Meeting and getting to know HoP

Today was our New House Orientation and walk through.  I went in, with a good attitude, but prepared to be let down in sorts.  I don't mean this as bad as it sounds, but I was prepared for flaws, after all, as we all know, there is no such thing as perfection.  Perfection, however, is what we all seem to want, especially when it comes to things that really matter to us.

I stopped going over there after my last post about the house just because it was becoming a negative thing for me.  Seeing flaws- once you see one you start to look for more and then before long I was upset.  BUT, the best analogy I can give you about the house is this:
I make spaghetti all the time and everyone in this house loves it, never any complaints and we all clear our plates every time.  Every time I make it, the recipe is the same.  I got my recipe down several years ago- no tweakin' it now! :) Anyways, as I'm making it, one kid comes in and sees me cutting onions, and says "I hate onions, you aren't putting THOSE in the spaghetti are you?" Then the next kid comes in and sees the bell pepper, and says "I hate bell peppers. You aren't putting THOSE in the spaghetti are you?" Then your husband comes in and sees the tomatoes and says "I hate fresh tomatoes, you aren't putting THOSE in the spaghetti are you?" They're all so convinced they don't like something, that they don't even realize that once it's done and I'm given an opportunity to do MY 'thing', that they indeed DO like those things...at least in spaghetti. :)

See what I'm saying.  If you come in to a project while it's still being worked on, before everyone is given a chance to fix mistakes, and put it all together, you have to realize that you are in a work of progress. I had a hard time with that.

Anyways, we went over there today and walked in and my jaw dropped.  HoP is absolutely gorgeous.  They had been in there all over the past week fixing, mending, and finishing our house and I couldn't have been more surprised or pleased with the job they did.  They fixed things and completely re-did things that I hadn't even noticed- a small seam in the wood on the fireplace, a piece of flooring they didn't like that I still have no clue why, tile in the back splash they say was uneven- I had looked it over multiple times and never saw a thing wrong with it, they went crazy in there!

They have a 10 page, 300 point inspection list that gets done twice, by two different people.  Steve, our project manager gets the chance to go in there first and go through the list.  He then has all the work done.  Then another person from the warranty division comes in and does the exact same list again. Evaluating the entire home again, as well as any repairs that may have been done.  Then Steve goes back in and goes over the list a third time, making sure all further repairs pointed out by the warranty guys, which are ruthless, have been handled.

That then brings us to our part, today.  Not only was the day spent learning how to run all of our new systems and appliances and such, but also gave us the chance to go back over that same 300 point list and tape anything we still didn't like at that point. We taped a whole 2-3 items.  There was a squeak in the floor in Bella's room and then a seam in one of the dining room sconces.  I thought it was a crack, but it was just where they had joined the blown glass together- I asked if they would just turn it, so the seam was facing in, I didn't expect it to be replaced, so that was easy.  They also had a few things taped that still needed completion.  One of our windows had a minor scratch in it, so they have ordered a new one and that will be here within a week and then there are a few paint touch ups still, but all in all there was very little to be corrected and that is amazing. 

