All good things!

Well, this weekend was actually a good one!

The garage sale went MUCH better than we thought it would and we got rid of a ton of large furniture that we were holding onto way too long.  I was surprised how many showed just from a free Craigslist ad.

We did our taxes on Sunday.  It was a chore!  We both got frustrated and thought of giving up, but usually one of us was ready to stick it out, so we pulled each other through. The main problem was I consulted a tax accountant early on in the business, but they really did not tell me anything helpful.  I am seriously bummed about that, but we learned.   Since I actually do use one room in my house for the business, we claimed it - at $5 a sq ft. (using the easy route).  We also claimed the mileage, depreciation on the machines, advertising expenses, and travel expenses (for the conference I went to). 

My goodness - depreciation!  The best thing ever!

Even though I was in the black for my business this year, it dropped our taxes in an amazing way!  Usually, we owe anywhere between $1,500 to over $7,000 depending on the bonus year.  We can never predict, so we are always surprised.

So, after 12 years of owing, not being able to claim our kids and stressing - we are getting a return!  To the tune of $2,800!  It really could not have come at a better time.  I could not stop dancing.

One more thing, I am NO LONGER sewing patches!  WOOHOO!!!  What a load off!  I don't have customers calling me all day, showing up whenever, etc.  I feel free actually - just free!

With all this good, I have slept - 2 nights in a row, I slept without waking.  It feels wonderful!

Update - Week 4!

 Oh, I am know I am so late!  This has been the busiest week so far.  So much happening.


1.  Suburb House - We have been working hard - packing like crazy (3 trips to the storage facility), repairing some sheet rock from pictures, kids, etc.  The roof was replaced - though they nailed into the water line 2 times, so we did not have water most of the day.  Not horrible, but bad when there are 4 people living, eating and going to the bathroom.

We hired a guy to change out the caulking around the outside windows.  He started yesterday, but had a family emergency, so did not show today.  I hope to get that done pretty soon.

Had a garage sale this morning - tough because we are not allowed to have one here in our neighborhood.  So, I could only advertise online.  Let me tell you - Craigslist worked like a charm.  Not only did people come, but they were ALL buyers.  Not a single person came that did not purchase something.  I will ALWAYS do that again.  It is free and there are great results.  We sold my big accountant's desk, a large armoire, a basketball goal, patio chairs, a tiled small table, 2 sets of barstools, all our outdoor Christmas items (we kept the trees, the extra large wreath and all the inside items), a large set of Ikea Expedit shelves, and lots of kitchen items and household items.  It paid for the caulking guy and then some.

Here is our current house at the end of the garage sale, but I wanted you to see that beautiful new roof!

Oh, I am also set to meet with the realtor this week about comps and listing date, open houses, etc.  We will see!


2. Land Purchase - This is done - so I will take this off the list from now on.

3. Land Home - We met with the builder this week at the land and discussed where we wanted the driveway and the home - it was fun.  He said if we could sell the house soon, we could be in by Christmas - no problem!   SO EXCITING!

We also started the construction loan process with a sell of our current home contingency.  Pre-approval come early next week and this process is going.

I hope to meet with the designer this week to get the plans going.  At this point, it looks like 735 sq. ft of screened in patio space - swoon!  You can be outside almost all year here - it is just the hottest part of summer that keeps you indoors.  But the bugs are horrible.  I know a screen won't completely keep them out, but it will help a ton!


4. RV Living - We are starting to talk about it again, but more in the sense of starting to load it with the items we will need - like the homeschool items, the tent, etc.  We will start loading some of the things next week.

5. Business - 1 quilt and 1 pillow done and picked up.  About 50 patches done, but I am all done with them!  I will accept no more patches.  I did get another quilt in - oy vey!  1 more is almost done - it is a cool one too!   Here are the ones I finished.

6.  Homeschooling all the while - We decided to quit for a while.  They are doing worse without direction right now and I need their help.  We will get started when we move into the RV or I finish with the quilts.  Which I don't think I will before we move.  It is like our summer right now, so we will work through the summer.  I feel much more at ease with that.

Well, it was truly a intensely busy week with college boy coming home, and Matthew's problems.

