So I have some news – yesterday, my husband and I bought a house! It’s our first, and we (or at least definitely me) are very excited. My kids are excited, too. We have been living with my parents for the past five years, doing so to help DH and I get back on our feet financially. We’ve made great progress, and though I am still learning and developing the money side of my brain, it is time for us to be on our own.
Some may argue that it was time a long time ago. Well, we didn’t intend to move in with my ‘rents. But my son was just becoming a toddler, and we lived half a country away. I’m an only child, and my parents wanted to be closer to their only grandchild. And my husband and I had some straightening out to do with our finances. It worked out well, but now it’s time to move on.
Not only did my mom go to our new house today to help us clean up the kitchen (no one has lived in the house for at least 2 years, but it’s still in very good shape), but I also found out tonight that she bought me a sewing machine! We were sitting around talking about the gawd-awful drapery that the daughter of the previous owner was so kind to have left for us (that’s not sarcasm, by the way – we don’t have replacement window treatments, and I really am glad she left them), and I told my parents that I would probably have to make that a priority project. To to and buy simple bars for the windows and sew some super basic drapery.
Well, my mom (who was a bit punchy at the time, having worked all day and just then just gotten off the phone with her sister) said, “She’s sitting down, I think I can tell her!” Yep, she had a whole story about how she’d found a good sewing machine on Consumer Reports that was awesome for beginners, and how it was on sale at the store. It arrives in three days, and I’m so excited!
Now I should probably mention that I don’t really know how to sew. But I’ve always wanted to make my own quilt – for a while, I even thought about doing it by hand (!!!), but never really had the time. Now that we’ve got a mortgage payment along with some serious student loans, we’re putting off getting cable and Internet until we’re better able to decide whether they really fit into our budget. So I’ll have lots and lots of time to learn how to use my new sewing machine!
If you read yesterday’s post, this doesn’t pass the “So what?” test. I know, and I’m sorry to those who came back today expecting to see something more relevant to them. But this is very relevant to me, and I really wanted to get a post done today.
I plan on writing a short series of articles describing our homebuying process, and integrating some lessons I’ve learned during the process. As a first-time homebuyer, I did lots of research – and still wasn’t prepared for everything that came along! Of course our agents were wonderful, but at some point you realize that learning more about the process from another buyer’s perspective would be a welcome treat.
So keep an eye out for that, and if you wish, feel free to do a happy dance along with me! I’m scheduling one about every 23 to 49 minutes. I’d be happy to dance with you!