So that was the good news- the bad news is that I also got a phone call from the mortgage company yesterday.  They messed up.  Despite me having told them and even emailed them regarding the fact that both Louis and I had foreclosed homes in the past- it STILL slipped through the cracks.  So here's the deal- Louis foreclosed on a house in Seattle in 2008 or 2009.  It then sat there, completely empty with no one doing anything about it until 2014.  Apparently Bank of America said they 'lost the title.' Anyways, Louis tells them no problem, since it was still legally his house, he was just going to go back and get it and have a real estate agent sale it.  Well, within about 24 hours the title was amazingly found and the trustee sale was instantly under way- the date of sale was 11/23/2014.  We both knew we had to wait three years from the date of the trustee sale in order to qualify for an FHA loan again if that was the route we wanted to go.  So, last February, we started working with a mortgage company and we were told pretty much what we already knew and that we needed to wait until November 2017. No problem.  Then one day in September, Louis gets an email- it was a credit notification saying that 7 years had elapsed on his Bank of America home mortgage account so it was being removed from his credit report.  We both wondered- since it was off his credit report, were we good to go?  I emailed our original mortgage lady and she didn't respond quick enough, so then I called the current mortgage company we are working with now.  Explained the situation and asked the question of whether we were good to get things started a few months ahead of the three year mark on the trustee sale.  We were told to send in an application and we could go from there.  So that's exactly what we did and we were told it shouldn't be an issue.  They even emailed me saying the underwriter wanted to talk about my foreclosure, even though I'm not on the loan. At that point I took the time once again to explain BOTH of our foreclosures, luckily documented via email, and it STILL was told it wasn't a problem.  So fast forward to today, three days before our closing, and there Gabe is on my phone sighing, saying we have a problem.  He wanted to know about Louis' foreclosure.  Huh?  Why weren't they told about it? Why wasn't it declared? etc.   I was shocked.  What did they even mean?  Long story short- they ordered the FHA number and started all of our paperwork one month prior to that three year mark, and apparently it's just now an issue.  It's been through the underwriting process I don't know how many times and they say it just 'never pulled up' until they did one last QC audit and suddenly it pulls up on that one? I don't buy it.  I think someone isn't doing their job and it slipped through the cracks somewhere.  Luckily, I've kept every. single. email and have it documented that I told them about this not only plenty of time in advance, but the fact that I did indeed tell them about it, up until I found the email it was just me saying yes I did tell you, yes I did tell you....etc.
So, what it means for us is this- a delayed closing.  The mortgage company is pretty sure they can get it done by the end of the month, but we were pretty disappointed.  Not a whole lot to be done, but sigh, and move on, but we were all ready and good to go for Friday.  Hopefully, maybe, possibly, some sort of good fortune will come our way and things will align and it will still be Friday, but we have accepted that it, more than likely, will be Wednesday.  They have to get new FHA numbers ordered and assigned to our stuff and then apparently the appraiser back out there to do another appraisal.  The mortgage company has said they will be covering the cost of this appraisal due to the oversight on their part.  At least that was good- they easily could have told us we had to pay another $600 and what else could we have done, but pay it? So, here we sit and wait, on the edge, for a date when we can finally go close.

That day when you get one of THOSE calls

It was a nice enough day here in Boise on Tuesday, so about 10 am I decided to take the beast out for a walk.  I grabbed my phone (which I don't always do) and the dog and headed out.  I do the same loop at LEAST once a day, sometimes upwards of 3-4 times a day.  It's a 1.5 mile loop around our neighborhood, I could do it in my sleep and would lie if I told you I wasn't out there some days a 4am if I can't sleep.

Anyways, I had just turned the last corner and our house was just a block away when my phone rang.  Getting it out of my pocket and looking at it, the screen said Longfellow.....uh oh , the girls school.  At first I didn't really think anything about it, because I get a phone call from the school, for one reason or another, probably once a week.

So, I answer it, expecting the front desk lady or maybe Zo's teacher reaching out for a volunteer.  No, it was the school nurse, and the first words out of her mouth were,
    "Hi Meagan, it's Leah, the nurse, it's not an emergency BUT.....,"

I knew then and there, that it probably WAS an emergency.

Sure enough, at morning recess, Zo 'forgot' the balance beam at their school was slick, so she hopped on up and slipped and boom- fell on her face, putting her front two teeth through her bottom lip (we thought) and completely breaking the front teeth.

I call her dad to go get her, he lives right by the school and tell him I will meet them at his house.  About 10 minutes later I get a call from him to meet them at the dentist office.  Apparently he called them and they wanted to see her ASAP.

Basically we had 2 options:

A) She hit the nerve and killed her two front teeth.  Which at her age was the most likely option.  Apparently, the dentist said when children have adult teeth, the roots in those adult teeth are usually just huge.  If this was the case, her two front teeth would have to be pulled and fake teeth put in basically.

or

B) She missed the nerve, we repair her two front teeth by putting composites on them, and then once she reaches physical maturity we put veneers on them.