Update on Matthew:

The apartment is not going to work.  The rent is too high for him and as much as I would like to help, we just cannot. 

So, he has no choice but to look for a roommate he does not know.  He has about 9 days here before he has to leave.  He has agreed that it is something he needs to do.  BTW - his father's side said no to him staying with them - all of them - grandparents, uncle and Dad.  He really has noone but me - it is truly sad.  I think if he goes through with this process and finds a roommate, then I will take him shopping for some clothes.  He recently had to change his bipolar meds and lost about 25 pounds and all his pants are falling down.  With paying for a deposit and other fees, he does not have the money for clothes.  I plan on getting him 2 jeans, 2 shorts, and 5-6 shirts. 

There you are - another week in our sweetly chaotic life!

The Roof, The Roof

The Roof is coming off!  LOL

The roofers were here at about 6:00 a.m.  It is going to be a LONG day.  They are shaking the house scraping the shingles off right now.  Been at it for an hour.  I know it will get bad when the hammering commences.

Since I struggle with sleep, 6 a.m. is about when I go back into a deep sleep, so I probably only reached 1 stage of REM last night, as I was up at 4:30 not able to sleep anymore.  Ah, well, sleep will come soon enough.

I am really glad it is getting done, one step closer to the sale of this house means one step closer to the new house.

So, a quick update on my son.  I talked him out of Kansas - just a bad idea all around.  However, we are going to help him a bit.

My main issue(for me) is that my second son, Aaron, has no place to live this summer either since we will be in an RV.  Aaron usually stays with Matthew anyway when he is here though, so we decided to help Matthew get a place on his own with these rules:

1.  We will pay 1/2 of the rent for 6 months only.  Of which, Matthew MUST save that portion.  This 6 month is a reality check with a safety net.  He has to live on his income to see if this situation is doable after the 6 months.

We chose 6 months because it gives Aaron a place to stay while he is on break from college that is close to his work and it gives Matthew 6 months to get himself together.

2.  The apartment mist stay clean at all times - mom kind of clean.

3. He cannot quit work for any reason during this time. (This is from a previous job situation, but he has been on this job for over a year).

It is in an apartment complex that caters to young singles. They have weekly social events and hopefully with this, Matthew learns to balance his money, or finds someone he can room with after the 6 months.  They have 2 bedrooms in this complex as well that are made for a roommate situation - unlike the one he was in before that was more for families.

The rent is $600 a month, so not killer.  It eases my mind during this heavy transition of us not having a place and building, selling, repairing etc.   If we were not, I would handle all this differently.   I do realize we are delaying facing this off 6 months.   My hope is that he realizes the brevity of it and makes changes accordingly.  We will see.

So, I have my bottle of ibuprofen, peppermint essential oil and coffee.  One day they said to get the roof done - I pray it is true!

Edit:  Quick insight to their Dad's family.  Aaron and Matthew have the same father.  Aaron is the golden child, Matthew is treated very poorly.  Even though Aaron is honored, he hates going over there.  It is extremely uncomfortable - lots of talking behind backs, lying, back stabbing, calling name, being judgemental, imposing opinions, yelling, guilt, etc, etc.   Yeah, they need to suck it up and maybe it will come to that in 6 months.  Where I have the biggest beef (right now), is Aaron is given $400 a month to live whereas Matthew has not been given a dime.   Now, we make Aaron pay for his living expenses at college, so this helps him tremendously.  Just Matthew could use a little help every now and then.  Even if it was a trip to the grocery store or a pair of jeans at Christmas.  

For example, Aaron got a memory book of himself infant through current, money, and a few articles of clothes for Christmas.  Matthew got a used Hardy Boys book.  That is it.  I am not saying they should give him more - it is like that WITH EVERYTHING!  Time, money, love, all of it.  Now, to Aaron's credit - all this comes with a price - strings are attached.

So, it is really no wonder Matthew is more than hesitant.  No excuses though, if it is his last resort - he will have to suck it up!

