Here and now

Most of my thoughts are in the future. I am a dreamer. You know those people who live in the past and just sit around thinking about how great it used to be, I plan for how great it is going to be, not that life isn't great now, but you know what I'm saying.

But for now:

• We live in 400 sq ft with Hubby's parents
• Hubby just launched his application that he has been working 80 hrs/ wk on for the last year
• He now has 80 users that and it will continue to grow!
• We made a WISE choice to live with the in-laws or the above would have never happened
• We are closing on our second house in a month (built in 1916)
• We are leaving for Disneyland in 15 days (staying for 7 days)
• We have 3 amazing children
• Once we move, I have no idea how I am going to get the remodeling done (ooops, there I go in the future again)
• August just wedged himself between the Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper and the bed.(now that's funny)
• 
  
  

All things COUNTRY

I am in LOVE with this picture! 

It is my essence.  CowBoy Boots, girly skirts and aprons, and a tough jean jacket! 

I miss my boots, they are packed away in our storage pod. I want my boots and my table saw, that is all I want back.  Out of a jam-crammed 8x16 storage pod, those are really the only things that I want out.  Maybe I'll have them droop the storage pod off at Goodwill.

I love the simple life.  Living in 400 sq ft with your in-laws will do that to you (or it may do the opposite). All I want to do is drop everything off at Goodwill, even the minimal stuff we have now, more needs to go.  Why collect junk, things you use once a year, things that aren't essential? 

Anyway, I'm so glad we actually found a house in cow town country, not the neighboring cities.  The house we are buying is smack dab in the middle of "Old Town District", hence the "built in 1916". The streets look like they are straight of of Mayberry. The biggest store in town is Del's Farm Supply. I just love it, wide open spaces. 

I'm just so excited to live and create my little farm cottage:   To bring it back to life.  Most would say that about an old 1916's Victorian, not the carpenters house who built the old victorian, LOL.  It's the simple life that I love. I am happy to buy under our budget, to live without the stress of a huge mortgage in a small house that will make our family strong, keep our family close.  And when we do move, it will be the perfect cute rental property.  

I have this dream of having 10+ rental properties, all in cow town that we own outright. Each property will be $1,200+ in our pockets each month. We will be living on 40 acres in our RhynEmbassy, see previous posts to view floorplans.  The exterior will be redesigned to look like an old farm house, nothing will look new, it will look like it's been there for 100 years, and it will be around for another 100 years.   We will have a huge barn with all the animals to teach the children about hard work, getting up early to milk the cows and collect the eggs before breakfast and school lesson.  I want my boys growing up knowing how to be a real man, works hard and love God and his family.

I want my girls knowing how to be real women, real support systems, strong, smart and hard working. Our children are our legacy. I don't want them to know of the millions in our bank account.  I want to train them to make their own millions, create their own jobs, sell the eggs they collect, etc. 

Raising our kids in today's technology, to appreciate the simple things in life will be quite a feat, especially since it is hubby's business to know all things technology.  But I think we can do it. I am just so excited to give my kids the life I always wished I had.  Parents who love each other and are together til the end of time, 40 acres and  creek to run free around, giant oak tree to swing from

Hubby and I will be sitting on the front porch, resting in peace in God's country.

We are a THREAT

So, the appraisal came through for our house just at what we are purchasing it for, $180,000. But come to find out, they won't finalize the appraisal until a few more things have been done. 1.) Peel the chipping paint off the eaves and re paint, 2.) Repair the stair so it isn't cut off in the middle of the doorways.

Oy.  So now the sellers are quite peeved, understandably so, especially after spending $11,000 on inspection repairs. Now granted, they have to make these repairs or the house wont be financiable for us or anyone else who buys it, so they might as well do it now.

My main worry is that they will do it, but they will get out of contract with us and list it again for a higher price. 

We have 9 days to be in contract to get the $8,000 first time home buyer credit. So if they bail, they better do it soon so we can get in contract with another house!! Yikes!

But the more I think about this, the more it is confirmed in my soul that God wants us to have our own house, our own EMBASSY, the Rhyne-Bassy.  Ephesians 6:12 so clearly states "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." And that is what I feel like is happening here.

This was suppose to be an easy sale and it's just one thing after another, trying to keep us from getting this house. It is so obvious to me that Satan wants nothing more than to have our family be without an embassy of our own.  Now, it's a good thing he doesn't get the last say but he is certainly giving it his best.

The more Satan pushes, the harder I pray.  God has already shown true by them paying for $11,000 worth of repairs and I know he will be faithful.  It actually makes me happy to know that my family is a threat to Satan. It gives me joy to know all the good that will happen in this home

This house is in a great neighborhood and has sooo much potential, I think God and I are the only ones who see it.
AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD

Carter is 4

Gosh... I just can't believe it. It goes by so fast.  Nana rented him a bounce house for his present. They all had a ball! I made an ice cream cake that took two men and two butcher knives to cut and Auntie got him his first car (with August riding passenger)... a look 12 years in my future!

My new project DESK

I am SOO thrilled of this find $15 off craigslist. (and it came with the chair).  I will be painting it white and replacing the hardware. The desktop will flip open (like a piano bench) to reveal my computer screen on the bottom side (so it will be facing me when open, facing the ground when closed and no one will know the desk houses a computer). The bottom two drawers will be converted into a cupboard to store the computer itself and the top left drawer will hold the keyboard and mouse when not in use. I may be switching to desktop to be actual wood.

I just love converting furniture to actually be functional.  As you can tell from the floor plans, our living will be VERY small and computer screens are just so ugly in the living room, I think they are ugly anywhere except the office so I am always trying to figure out a way to hide or disguise them.

