses one title company. Unfortunately we found this out after completing the stack of paper signing at another title company. And so yet again the closing date has been extended. Who knows at this point. Maybe Friday? Maybe next week. For me, the irritating part is we are going on 2.5 months in getting into our home and my fuse for apartment living is all burnt up. Eli graduates on the 16th and I had big dreams of a BBQ outside our new place. Oh well.

In happier news, Jacob knows the alphabet. Not the song. But when I point to all the letters he can say them all. He's a smart kid for 20 months. I wish I could claim it was all the time I spent reading him books. Nope. I think it was all the time I spent passed out on the couch and him left to watch cartoons like Super Why and Sesame Street. (Love PBS kids, hate how pregnancy makes me so tired all the time).

Jacob took this doll from my in-laws house. He calls it, "a baby". I just get a kick out of it because in his mind babies are little green, bearded leprechauns.

So you have probably already seen this
But you have to watch it first, then watch this.

I laughed so hard I cried.

What I do with my time....

COOK!!!

So Jacob has the need to remind me "cook, cook, cook" daily as he points to my KitchenAid. Living in Washington we are kind of limited with stuff to so when it is rainy outside so, yes, much of our time is spent cooking.
Lately we have tried the following:

Soft Pretzels- Oh man, These were so good. I was a little worried about the baking soda water bath before baking, but well worth the extra step.
Buckwheat Cholent- A Jewish dish made the day before the Sabbath that was allowed to slow cook overnight so they would have a hot meal the next day. A woman in our ward brought this over when Jacob was newborn. I was craving it and she shared the recipe which I am too lazy to type out. The recipe on the link was the same minus the marrow and eggs.
Biscuits- I tried and failed. They were no good.
Mac and Cheese- the basic recipe in the Betty Crocker cook book. Good the first time. Leftovers-- dry, blah
Granola
6 c. rolled oats, ¼ c. sunflower seeds, ½ c. Brown sugar, ½ c. raisins, 1 c. coconut, 1/3 c. sesame seeds. Mix all ingredients except raisins. Stir and coat with ½ c. oil, 1/3 c. honey 2 tsp vanilla. Spread on cookie sheet and bake 350 degrees for 30 mins. Add raisins last 5 minutes.
Whole wheat pancakes- A must make for the rotation of my wheat storage.
Get Yo Man Chicken- Sure did. Got me and the Jake too.
Beef Stroganoff- Not a fan. I think in my pregnant state beef or any meat is no friend of mine.

I also have spent some time sewing, but my machine is on the fritz and is on a break at the repair shop.

All I can think about is paint colors, home decor, and my future garden. Anyone know any good home decor websites/ resources? I have frequented HGTV, DIY, and the Pottery Barn websites.

Oh and I have spent much time lately reading up on swine flu. I was amazed, out of 14 patients today probably 8 were worried about it. Fortunately no cases in WA as of late. Our clinic is all ready with the specific nasal swabs. oh and P.S. our webiste was recently updated. I guess I am part of the team now. I don't know who wrote my bio. Found it interesting how boring I sound. Wish I would have powdered that shiny face.

Still Waiting

Still not house yet. The appraisal was supposed to happen on Friday after the repairs were supposedly done. However, it couldn't be completed because they failed to fill in a stupid pond that is too close to the foundation. Apparently the bank's realtor went to the house and dug up the pond herself. It's about time. So hopefully we get some good news in the next 2 weeks or so.

We did get some good news in another part of our life. We are having a baby girl. Finally-- dresses, ribbons, curlers-- my wish come true.

Impatient

We put an offer in on a bank owned home the first part of March. It was accepted soon after. But because we are first time home buyers with an FHA loan the house needs certain simple repairs (ie it needs a stove, some wires covered up, and a pond in the yard filled in) completed in order for us to be able to purchase it. I think we are getting a smoking deal, double the space for the price-- So I will try to be patient.
HOWEVER. I am so ready to move. We have been in this 2 bedroom apartment for 4 years. I have given up on cleaning. The other day Jacob crawled under a spare bed where we keep containers of various grains, legumes and dumped them all out. Our vacuum isn't the best quality, so I have submitted to the fact that millet and lentils will be sprinkled about until we make the move and do a professional cleaning. Sigh.