The Drama Ensues

Well, we decided this past weekend to have a garage sale this coming weekend, even though our neighborhood does not allow them.  We have some rather large pieces of furniture to get rid of.  We are not looking for a large amount of money, just for someone to take them off our hands and we can line our pockets with a little something.

So, the packing in earnest has commenced.  I packed up almost all my business items.  Only what I need to make the quilts and one last embroidery order that I committed to MONTHS ago.  Also and entire extra large Expidit shelf from IKEA, a large tv/dresser type armoire, a regular dresser, a sofa and a dining table - oh and 4 barstools.  Whew!  It is mainly to sell these things.  The rest has already been filtered down from the first move, but any extraneous things will go to charity.

I am meeting the builder at the land tomorrow and putting more into storage.

Things were moving right along when

BAM!

Oldest child, Matt, was kicked out of his living situation.  Long story short, about 1 1/2 weeks ago, he told his roommates that they might want to stop doing so much cocaine, that they seemed to be addicted.

Lo and behold, he has found himself without a place to live again.  Sigh.

This time, I cannot literally cannot help him.  My college boy is coming home for spring break (he is on the quarter system, not semester system) and needs a place to rest.  He had a VERY rough quarter.  We were putting off listing the house until he went back to college - at which point, I am moving into his room because the room I am working in is actually a formal dining area.

This means that neither my oldest or my college will have a place to live in two weeks with us. We will be listing, then living in the RV.  So, I have to literally kick my son out on Friday.  Now, before you get all upset about it - he has his father's side of the family that ALL live here.  He could easily go stay with them.

But no, he wants to move to Kansas (Topeka, he thinks).  Bad idea, he is on long term medication that would be very difficult to manage without a job.

Now he trying to room with a friend from high school that won't be available to room until August at the earliest.

He needs something right now.

More stress added to more stress.

However, we are not stopping our process.  We are listing in 2 weeks, and hoping to be in a contract before April.  That is final!

We closed after all!

It was back and forth about closing for days!  We finally closed yesterday, so we are the proud owners of 2.5 acres!

Next up is meeting the builder at the land to discuss location of the driveway and house.

All the while I meet with the engineer to plan the house!

Things are moving right along.  This morning, we are packing up to take a load to the storage place - all my business stuff.  A little sad, but I will be fine.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Friday Update Week 3

1. Suburb House - Roof scheduled to be replaced on Tuesday, caulking around windows on Monday.  We are getting the storage rooms today.  We are getting a climate controlled for the majority of our items and non climate control for the garage items, which will be moved once the shed is built.  Why pay for something we already own! 

For the most part, it is my business stuff and garage at this point.  Some minor pieces of furniture will go next week probably.

This weekend Darrell is focusing on the repair list and I am focusing on finishing 2 quilts and a pillow.

2. Land Purchase - The closing is delayed due to the HOA paperwork.  Just due diligence on the title company's part.  We only had a executed contract less than 2 weeks ago.  It is an extremely fast close.

3. Land Home - We received the very estimate from the builder.  I have not discussed with Darrell yet, what we are comfortable sharing, so for now, I will not disclose.  It is not even close to the final price though - I think it will go down actually.  There are many things that I am taking off.

4. RV Living - nothing here.  No time this week.

5. Business - It was a very rough week with the business - very difficult customers, lots of patches and it seemed that every time I went to go to the bathroom the door bell rang or the phone rang.


I have 2 quilts prepped and ready to put sew together and one very difficult pillow that I need concentrate on.  Everyone has agreed to give me tomorrow morning for that damn thing.

6. Homeschooling -Keeping on keeping on.  Nothing earth shattering this week, though I am highly considering taking a break for 3 weeks while we get the house ready to sell.  They can help pack, clean, and in general run my errands around the house - like mother's little helpers.  I need to weigh the pros and cons with this. It seems this year has been nothing but limping through.  It seems like that may be what the year is though.  Life.

Truly, in about 3-4 months, we will have nothing to do but homeschool.  We will be in our RV, the house will be sold.  Business will be stopped and the house being built, but nothing that we can do like now.


Things to ponder - so many things to ponder.

