Ok I get the hint....

When people start calling you because you have not blogged in so long I guess it is time to blog. However I happen to like actually having a phone conversation once in awhile. We as usual have been extremely busy lately. With Christmas around the corner this is a busy time of year anyway. We had a great Thanksgiving this year! It was our first year to cook a whole big meal all by ourselves. I felt like such a grown up! Me and the kids all had matching aprons and we got down and dirty in the kitchen all day! Addison peeled all the apples for homemade apple pie, Ben was on turkey duty, and Camryn made the best sweet potatoes with no help at all. On top of that we made perogies from scratch which is an all day event in itself. We also had the sweet and sour meatballs, and the usual, green bean casserole, mash potatoes, gravy stuffing....Anyway everything came out delicious and on time and I was pretty proud of myself!

So for the first year ever I did not go black Friday shopping. I know take a few minutes to recessitate yourselves before going on. It just isn't worth it in Hawaii there is one store and millions of people and unless you literally camp out the night before you will not get anything on your list. So instead I did all my Christmas shopping in my under ware, online, on my big comfy couch! No line ups, no pushy people, no shopping bags to carry. It was bliss. I am almost done with my shopping just a few last minute things to get. I really should get on that though. That is one thing about living in Hawaii, you think you have so much time because it is so nice outside and it could not possibly be Christmas in a few days. next thing you know it is Christmas eve and you still have those last minute things that you thought you had a few more weeks to get.

On top of the Christmas rush we have our house on the market! So for a quick recap, Christmas rush, house on market, must stay clean ALL the time, still have 4 kids (5 if you include Ben), and a dog. So it saddens me to think that we are selling our first home. I like to be really dramatic and sentimental at times like this, and phrases like "...but honey we raised our kids in this house!" come out of my mouth. Ben being the logical (shall we say emotionally constipated) one says "our oldest is 8 and we have only lived here two years!" I continue to whine "yes but my walls match my dishes, which match my curtains, which match my eye shadow, and we just got our floors done, and, and...."
You see my peeps, our family with the rest of America has gotten caught up in the sub prime crisis. You know the one where mortgage rates have gone up and housing market values have gone down forcing many people to foreclose on their homes. You might recall a certain president addressing the nation on this issue last week. Something about putting a freeze on interest rates for people in this situation. However we missed the date by two months! Two freaking months!!! So our choices were sell the house or have you mortgage payment go up an additional $700, on top of the $3300 we are already paying! Luckily property values are still high enough in Hawaii that we did not have to foreclose but we are not going to make as much on the house as we thought we would when we bought it. We bought the house when prices were sky rocketing. The day we signed our paperwork our house value went up $60 000. Had we sold a year ago we would have made $130 minus realtor fees and closing costs. However the market has plummeted and now we are walking away with $20 000. Although making $20 000 on a house in 2 years is nothing to complain about it is still hard because we were here at the peak of the market when people were making between $100 000 and $200 000 profit on there homes when they sold. So now that you know the scoop I will continue on with my story. So we put the house on the market last week. Although it has been so great getting up every morning to a clean house it has been next to impossible to keep it that way. All day everyday I follow the kids around picking up one disaster after another. We had a showing the other day so I got all the kids ready and had them wait in the back yard while I took one quick whisk around the house to make sure it was perfect. Once i assured myself that there was not so much as a lone dust bunny under the couch I went out to load the kids up, and find Londyn soaking wet with a water hose in hand and a smile on her face. Are you kidding me! So that has been my life lately. On to the good news. Apparently it was all worth while because the very first person that came to see our house put in an offer and we are now in escrow! We will be closing on Jan 15th. So this has started a whole new disaster. Where are we going to live? I have been obsessively on the Internet searching for homes to rent. We decided to rent because can can get a much larger house for way less then we are paying in monthly mortgage. I did find a house that I love that was on the other side of the island, in a great school district. We went to look it at and it was as lovely in person however the bedrooms were smaller then I would like and it was a town home so there was not much in the way of a back yard. Also it was at the very max of our budget so if we moved there it would not allow us to get ahead. So everyday I have been searching and viewing houses and it has been one disappointment after another. It just baffles me the way some people take care of (or shall I say do not take care of) their homes. dirty carpets and smudged up walls, and I know I have high standards but really people. So my stomach has been in knots worrying about finding a decent place all weekend. I have every house on Craigslist memorized. Every time I finally came across one that might work they did not allow pets, or it was not available at the right time, and I just wanted to throw in the towel. However yesterday the clouds parted and the sun came shining through and I found our dream home! It is gorgeous and HUGE! Almost double what we have now. I see the headlines now: : "Little Londyn comes out of the closet!" It is four bedroom with 2 living areas and a three car garage and vaulted ceilings and beautiful carpet and tile floors and tons of upgrades! I am so excited! Also it is all for $1000 less then we are paying now!!! Dreams really do come true! Just when I think things can't get any better the property manager say "did you notice the large flat screen TV they have mounted on the wall, well would you mind if that stayed in the house?" Are you kidding me?!!!! So needless to say I am extremely excited to move. Yes my dishes match my curtains and my bedroom walls match my eyes but vaulted ceilings and big screen.....hardly comparable! So once again things just have a way of working out for me. I am not trying to brag but it is true. These kind of things just happen to me. I am sure one day this horseshoe will fall out of my ass but let me tell you I plan to hold it in there nice and tight as long as I can!

So with that word picture in your head lets move on. My niece is coming on Thursday and staying with us for a month. She is 16, and an absolute sweetheart. She has been out to Hawaii a few times already and we are excited to have her here again. Not only is she fun to hang out with, but she is also a photographer, and she has taught me everything I know on photoshop. Oh and did I mention she babysits??? In fact Ben's mom got us a two night stay at a beautiful bed and breakfast on the island for Christmas so we will be enjoying 3 relaxing days all by ourselves! Life is good!

Londyn turned 2 since I last blogged. She turned two with a vengeance....terrible twos! She is a little monster. Luckily she is the cutest darn little monster who really knows how to work the system. She is the closest thing I have to a strong willed child. She can give me a run for my money some days. Addison is growing up way to fast and at the age of 8 can hold up an adult conversation with ease. Some of the things that come out of that girls mouth a shear genius! Camryn got student of the quarter this semester and I have a bumper sticker on my car to prove it! She loves school and every year she bats her little blue eyes and makes her teacher fall in love with her. Corben continues to be my little buddy. He is such a mommy's boy and I love it!

Well I think that is all I am going to give you for now. If you want any more info you are just going to have to pick up that little gadget they call the telephone and call me!