But of course, I can't start work on this til after Carter's 4th birthday party, this Saturday.  I just wish my spray painter wasn't in storage, so back to old school, brush and foam roller. 

And I think I found the floors I want. $1.55/ft from Academy Floors.com . They have the hand planed grooves that I love and I just love the dark color, see below, but our cabinets will be all white, but same countertop.

Passed Appraisal

Wahoo!! The sellers did $11,000 worth of work (which was surprising) and we just got the appraisal back and it just scraped in at $180,000 (our exact purchase price).  It seems like it's all coming together. This isn't our dream house, but having A house is our dream! LOL.

I have become quite fond of living in 400 sq ft. It's an amazing thing. When we moved in here in August (9 months ago), we thought we brought the bare miniums, clothes, computer, beds... but I am finding we still have too much.  I have given away 30% of Stephen and my clothes and toys are going goodbye, too.

When they deliver our storage POD to the house, I don't know what I am going to do with all that stuff.  We have enough clothes right now, but we have probably about 300% more in the container, along with 2 complete sets of furniture, bedroom set that wont come near to fitting in our 13x9 master bedroom... maybe I should just tell the guy to drop off our POD at Goodwill, LOL.  None the less, I will be going craigslist crazy trying to sell everything.

But now I am getting so "Decorating" excited...

modern living room design

I just LOVE that room.. The box beam ceilings are amazing, definitely what I will be doing in our living room and the wall texture is awesome.  It's so airy and fresh feeling.

traditional home office design

 And this office, although quite cluttered, would be great for Stephen. I love the muted colors and the light.  I am just soooo excited for Stephen to have a real office. Right now he is working on the dining room table, his mom's painting studio, his mom's office or in the living room.  I feel so bad for him. I can't wait for him to get to concentrate.

tropical living room design by san francisco architect ZAK Architecture

I think I'll do something like this on the CEILING but with White beams, some kind of paint technique.  I want a tropical, fresh, a little modern, travelers office for him.  I bought an old school tan globe for $3 and an awesome amber lantern for $10.. I'm so excited. I want to have his desktop out of wood and it to be HUGE, at least 3' deep for his long legs and a giant L shape, 6' by 10'.  He works so hard for us, I just want him to have a space ALL his, no kids, no toys, no interruptions!!

traditional home office design by other metros showroom Fletcher Horn @ ABMWOOD.COM ...  Antique Materials

Awesome Wood surface!

Sleep in heavenly PEACE

Luella Glory : 4 months

August Hinley : 1 year 9 months

Carter William : 3 years 11 months

Aim Boot Camp

If anyone lives in the North Seattle area, and wants to get in shape, this boot camp is for you.

 I initially found this boot camp.http://aimfitcamp.com/ while browing through the 50% coupons for the local radio station.  The trainer, Mark Haner. He makes sure you keep going and pushing yourself. They meet 3 times a week for only 30 mins.  I loved the idea. M W F 6:30-7:00, before the kids or Stephen would be up, I could go and get a work out in and be home 30 mins before anyone woke up.
So far, I have completed the first week, 3 days.  I was sooo sore.  It's like circuit training, but more intense.

And I know intense. I rowed crew for UW... I remember those practices being like this camp was but worse.. well and 3 kids ago, LOL. There I am, 2nd from the front... 30 lbs ago (140 lbs).  For those that don't know much about crew, it looks graceful but is one of the most intense sports that not only requires strength and endurance but also balance and timing.

Anyway, I'm loving the boot camp. I'm hoping to lose 10 lbs and be 160 by the May 14, when we leave for Disneyland... wahoo!!

New House Stuff

This is the 1916 house that we are in the process of buying, hoping to close May 28th. Anyway, it's SMALL... or should I say tiny, especially for a family of 5.The downstairs is about 920 sq ft and the upstairs had 2 attic bedrooms (that will be storage and Stephen's office). Anyway, I plan to spend $2000 on new pergo floors and a new IKEA kitchen.  The boys will be sharing the den as a bedroom and the baby will be with us.

But in a few years, we plan on doing this (see above). First, moving the front door to make a front porch (now there is a rotted deck). Then add 9' to the master bedroom and a closet for the "den" so it can be a legal bedroom and we can rent it as a 4 bd / 2 bath. We also plan on creating a "carport" that will double as a outdoor living area in the summer (and we will park on the street for parties).I figure I need about $30,000 to do this. I want to do it with cash (no re-financing as we are getting a 5% fixed rate).  But I think I should be able to save that in 5 years, hopefully sooner.

And here is kind of an idea of our carport, when used as outdoor living... but that's not for awhile..

Here is the here and NOW....

And this is a 3d of our kitchen with eating space/ nook, looking at it from the backyardish.

And a picture of the nook idea.. not the colors, just the cushions and nook setup, but with a heafy pine table... doesn't it look soo cozy!

What I'll be building the wainscotting to look like. I just love the beadboard, very cottage. (There will be a window seat like that in the remodeled master bedroom.

And the floors, dark (not as dark as we would like, but it's what we can afford $1.15/ft at IKEA)






The Living room paint (above the wainscotting). Benjamin Moore : Alaskan Husky

And the wainscotting color, although I'm still considering white, but I think this will just feel so much warmer. Benjamin Moore : Ivory White

And some fabric ideas :Curtains?

And Pillows?

And the KITCHEN, I want a light butter yellow. This is Benjamin Moore : Lemon Souffle

To go along with our Stat White IKEA Cabinets

And the counters : pragel stone effect white from IKEA. They are like $72 for like 8' or something ridiculous.

And now for some fun.. I LOVE these lantern light fixtures

And the cottage feel I am going for.