To-Dos and Repairs before selling

Well now that the roof is scheduled to be replaced and we are closing on the land Friday - that is 2 I can check off soon, then the focus is now on getting this house ready to sell.  We plan on putting it on the market in two or three weeks.  Possible a soft opening in 2 weeks and on the MLS in 3.

For the most part, Darrell is doing all of this while I keep track of the builder, roofer, real estate agent, bank advisor as well as the business and homeschool.  I am spending a LOT of time in my office, but that has to go in a week!  AGH!  It is the formal dining room and for selling - we have to make it a formal dining room again.

1. Sell large pieces of furniture - well, this is me as well.  We had a couple of pieces left over from the big house that I absolutely LOVE, but well, they are big, so it is time to let them go.  We are selling a very large accountants desk with two bookshelves and a filing cabinet attached, a large entertainment armoire with felt lined jewelry drawers, 2 corner desks (maybe, I am not sure yet), a sofa, a dining table, and my Babylock single needle embroidery machine.

2. Paint over hairline cracks from settling on walls and ceilings.  We had an engineer come out and we were told it was settling.  These are not bad - maybe 4 in total.

3. Repair any damaged walls - kids, need I say more?

4. Caulking around outside windows - we are hiring out for this.  Darrell attempted and it was not pretty.

5. Replace light in master bathroom - it is not just the bulb, but the main unit. 

6. Recaulk all bathrooms

7. Roof Replacement - in works by a roofing company

8. New plants/sod for yard

9. Remove Horseshoe Pit - done

10.  Cut roots from around foundation - normal spring thing - done

11. Cut any limbs touching house done

12. Replace Doorbell - the button is broken, but the bell itself still works

13. Take down screws for Christmas Lights

14. Seal brick joints done

15. Level Air Conditioner unit done

16. Fix Garage Wall

17. Take Down Curtains on Back Porch done

18. Weather Strip Exit Doors

19. Pack up my business and remove things from walls -in process by me

20. Clean Windows


So many of these are spring cleaning things anyway.  Plus, when we moved in here almost 3 years ago, I had the entire house inside and out painted, so that still looks great - just a few touch ups.  We renovated the kitchen, so all new appliances.  We put in new flooring in all the bedrooms and formal dining room.  

Darrell said he could get this done and I am packing 3-4 boxes daily.  All my business at this point. We are getting a climate controlled storage shed by next week so we can start moving some boxes and my machines.

On and upward!

Bad Day/Good Day

I know, it's Valentine's Day.  Honestly, if it were not for Facebook, I probably would not even know.  We don't celebrate it and don't want to either.

I had a VERY bad day in spite of it all.

1st - sent customer this picture, telling her it was done and it looked fabulous.  When does she want to pick up - yada, yada.  Well, she texts me - I hope the backing is something soft and fluffy.  I text back that it is the cotton we decided on when ordering and it would get softer with use.  She then texts  - What color is the backing?  I answer that it is blue - like she ordered.  She doesn't text back for hours.  Then simply that she will pick up on Thursday.

Great.  This was made from 80 images for the middle part.  100 squares around the perimeter and very close to a king size - the largest and most shirts I have done so far.  To change the backing would take me around 2 weeks!  She is insane.

#2 - Second customers - She picked several shirts that HAD to be on a pillow I was making - in addition to the quilt for her daughter.  So, I cut the shirts for the pillow and quilt, laid out the pillow, then snapped a picture and sent it to her for approval. 

The colors don't match.  Well, yes, all the maroons from the 5 different shirts are slightly different.  That is what you get when you try to make something from 1 color that uses different fabrics and different garments as well as cotton fabric. 

I just asked that she come to my house to work together - that way she can see the colors and my predicament.  Sigh.

#3 - As the day is going on, I am trying to move on by working on the next order and talking with the roofer,  the real estate agent, etc.  I am on the floor laying out the 3rd customer quilt when my phone dings and I get notice that my "order" is prepared.  Ummm - what order?  I have not placed an order for anything in a while now.  Trying to stop ordering since the move is eminent.

Well, I try to contact them, but my computer freezes.  Sigh.

I finally get an email to them.  They actually wrote me back within half an hour!  There was a glitch within their system sending out invoice to everyone and they were trying to fix it.  Darrell said it was probably a virus.

