home/land search ... cont

We spent another long day on Friday searching for a new home or the land to build one on and though we haven't found one yet we did see a vacant home. I didn't see a for sale or lease sign anywhere but there were no signs of life within.



I was also fortunate to find these two beauties all on the same road trip.

cha cha cha changes!

Bob and I have decided that it is time to make the leap and find either the perfect house with a few acres in the country or find the perfect land and either build or have a modular house ordered and placed on that land. Its a daunting task. We have such very special needs for a house that we have not had the luxury to have fulfilled up to this point. Nickie's very special needs being in a wheelchair makes buying an existing house very difficult. Very few of them already have accessibility issues taken into consideration and I'm looking to make this our last move, we hope anyway, to be one that requires lots of work to make it suitable. We know that a ranch style house is the most logical choice but we aren't limiting our search. I'm worried about this task. There are so many things to consider and I don't want to make the wrong choice.

It seems that the counties that have land that is well not affordable but say more affordable than others most likely have the crummy school districts. The ones with the good school districts have land that is untouchable by the average person. We have decided we no longer want to live in a subdivision. There are pros and cons to both the neighborhoods and the country. I long to have some distance between me and my next door neighbor. I don't want to be bound by codes that say what I can do with my own house and yard and yet I can see why those codes are often necessary. Bob has been toying with the idea of having some chickens maybe some goats, just a few mind you. He was thinking about a pig or two that is till we saw a program on TV last night called something like, The dirtiest jobs. The guy had to spend a day on a pig farm. Now that is one dirty job. I even had second thoughts about never eating one again. Though I'm sure I will get over that eventually.


Today we took a long drive to view some of the properties that our agent sent us. The house above, circa 1900, is on 7 acres on a quiet country corner. I'm not sure yet what I think other than it is interesting. I'm not sure it would suit our needs but....


right down the road I saw these great old buildings....


















The brick building was once a post office and right in the mud just a couple steps from where I stood taking the picture of the post office were some butterflies basking in the mud. Now just how much beauty can one take?

yet another online test.... somebody stop me!

the Idiot Savant (38% dark, 50% spontaneous, 47% vulgar)

your humor style: VULGAR | SPONTANEOUS | LIGHT You like things silly, immediate, and, above all, outrageous. Ixne on the subtle word play, more testicles on fire, please. People like you are the most likely to RECEIVE internet forwards--and also the most likely to save them in a special folder entitled 'HOLY SHIT'. Because it's so easily appreciated, and often wacky and physical, your sense of humor never ceases to amuse your friends. Most realize that there's a sly intelligence and a knowing wink to your tastes. Your sense of humor could be called 'anti-pretentious'--but paradoxically enough, that indicates you're smarter than most. PEOPLE LIKE YOU: Johnny Knoxville - Jimmy Kimmel AND FINALLY -- after you rate my test with a sweet, sweet '5' -- you must take this test next: The Genghis Khan Genetic Fitness Test. It's not mine, but it rocks.

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 99% on dark You scored higher than 99% on spontaneous You scored higher than 99% on vulgar

Link: The 3 Variable Funny Test written by jason_bateman on OkCupid Free Online Dating

De-lurking day here at TLV...

OK it should be everyday but for today I'd appreciate it if you made your pressence known. OK Folks a few of you have come out from hiding. I'd love to know who is stopping in to read here. Don't be afraid I don't bite. Well ... OK there was this one time but... well I promise that will never happen again. Leave a comment good or bad... I'm not sure the bad ones will stick around long but leave them non the less. Leave your email addy or your site address I'd love to visit your blog too. Come on now don't be afraid.

Weclome Back...Planet Thoughtful

One of my favorite places ( and persons ) on the net took a much needed rest and is now back again. I've missed Murray and all the regulars that made it a home away from home. The message board is up and running again and at last check we are finger painting after Frances painted us each a different color. There is a nice sofa to make yourself comfortable so you can stay a bit and enjoy the writings of a very talented Murray Wells. I hope his photography will soon be back as well. The man has one hell of an eye for photography. Now hurry along and check his place out. I know you will want to return often. So please kindly visit planet thoughtful, you are sure to love it, and be sure to say hello and feel free to let them know you found your way there via Lillie.

Our cat had kittens....