That's it.  Those were the only two choices, and luckily sweet little Zo lucked out and it was option B, but it was soooo close!!!  The dentist said it is extremely rare for her to do what she did and completely miss the nerve, but somehow she did it.

So we are not completely in the clear yet, apparently within the next 3-4 years the tooth can still die just from the trauma itself and apparently there is no way to tell right now if that's gonna happen or not, but she has a lot in her favor: there was no pupal material exposed, she wasn't in a ton of pain (they offered to numb her due to the possibility of the extreme cold sensation, but she declined), and the fact that she is young.  I guess teeth like to repair themselves while you're young according to the doc.  So we just hope for the best.

They immediately put the composites on and basically told her that from this point forward, she can no longer bite into anything hard....an apple, corn on the cob, etc-for the rest of her life.  Basically it's such a large amount of restoration on those teeth, especially the one, that she will have to baby them forever.  The composites will have to be redone a few times just to adjust for coloring, size, etc, so this will be an on going process.  My poor baby, but she is in the best spirits and was more impressed with her lisp (while she was missing her teeth) than anything else.

The entire dental staff was awesome and she walked out of there loaded with gitfts: free Texas Roadhouse meals, 5 free games of bowling, and like 8 free cups of frozen custard from Freddys.  I told her to choose one and Dr.Grant told her to take them all.  It was insane, but he has a daughter that is exactly Zo's age, and he was like, 'I just keep seeing Ally (his daughter) laying here!'  Such a nice guy!

her x-rays. You can see how close she got to the nerve on that one tooth

working their magic

composites are on, but not shaped or shaved down

and here she is with a brand new smile!

It's the Final Countdown...

Flash back to the year 1986....well, maybe for some of you, I was only 2...but anyways back to fantasy, in comes a woman...wait, it s a man with a head full of blond(ish), permed hair and a one hit wonder. It's the band Europe and they're rocking the only tune you will ever know from them..... It's the final countdown....

ok, maybe only MY head went there after reading that title, but we all know the song, so just play along with me, K?

HoP is done!!! Well, 99% done.  They're in the stage of going through and doing finishing touches such as putting handles on cabinets and such and then the grading is being done Tuesday or Wednesday and then the appraiser comes out for the final inspection and that's it.  They need to clean that bad boy up and then we get to do our walk through and start blue taping it. 

So, on Tuesday the 23rd we will go out there for a 2-3 hour New House Orientation where they walk us through all of our systems and how to operate everything, yes, we seriously have to do this, but then, we go through that puppy with like 2-3 rolls of blue painters tape and mark everything we don't like and then that gets fixed prior to our closing on Friday the 26th.  Now, we've already gone through and taped some of the bigger things- dry wall issues, etc and some of those have already been addressed, but I have a list of about a million things to mark still.

Just to be clear, this is not because they've been doing a bad job, it's just because I want and expect as close to perfection as possible.  Like, the thermostat is slightly crooked- taping it, some of our cupboard handles aren't lined up- taping it, there's some texturing I don't like- taping it, there's a crack in a piece of baseboard- taping it.  It is hard for me not to get upset some days when I go in and see certain things, like upside down plugs.  I'm like WTF?!?!  For those of you who don't really know me, let me explain something, I'm the nicest person you will probably ever meet.  I'm empathetic to a fault and will most certainly put other's needs and wants before my own at any time, however, my fuse is short and my tolerance for anything I see as bullshit (whether it truly is or not), is pretty much non existent, once again, to a fault.  So some days I come out of our house like a lion, just pissed off about stupid things.  In my head, I think, why would you do that?  Do you not see you put the F-in plug upside down?!?! etc.  Then Louis reminds me that I have the best possible position- I just get to go in and start telling people what I don't like and then I get to leave and it becomes their problem.  I have to do nothing more than just say something and poof, the problem is taken care of.