#4 - Crazy customer lost these patches I made for her and wants me to do more, but I have stopped doing embroidery, so I tell her no.  She freaked out!  Sigh.  I cannot give in this time.  I am having a garage sale next weekend.  Half of my business is packed up.  I am trying to turn out quilts like crazy and still sewing patches until the end of this month.  Something had to give and embroidery it was.

Good Things

1. My daughter's teacher cancelled class today!  YEAH!  We did not have to get out in the storm. 

2. The roofer came and is putting on the roof next week.  It is not costing me an arm and a leg, but we have that charge that they can never predict for boards.  $100 a pop. 

This is the same as when you lay flooring - the stuff they use for leveling - it costs per bag.

It is how all these companies get you - there is always one thing that they cannot predict and it costs MORE than you usually anticipate.  The roofers cut my deducible in half.  Wanna bet that the boards will cost about that much that gave us?   LOL  The roof is going on before we put the house on the market - that is all I care about right now, so I put this in the good category.

3.  I got notice that we are closing on the land Friday!  YEAH!!  One thing I can check off the list and one step closer to the goal.

4. Customer 3 approved the quilt and told me I am very talented.  I sooooo needed that.

So, now I am relaxing on some heat with a glass of very cold, white wine and taking a breather by writing.  I will probably pack a few more boxes tonight.

I hope you all had a great Valentine's Day  - whether or not you celebrate.  A Good Tuesday is reason enough to celebrate!

Our NEW Builder

We met Ernest of Masterson Homes this Saturday at a Starbucks in between where we live currently and where we will live.  This area will be our main shopping area as it is about 11 miles from the new home, but has all that we will need on a normal basis.  It has Kroger, Lowes, Target, Walmart, Kohls, JoAnns and lots of restaurants.  We buy so much on-line now that shopping is really not a priority.

There is a Brookshire Brothers about 5 miles from the house, which will be fine for last minute things - milk, butter, etc.  It is too expensive for full shopping though.

Anyway, back to the builder.

He is exactly what we have been looking for!  He listened to us, asked questions, wrote notes, inquisitive about my vendors, offered suggestions, made plans about the future with us, etc.   The meeting was a dream and he did not ask for any money yet!

He left saying he was going to work up a rough plan and give us a quote (knowing it will change as we add or subtract items).  Then, I will meet with the architect to nail down the design of the house.  Once we get all the details, he will work up what is needed for the construction loan, even working with our Metal Building guy for the large shed.

I cannot wait to get the quote!

Oh yeah, he always is fine with the survey that was already done on the land - no need to get another one.  That saved us $750 right there.

I get to pick the front door because it is a special thing to me, then he will design the front of the house around it!  WOW!  He is also going to use my vendors for the saltillo tiles and stone.  I am truly amazed.  With most builders, you have to use their vendors.  We are also going to purchase our own appliances if his are more than what we can get OR they are not what we want - he is fine with us purchasing anything.  He will just take it off the balance. 

Truly, we could not have asked for more.  He seemed willing to absorb the burden of this process and said he would be the person we talk to day in and out - he does not hand it over to someone else.  Either he or his foreman will be their daily checking on the contractors and I am welcome to be there any time I want during the construction process.

Time frame, 5 months once we break ground.  Now, the construction loan process may take a little while and we plan on getting it going as soon as possible.  But this brings "in by Christmas" a reality again!

So, that leaves me with working my ass off to get all these quilts sewn together because the house has to go on the market early March!  YIKES!

Friday Update Week 2

Sadly, still nothing to take a picture of, so I will leave you with one from our trip several years ago.

Yellowstone's Grand Canyon

1. Suburb House - Roof was approved by Insurance Company as their was significant hail damage.  Good news.  Bad news is we have to get the check we were given signed by the mortgage company.  Nothing can start until we do that.  So, at this point, we are waiting to that check back.  

I did pick up 40 boxes to start packing the extraneous stuff we have - like most of the business items, books we do not use on a regular basis (but want to keep), excess kitchen items that cannot be taken on RV, but helpful in a full functioning kitchen, knick knacks, pictures, etc.