...on the 5th of the month and I just wanted to share the cuteness here. This last pic is of the runt of the litter. I call her Runtie. She is my favorite as she needs extra TLC. She still pulls herself along with her front legs and drags the hind ones and I am hoping and praying that she will be ok. She has a special place in my heart and though we don't need another addition to this family I'm working on Bob to let me keep her. We shall see what happens. And Lord knows I will regret it down the road. I almost always do. The cuteness of a baby animal soon fades when they tear stuff up or mess in places they shouldn't. No need to say I told you so I'm saying in advance. LOL!

I have yet to figure out the rest of the brood. JC, just cat or mamma cat as she is now called has been the best first time mamma cat I ever saw. She had the kittens without so much as a meow. She came out to the kitchen for some food before Jackie realized that there was no longer a big belly. We frantically searched the house for the little ones as she chose not to deliver the babies in the cardboard box that had been made especially for her. Bob duct taped a box and cut an opening and we placed a nice comfy blanket inside for mom and the new newborns. Mamma would have none of that. We finally found the 5 babies in Jackie's closet. In this little burrow she had made. It took some doing to get to them and I checked them all out and placed them in the box we had provided for her and she would have nothing of that. She began to pick them up one by one and marched back to the closet.

I decided to try placing the sweater she had given birth on into the box and that made her content to leave the babies in the box.

I'm a sucker for personality tests!

Here is yet another thanks to Nae at the light and darkness
Take the test if you dare, it can be brutally honest.


Here are my results:

Hippie You are 28% Rational, 71% Extroverted, 14% Brutal, and 28% Arrogant.

You are the Hippie! Characterized by a strong sense of extroversion, irrationality, gentleness, and humility, you no doubt frolic through fields preaching peace and love to all! You are probably either very spiritual or needlessly paranoid about "the man", like most hippies, as a result of your focus on intuition and feelings over cold, brutal logic. You are also very, very social. And like any hippie, who would have no qualms about hitchiking across the country just to meet some interesting people, you too love to interact with others, even complete strangers. Because we know most any hippie is peace-loving and humble, it stands to reason that you, as well, are terribly gentle and humble, almost to the point of revulsion. Your carefree attitude of peace and harmony is probably very, very sickening to realists or cynics or anyone who isn't a hippie, to tell the truth. In short, your personality is defective because you are overly emotional, extroverted, gentle, and humble--thus making you an annoying hippie. And you listen to psychadelic rock and smoke a whole lot of pot. Okay, maybe not, but I wouldn't be surprised if you did. To put it less negatively: 1. You are more INTUITIVE than rational. 2. You are more EXTROVERTED than introverted. 3. You are more GENTLE than brutal. 4. You are more HUMBLE than arrogant. Compatibility: Your exact opposite is the Sociopath. Other personalities you would probably get along with are the Hand-Raiser, the Televangelist, and the Robot. * * If you scored near fifty percent for a certain trait (42%-58%), you could very well go either way. For example, someone with 42% Extroversion is slightly leaning towards being an introvert, but is close enough to being an extrovert to be classified that way as well. Below is a list of the other personality types so that you can determine which other possible categories you may fill if you scored near fifty percent for certain traits. The other personality types: The Emo Kid: Intuitive, Introverted, Gentle, Humble. The Starving Artist: Intuitive, Introverted, Gentle, Arrogant. The Bitch-Slap: Intuitive, Introverted, Brutal, Humble. The Brute: Intuitive, Introverted, Brutal, Arrogant. The Hippie: Intuitive, Extroverted, Gentle, Humble. The Televangelist: Intuitive, Extroverted, Gentle, Arrogant. The Schoolyard Bully: Intuitive, Extroverted, Brutal, Humble. The Class Clown: Intuitive, Extroverted, Brutal, Arrogant. The Robot: Rational, Introverted, Gentle, Humble. The Haughty Intellectual: Rational, Introverted, Gentle, Arrogant. The Spiteful Loner: Rational, Introverted, Brutal, Humble. The Sociopath: Rational, Introverted, Brutal, Arrogant. The Hand-Raiser: Rational, Extroverted, Gentle, Humble. The Braggart: Rational, Extroverted, Gentle, Arrogant. The Capitalist Pig: Rational, Extroverted, Brutal, Humble. The Smartass: Rational, Extroverted, Brutal, Arrogant.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 11% on Rationality You scored higher than 74% on Extroversion You scored higher than 9% on Brutality You scored higher than 19% on Arrogance

Link: The Personality Defect Test written by saint_gasoline on OkCupid Free Online Dating

Changes

I'm so very excited about the changes I will soon be making. Soon I will be embarking on a career change. This is something that I'm sure is no big deal to most, for me it is possibly life changing. I have been working with my husband and his paint contracting business for nearly 16 years now. I will of course continue to help him but he will have to take on some of the office responsibilities I have had for so long. Next month I will begin real estate class.

