I want it

1. Logan had a 10-year-old's birthday come true. Grandma and Grandpa sent him an ipod (used). It was an early-release day at school (how often does that happen on October 24?). Our chef-to-be has been wanting to go to an authentic Italian pizzeria, so we surprised the family and went to Pizzeria Testa for lunch. For the record, we appreciate and prefer both the cost and the taste of American pizza. Then we went to a pumpkin farm; this ended up being a sort of sour experience because we paid to park and then realized we were at the wrong place and had to pay again to park next door at the better pumpkin farm. Also, after having lived in Ohio--fall farms here in TX are kind of lame. Still, it was a fun experience and the kids got to go on a hale-bale ride, so I have no regrets. Then we came home, Logan figured out how to put music and movies on his ipod and then spent the rest of the afternoon ignoring us with earbuds in his ears. He had a cub-scout pack meeting, where he received his Bear award (huge thanks to his scout leaders--I got a mom pin, but I have to admit that his scout leaders did all the work this year). He also got to do a skit with the Webelos--which he is now a part of because he is 10!

The biggest hang-up was the cake. He asked for a vanilla cake so I decided to make a Tres Leches cake. . . from a cake mix. Big mistake. It didn't turn out very tasty, so we let him go to the store to pick out a cake (at 8:00 p.m.) only to return and find out that we didn't have any birthday candles. So... Joe ran back to the store and I got the kids bathed and jammied and they all got to stay up late eating disgustingly frosted store-bought cake. Also, his primary teacher from church stopped by with a birthday balloon and some treats--he felt very loved on his special day.

Happy Birthday, Logan!! Somehow you have survived these 10 years, and I have every hope and faith that you will continue to not only be a surviver, but a contributor for good in every aspect of your life.

2. The dryer broke. Again. 11 days ago. Need I say more?

After some google diagnosing, I decided that an idler pulley was at fault--an estimated 60 minutes to repair. Joe, bless his soul, is not really the fix-it kind of person, which is mostly ok because his billable-hour rate is more than we can afford. I could probably fix it myself, but decided that my time is also valuable (and it would end up taking more than 60 minutes, I'm positive), so we decided to hire someone to do the work so that it would get done in a timely manner.

This person supposedly ordered the part, and 11 days, two trips to the laundry-mat, an entire week of dirty-clothes/sheets/towels/washcloths spewing out of every room, and way too many unreturned phone calls and texts (I could've done it myself by now!!!)--Joe finally texted the guy and told him we were going to get help from someone else. This new person--a friend from church--called to tell me that the part we need is in stock and he is going to come by today to fix the dryer. My new hero!!

More than a week of six people not washing clothes not only means a lot of laundry, but a lot of unhappy people who can't find things like underwear and pants that they like (some crying this morning over having to wear brand-new, unworn stretchy pants). Last night I did a small load and then started hanging the wet clothes over doorknobs, baskets, and after a few minutes I gave up and just spread the wet clothes all over the playroom floor. It looks amazing.

3. I found a house! (You can click on there to see it.) I mean--I've been eyeing this house for months. Months! Since July! Someone put an offer on it, but I guess it never went through. A friend of mine just got her real-estate license, so I asked her to show me the house and I brought another friend with impeccable taste to look at it with me. It's only 5 minutes closer to Joe's work, (although, maybe closer with all the traffic), but on .58 acres of land!! Back home, PA home, that's not a lot of land. Here, where .1 acre lots are the norm--it's humongous. It's a colonial with a big front porch and a big backyard--so it kind of reminds me of home, and maybe it would let me forget I live in a big city.

The house--I'm not super in love with--although it does have a tornado shelter, which is awesome. The spaces are kind of odd and it's old without a lot of updates.

After we looked at it, my friend took me for my first model-home tour: a 5,000 sq ft home that cost $500,000. At first I was like, "I don't need a house that big." But as I walked through I thought, "I NEED this!! How am I living without it?!" Hah!

But after looking at hundreds of homes online and lots of land. . . I need land. I need space! So here's what I want to do:

Buy that house and rip out the kitchen and bathrooms and put in something that I love. I would love to move some walls around, but for now--if the bathrooms and kitchen were updated I could wait for the rest to happen.

I'm dreaming of apple and peach and pecan trees in a nice row along the side fence. A good-sized garden--which I already got my dad to agree to help me do. I am even fantasizing about a small chicken coup in the corner of the lot, and I would send the kids out every afternoon to gather eggs. I'm going to spend my fall afternoons canning and dehydrating the fruit and vegetables from my yard and labor.

I'm sounding more and more like someone I never wanted to become. . . my parents!!

I hope it happens! If not at this house, something similar.

And in case you were wondering. . . Joe hasn't seen it yet. He's more inclined to buy the biggest, fanciest lawyerly home he can afford. I'm tricking him into this by convincing him this is what will save us when the world explodes. He's been reading end-of-the-world books and watching The Walking Dead, so his mind has been on emergency preparedness--I've been using that: land so we can be self-sustaining with a garden and animals, and guns so he can protect his family and property. It's by a lake, so if we needed water we wouldn't have to go too far. I know what you're thinking: I should've gone to law school, too.