I know this makes me sound like a tyrant and that's ok, but for any of you that have built a house out there, you know what I'm talking about.  Some pretty ridiculous stuff gets done and you wonder if the worker doing that, really thought a plug installed at a 60 degree angle was going to fly.  Perhaps it does with some people, I dont' know. I'm just of the school of thought that you do something right the FIRST time, at least to the best of your ability, and then, guess what.... you don't have to come back and undo what you've done, fix the mess up, and then re-do it properly.  We've spent too much money on this house to let the little things go.  We paid to have them install the handles on the cupboards for a reason- cuz it's a pain and can be difficult to get things properly aligned.....I could have installed them all crooked myself and saved us $500. See what I'm sayin'?

Anyways, before we even broke ground we were told to prepare ourselves for a bumpy ride.  It has honestly been a really easy and pleasant experience and I would re-do it in a heartbeat.  We love the way its coming together and we couldn't be more excited to get to actually move in!

2018 Photo Dump I

Let's start the year off with some fun pictures!! :)

Zoe got me this nice Banana Republic blazer for Christmas. It fits like a glove and she did an amazing job selecting it.  I had to take a picture to send her to show her I was wearing it! :)

We went one Saturday to see the house and there was a house with 6 bikes and a scooter out front- all for free.  I assume since it was right after Christmas that everyone in that house got a new whip for Christmas. :)  Zoe has been needing a new bike but we were just going to wait until Spring, but they had one just  her size and in really good condition and I'm not too proud to take a freebie so we loaded that bad boy up.  That meant Zo had to sit in the front with me long enough to get the bike back to our house to unload it.  It less than 1.5 miles though so it wasn't a big deal and we took the opportunity to take some selfies!

New year. New planner.  Happy Meagan.  On New Years day we loaded up and headed to Barnes and Noble where I picked up this adorable little Kate Spade number. 

my lover doin' batman stuff

the small mess it takes to prepare this face to go out

this is how Mazzy and dad hang out

Shellee is the girls' step-mom.  Her mom, Michelle, crocheted a mermaid tail for Zoe for Christmas- it is beautiful

she also crocheted one for Zoe's baby, Payton.  how cute is that?

this is how the majority of Christmas break was spent in our house...bad babies in our bed

Zoe got some money for Christmas and decided she wanted to but some 'robux' on her game, Roblox.  She is truly her mother's daughter, and it made my heart hurt to see myself in her- look and the organized little list she made...this is so typical of her from the organization and list making to the cute little cartoons she draws on everything.

here she is shopping on Roblox

Bella went snowboarding so it was just Zo and I, so we had a little bit of a girls day. First lunch and Cafe Ole

Then shopping at the mall.  We've started the search for bedding for the girls rooms in our new house.  We cant figure out anything until the bedding is selected...then we can paint and buy accessories, etc.

BUT, what trip to the mall would be complete without a ride on the little wheelie animals

and a cookie at Mrs.Fields

Swimming at the YMCA one gloomy Saturday.  Zoe jumping

Rachel jumping

Bella jumping

Bella showing us her moves

me watching the above mentioned moves

Bella jumping off the high dive- she was the only one brave enough to do it!

lunch at Culvers.  All that swimming gives you an appetite.

Brunch at IHOP with nana and papa prior to them leaving on their trip to Israel.

Zo eating lunch at school.  I had just finished math group with their class.

Nana's Custard

My mom has been making this same, very basic custard recipe for years.  I love it. Zoe loves it!  I just ordered a set of 8 glass custard cups with lids so I can make a big batch of this!  Lucky for me, my mom told me  the recipe just in time- they're in Israel for 2 weeks so I wouldn't be getting it any time soon and on this cold, gloomy day, it sounds like the ultimate comfort food for me. :)

6 eggs
3c milk
2/3 c white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
*nutmeg, opt
*shredded coconut, opt

Mix all ingredients together, place in custard cups about 3/4 way full.  Place in 9x13 and pour boiling water about 1/2 way up.
Put in a 350 degree oven and bake until set.

Scotland

So while I know Scotland is a technically a country, let's all pretend it is.  It is a land rich in culture, history, folklore and traditions unlike any other.....let's explore Scotland.