Its funny in some ways as I really never considered myself a sales person, perhaps customer service but never sales. Honestly I've always hated sales people though I suppose I never really thought of real estate in that same category but I probably should have. I consider myself a real people person. I can converse with most anyone. I may not have the highest of education, I only completed some college I was half way into an RN program when I decided it just wasn't for me. I have to deal daily with nursing for Nickie and I realized that I couldn't work in nursing and come home to it and not take it out on Nickie at the end of the day. I needed some balance and I am hoping real estate will bring me some balance.

I've heard the horror stories of real estate and though I'm trying to be positive in this career choice I am realistic. I don't expect riches and I certainly don't expect it to be easy. I do however hope that this choice will bring in some much needed extra income and be a good fit for me. Please keep me in your thoughts and send me some good mojo and pray for me to do well and to have finally found the nitch that will help us to improve our financial situation. Thanks!

Quiet of the morning

I sit here in the brief quiet time of my day. I can't get enough of this peaceful time. I awake no later than 7 am just to have an hour or 2 of quiet to myself. Time to catch up on my blog reading or to catch up on my magazines or the paper. This morning I caught up on my favorite blogs and realized that at this late hour, 10 AM the kids are still asleep and I've stretched this quiet time out longer than I thought possible. I am thankful for this time and yet I know all too shortly the mornings will be hectic again with school approaching much faster than I think it should

Just a few short weeks ago I was apprehensive about the upcoming summer months and having the kids home 24/7. The fear is usually worse than the reality of it all. We have slipped into a comfortable rhythm of the kids sleeping late and my rising early to enjoy the peace. Brandon has been waking and easing into his day. I'm thankful for this also as he wakes with a smile and a hearty good morning and retreats to the living room and entertains himself with reading or a game until he is ready for his breakfast. He has a routine that I've come to appreciate he and his cousin play most every afternoon and into the early evening. They do tend to get loud from time to time and they have their fights but all in all they play well together.

Nickie has been going to summer school this year more for the socialization than for the academics. She loves school and it will be tough for her next week since summer school ends tomorrow. I have to come up with outings for both Nickie and Brandon that will keep us out of the horrible heat wave we have been having. The last few days have had a heat index of 103 or there abouts. I have feared heat stroke from the short walk from the house to the van and vise versa. I thank God for the brilliant person that invented air conditioning.

Jackie has been sleeping till noon or later and with the moodiness she has been presenting lately I don't even think of waking her at all. It seems there is nothing that I do that is enough. She can't seem to follow simple instructions and the roll of the eyes that I receive at least a dozen times a day is getting really old. She stays in her room or out with her cousins or friends as much as possible and I completely understand why God made teenagers this way. It surely makes the preparation for the departure from the nest much easier on both parties involved. Bob and I look towards that day with longing on some days and Lord knows she does as well. We must be the worst parents in the world! We feed and clothe her we love her and protect her and somehow that translates to mean and overbearing. Wait, I had a flash back to my parents the scenario was similar and yet they were mean and overbearing, we are not.

Well the quiet is over now and I have been summoned to prepare breakfast for the prince. Good day!

Happy Birthday Brandon

Today Brandon turned 7. The cakes design was commissioned by the prince himself. What vision! In his 7 years here young Brandon continues to amaze me. He's brilliant, beautiful and oh so talented. In the last few months he as announced that he will have many jobs when he grows up. He will be a scientist, an inventor, a teacher, a movie star, a worker and a baseball player. I'm still trying to decide what I will be when I grow up and my young son has planned enough for several lifetimes. I'm confident he will be able to accomplish anything his heart desires. Happy birthday, Brandon!