We made a fix it/clean it list before putting the house on the market - like recaulking, touch up paint, etc.  None of it will cost a whole lot, just elbow grease - I will post a complete list week.

2. Land Purchase - Nothing major - due diligence with the Title Company.  We did have to pay the HOA fees upfront.  Which was different for us.  We always paid then at closing.  It was explained that the title company pays for those fees and then they get reimbursed at closing.  Well, when deals fell through, the title company lost that money.  Makes sense to make the buyers pay them - it ensures the deal with go through.  It is usually very close to closing though, so I think we may close next week.

3. Land Home - We talked with a few of the references from the K Builder, but all had a lukewarm response.  They were ok, but K Builders were not truly custom and did not let them pick outside vendors for items in their home.  Plus, on my side - they wanted a special survey that cost $750 that we had to have BEFORE talking to them as well as $2,500.  This was all before we even met them!  Kind of fishy to me.

So, they recommended Builder M - who once worked for K Builders, but started his own company.  He is meeting with us to discuss things Saturday morning and we don't have to bring anything other than our winning personalities!  I am taking floor samples, some pictures and a written plan we have for the layout of the house.

4. RV Living - nothing here.  No time this week. 

5. Business - Finished 1 quilt, almost done with another one.  Word is getting out that I am closing, so the incoming daily traffic has slowed down (thankfully).  I will start slowly packing the excess and thinking about having a closing sale on my stock items - like backpacks, a couple of hooded towels, key fobs, jute water wraps and in general fabric.  That way it would cut down on what we take with us and put a little money in my account.  Time is the main issue though.

6. Homeschooling - things are going good with a toned down curriculum right now.  It is hard to imagine but in just a few months we will be full bore and I will have nothing else to do on a daily basis.  I kind of feel for them, but not really.  Such an awesome education - one on one.

Overall, we felt like we got some things decided on this week.  I don't feel as stressed now that a couple of things have come together.  The unknown is my worst enemy!

I still have my head in the clouds though - dreaming and thinking.  It is difficult to work because all I want to do is sit up there by the land and go look at fixtures, flooring, paint, model homes, bathrooms, etc. 

Ah, here comes the busy weekend!  I am getting this quilt done and Darrell is focusing on the backyard!  No rest for the weary until April!

Sigh - it never ends!

Today is all about the business.

I made a list of things I had to get done today.  The day started at the orthodontist, not bad, but took longer than expected.  I had a customer coming at 9:30, so I pushed them along - after all it was just an adjustment and that usually takes 15 minutes tops, today was 30+ minutes.

Anyway, got home, started sewing patches because I had a ton to do.  Waiting on customer - no show. Gotta love it.   Kept working on patches, stopped to do math.  More patches.  Another customer texts and is on the way - she shows up - fine.

More patches, then I discover one patch is missing.  FUDGE!  I look everywhere.  My initial count does not reflect one missing, so I tell the customer.  She thinks it is in the car.  Good Lord - some people are so unorganized.  It drives me up the wall!

She is coming later.  Finally hear from the one that was supposed to be there in the morning.  She is running late (at 12:30- ya think?).  Finish the patches I have, then take a break to talk to hubby and do some computer work in regards to the house, the land, post on Facebook about a quilt, cancel a survey.

Then I go to lay out a quilt that I have been needing to layout for DAYS, when I get an email about a project I did last month.  She received the package, sealed and everything - nothing in it - not even my note.

This has NEVER happened before.  Because this is a police officer in Peoria, AZ ordering for her patrol unit that is about to be broken up, she needs it now.  She is willing to pay, but I think it would be in bad taste to charge her.  I am frantically making it again and have to get it in the mail TODAY!

This quilt is still not laid out.  Today is going to be a long one.  I cannot no longer let things go until tomorrow. In 3 months, I will not have access to my machines - I have to get to work!

Here is the latest quilt though - the largest yet I have done.  It is an oversized queen.  My kids could barely hold it up!

Crazy Day!

There is a lot going on!