Scotland, the U.K.’s northernmost country, is a land of mountain wildernesses such as the Cairngorms and Northwest Highlands, interspersed with glacial glens (valleys) and lochs (lakes). Its major cities are Edinburgh, the capital, with its iconic hilltop castle, and Glasgow, famed for its vibrant cultural scene. Scotland is also famous for golf, the game first played at the Old Course at St Andrews in the 1400s.

Capital: Edinburgh

National animal: Unicorn

Currency: Pound sterling

Cool Facts about Scotland:

• The Bank of Scotland, set up in 1695, is one of the three oldest banks in Britain. The other two are the Barclays and The Bank of England.
• Aberdeen Harbour Board, founded in 1136, is Britain’s oldest running business. Nestled in Scotland’s western shore, it has seen all major world events pass by, in its 900-year history.
• The Encyclopedia Britannica, which is the Wikipedia of the past, originated in Scotland. It was the idea of an Edinburgh bookseller, Colin Macfarquhar.
• Edinburgh was the most modern city in the world in its hay-days. It’s credited with having the world’s first fire-brigade, way back in 1824.
• Interestingly, 1824 was also the year of The Great Fire of Edinburgh, a fire accident which went on for five days and burned the city to ashes.
• Scotland was an independent country up till the 15th century. The country merged to form the Great Britain when the King of Scotland was given the throne of England in 1603.
• Glasgow is also the birthplace of football diplomacy. In 1872, the first ever official international football match was played here, between Scotland v England. Neither side could score a goal.
• The Teviot Row House is a historic building inside the Edinburgh University. It is the oldest student’s union building in the world.
• Scotland is also the land where golf emerged. The oldest golf championship, The Open Championship, was first played in 1860 at Prestwick Golf Club.
• Sherlock Homes, the de-facto inspiration for all detective novels, was the brainchild of Scottish author Arthur Conan Doyle.
• One of the Seven wonders of the industrial world, the Bell Rock Lighthouse, is located in Scotland.
•  Loch Ness Monster is more than just a mythical folklore in Scotland. It was reportedly sighted by many prominent people, over several centuries.
• To love the national dish of Scotland, you have to love the sheep very deeply. The notorious Haggis, which is a nightmare for vegans, is made with the heart, liver, and lungs of a sheep and then boiled in the animal’s stomach.
• Scottish breakfasts  includes Scottish style black pudding, Lorne sausage, baked beans, tattie scones, poached egg, toast and English tea or coffee.
• Some call it ear-torture and some sway and dance to its rhythm. Scotland’s national instrument is the Great Highland bagpipe, which forms the heart and soul of Scottish culture.
• The next cultural masterpiece of Scotland is the Scottish kilt, which is a knee-long single piece skirt-type garment.
• The most powerful historic hero of Scotland is William Wallace, who began a revolt against King Edward I of England.
• The world’s first color photograph, that of a Tartan Ribbon, was taken in Scotland.
• Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, was born and brought up in Edinburgh.
• The most dramatic experiment of the 21st century happened in Scotland. The first successfully cloned lifeform, Dolly the sheep, was created in a lab in the University of Edinburgh.
• Thanks to Scotland, the world today knows a lot about antibiotics. Born in Scotland, a pioneer of modern medicine, Sir Alexander Fleming, is credited with the discovery of penicillin. It saved millions of lives and earned him The Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1945.
• Paris may be the city of love, but the remains of St Valentine remains at Glasgow’s Blessed St John Duns Scotus.
• There are around 300 castles in Scotland. Given its size, it’s about one castle for every 100 square miles.
• The different clans are recognized by the pattern of knitting in their kilt.
• Scotland is all about mythical creatures. The local folklore is washed with stories of elves, spirits, fairies, ghosts, monsters Goblins and mythical beasts, giants, etc.
• With so much to enjoy around, ghosts seem to love Edinburgh. The city is a top haunted destination in Europe and there is a whole tourism niche developed around it. Check out the Mackenzie poltergeist, to start your Scottish ghost adventure.
• Right is left for Scottish drivers. There is a popular car sticker in Scotland which goes like this: “Left alive. Dead right”.
•  If you hate jet lags, take the Loganair flight from Westray to Papa Westray, which happens to be the world’s shortest commercial flight. The distance is 1.7 miles and it will take you less than a minute to reach your destination.
• Red is the new normal in Scotland. At least 40% of local Scots have the red hair gene in their DNA. Scientists believe it’s due to the lack of sunshine.
• Ultrasound, which is used to takes the first pictures of a human inside a womb was first used in Glasgow hospitals during the 1950’s.
• Edinburgh is a city built on seven hills. The other cities in this “7 hill club” are Rome, Moscow, and Madrid.
• Though the population of Edinburgh is half a million, a staggering 13+ million tourists visit the city. That means 26 tourists for every local.
•  Scots are world famous dancers. There are an amazing 15000 documented types of Scottish country dancing. Experts believe that the number of undocumented ones far exceeds the ones recorded.
• Whisky is the Scottish gift to the world. In the local Gaelic language Whisky translates into “water of life.”
• The most famous spot in Edinburgh is the city’s downtown, the Grass market.It’s a classic place with cobbled streets, old-style shops, and interesting statues. It also used to be a public hanging spot.
• A fishwife named Maggie Dickson was hanged here, but she later woke up from her coffin. Nothing haunted, she simply didn’t die. The irony is Scottish law had to set her free as she already served her punishment.
• Scotland’s official animal is the Unicorn.
• Scotland is the second largest country in the U.K after England. The U.K comprises of four countries including Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England.
• In the north eastern Scotland, they call girls – “quines” and boys – “louns.”
•  Scotland is also blessed to have the oldest working post office in the world – at Sanqurar, established in 1712.
• Scotland has nearly 790 islands, of which 130 are inhabited.
• Raincoat was invented in Scotland.
• In 2014 voting was conducted in Scotland to ask the people whether they wanted Scotland to be an independent country or a part of the U.K. 55.3% of voters answered “No” and 44.7% answered “Yes”, with a voter turnout of 84.5%.