I had to mail the check from the insurance to the mortgage, run to the bank, chiro appointment, customer picking up that I forgot to trim threads and lint roll (got it done in time though), start the beans for Red Beans and Rice today, running daughter to sign language class, meeting another customer, sewing patches, laying out a 80 piece quilt, breathing, remembering to breath, texting with Real Estate Agent, teaching math, oh, yeah - lunch - maybe?


Tomorrow should not be quite as hectic.  Lots to do, but I will be home the whole day not in and out like today.

Interesting news:

There was a contractor at the company we are/were going to go with to build our home, but he left to start his own business.  He was their best contractor.  Hmmmm - food for thought.  Since he is an independent with fabulous references, I think this might be a good mix for me, in particular.  I considered acting as contractor myself, but with everything on my plate, I felt like something would be missed.  However, with this person, I may get to pick what flooring, stone, etc goes in the house rather than picking from a showroom.  The main company is a custom place, but they give you choices from their preferred vendors. 

I already know what flooring I want and where to get it; I know what stone to us and where to get it.

I can get lighting, cabinets, paint, etc, etc.

The cart is before the horse though.  I need to slow down.  I have not even talked to the man yet OR the building firm.

Oh, that is the other thing. The main firm kind of made me feel uncomfortable because they say I must have the survey and $2,500 before we even start.  I just want to talk about the process, see if we jive, etc.  I am a little leery of people who want money before even meeting me.

Anyway, we are going to try to set an appointment with the guy to see what he says.  This may mean we need to hire an architect to design and draw our plans.

So many interesting things!

Roofing

The adjuster came out today to approve or disapprove our claim for replacing the roof of the house we are currently living in.

Luckily, we were approved!  So, out of pocket should be around $2,500.  I do not completely understand the verbiage at this point - especially the Recoverable Depreciation.  But, the way the adjuster talked, we would be getting that when the new roof is put on.

He specifically said - you get a check now, then you get another when the work is completed, so I will go with that.  It is much less than I anticipated from our insurance, so we are golden at this point.  Plus, the roofer is offering us $1,000 for letting them put a sign in our yard.  I could not care less about that sign.  I will not be here in 4-5 months.

Main issue is that I have to go through the mortgage company to get the check endorsed, and they are making us jump through hoops!  We have to sign it, send it away (even though they have offices in town) and are asking for an inspection even though they are not paying anything!  AND, we have to pay for that inspection.  Such a crock!  That kind of bureaucracy makes me so mad!  We have a bad roof - the insurance people chalked it, took pictures and aerial photos!  They should be good with that!  I mean, we do have a stake in this property.

Sigh, I am drinking a glass of Sauvignon Blanc just to calm down a bit.  This is why I do not do this day in and day out. Also, makes we want to pay the new house off as quickly as possible!  That way, I don't have to jump through hoops.

The insurance company actually was not bad at all.  Call in a claim - 5 minutes.  2 minutes phone call to set the appointment.  Then 2.5 hours talking to the roofers and inspector.  Done, I received a check, no biggie.

It was just when I had to call the mortgage company that they went all - "We have to check this out - and YOU have to pay for it."  BTW - I ALREADY PAID FOR IT!!!!  The roofers came out and inspected it, then the adjuster came out an inspected it, even a second roofer inspected it.  Can we just be done with the initial inspection?  I think an inspection AFTER the roof is on is more appropriate.

Oh, and little do they know that I am even bringing one thing that is not on the claim and does not meet code, up to code.  I think I can make better decisions about the house I LIVE in than the company that just holds the loan.

OK, climbing down off my soap box.

We tried to walk the land this weekend, but it is so thick!  I LOVE IT!!!  This is Darrell way back there and the edge of the land where the survey was done.  It was the only place we could walk back.

Week 1 Update on Building

1.  Suburb House - Nothing major - this is the secondary item right now. We have filed a claim with our insurance and the adjuster is coming on Monday to tell us whether they will accept or deny the claim.  Fingers crossed!  Either way, we will have to replace the roof (whether we stayed or not, or whether insurance helps or not).

2. Land Purchase - They countered our offer and we accepted - It was lower than we anticipated by almost $1,000.  Good news!  2.5 acres for $41,000.  They have a survey and open title, so we should close soon.

3. Land Home - I am in the process of booking a Benefit of Survey and Soils Test, so we can start the planning process.  I HOPE by me taking charge of this, we are shaving some time off what they gave me.  I will ask more about time when we actually meet - they are waiting on me right now.

4. RV Living - We are discussing at great lengths how we are modifying the RV in order to make it more comfortable for the kids and us.  At this point, we are taking out the dinette table and putting in chairs, so the kids have somewhere to sit, not just lay.  The dinette was bulky and uncomfortable.  They are actually excited about it!  I will post pictures when we start renovating.  Nothing major - just added nets, shelves, etc.

5. Business - I accepted 9 quilts this week, with that many more at minimum coming in, but no more orders are being accepted.  These people have booked appointments before I closed.  The word is getting around that I am closing and the patches and embroidery work is slowing - which is fabulous!  People told me they are willing to drive out to me for the quilts.  We will see, but I believe them at this point.

6.  Homeschooling all the while - The kids are actually on a Stump Dad on American History lunch.  He is an American History buff and since they are taking it this year, he is taking them to lunch one Friday a month for Stump Dad.  Should be fun for them!  Other than that, we are limping through!

Final Decision on RV

Yesterday we heard that it would take 10.5 months to build the house once the construction loan was approved.  WOW!  Not that I thought it would take a couple of months, but we were told by the loan officers, it takes 60 days to approve the construction loan.

So here is the time line as of today.

1. Put offer on land 2/1/17 - no word yet.
2. Must get survey "in benefit of" us before we can start planning the build
3. Once survey is done (no clue on that time frame yet), then we can plan the build - hopefully during the month of February.
4.  Close on land early March (if it is accepted)
5. Once land closes and plans are done, then we can start the construction loan process - 60 days
6.  Put home on market sometime in April
7. Once construction loan is approved (sometime in May), start building - and the start of 10.5 months.

This means we might not have the house completely built until March or April of next year. 

Well, this changes the outlook on the RV situation.

Yes, we will still live in the RV!  That is not going to change.  For us to start this off right - debt free, 20% down and an emergency fund, we need to do this and we are extremely motivated in this area.

However, living on the property is not an option for that long.  We found a lovely RV park close to where we are building (5 miles) that is full of trees, a pond, large lots with a 10' x 10' pad as well as water, electricity, sewer and wifi included for $600 a month.   It gives me easy access to get to the property if I need to as well as gets used to living up there. 

Plan B if this fails miserably - RV falls apart, we are fighting too much, I get overly depressed, etc.
We will find a place to rent - whether it be a short term apartment or house. 

Honestly, I would rather rent a cabin for a week to get a break and give the kids some breathing room before ditching the scenario and getting a rental. 

I will go into detail about how we are RVing for 8-10 months with teenagers as we get closer to time. 

Right now, I need to buy land, replace a roof, plan a house, get a loan, get my house ready to sell and homeschool.  Those are before this.  It is just nice to have that decided and be able to move my brain onto the more pressing matters.

Land and Business Goings On

Land - Well, it seems as though we have to get the land bought and closed on before we move forward on anything.  So, we put an offer in today.  Hopefully we will hear something by this weekend if not sooner!

Funny thing about the land is that its located in one County, we have the address with another County and the school (not that we will go there) is located in the County we are not located in, but our taxes are paid to the County the land is located in.  I think this is going to be interesting!

Business - I am finding it difficult to work right now.  Partly because there is so much going on with the buying, selling, building, but also I have so many customers this week!  I opened up the quilt orders and boy oh boy they came running!  I have 9 appointments this week, on top of getting things done with the house and homeschool.

I know they will slow down pretty quickly because we are waiting for the land to close and there is not much I can do during that time, so hopefully next week is better for me getting things done.  It is looking like exactly 20 quilts by May.  Sigh.  I need to pay for my son's college tuition (I promised) and this ensures I do.  I can do this!  13 weeks to get them done. 

Tomorrow - MORE RV talk!

This my fountain Darrell made me for the house we are selling, I made him promise to make me another one!