Some old Scottish sayings and their meanings

• Skinny Malinky Longlegs! – A tall thin person.
• Failing means yer playin! – When you fail at something at least you’re trying.
• Mony a mickle maks a muckle! – Saving a small amount soon builds up to a large amount.
• Dinnae marry fur money! – Don’t marry for money – you can borrow it cheaper.
• Do yer dinger. – Loudly express disapproval.
• We’re a’ Jock Tamson’s bairns! – We’re all God’s children, nobody is better than anybody else – we’re all equal.
• Whit’s fur ye’ll no go by ye! – What’s meant to happen will happen.
• Lang may yer lum reek! – May you live long and stay well.
• Haud yer wheesht! – Be quiet.

Scotland was fun!! We got to go to Cost Plus and get some goodies.  They had a few items from Scotland, but the largest selection was from the UK of course.  

Dinner was good- lots of options, the food is pretty simple: oats, potatoes, meat...good stuff!

Scottish scones- obviously they have oats in them

Fred Meyer didn't have dried currants and I dont like raisins so I put craisins in there

they were really good

some of our goodies: the soda- they drink stuff called Irn Brun, but I couldn't find it,  so after doing some research I found out it tastes closely to orange soda and cream soda mixed....so the perfect substitute...orange cream soda!

the scones after they had been baked

the snowballs were awesome and from Scotland as were the Walker's shortbread.  The candies were all from the UK

chopping cabbage for the rumbledethumps

bramble crumble aka blackberry cobbler-ish.  the crumble is exactly that- a crumbly top, almost shortbreadish vs a cakey top we would find on a cobbler here in America

my lover looking up facts about Scotland

HP sauce.  If I were to describe it, I would say a mix between A1 and Heinz 57. 

Dinner: scottish sausage rolls, rumbledethumps (potatoes and cabbage topped with cheddar cheese) and peas

after dinner we watched Highlander