Pack ’em up, Move ’em out!

Posted in House and Home by teamtradermom

Well we did it. We took a deep breath, closed our eyes and stepped off the cliff.

And thank God our realtors were there to catch us.

I’ve been talking for months about needing to call our real estate agents to begin talks of selling our house. We finally called them and set an appointment for last night. I have never sold a house before and had all kinds of questions about how it would work, what we need to do to get the house prepared and when we should aim to have it ready. I feel very dumb when it comes to this kind of thing.

Our realtors, Michael and Kristin, are the ones who sold us our current house. That was a little over 5 years ago. We were so impressed with how they treated us and handled the process that we knew we wouldn’t want anyone else but them helping this time around.

They came over and walked through each room of the house and told us what needed to be done to get it ready. Mostly it’s just cleaning, decluttering and staging.

It’s a very personal thing to have someone analyze your home and tell you what makes it “unappealing” (which, they totally did NOT say, it’s just how I felt. They were super nice about it and had great suggestions). I understand they were looking at it with a critical eye, and from the perspective of a potential buyer, and that it wasn’t a personal reflection on us. But it’s hard not to feel that way. The knick-knacks I think are cute have to go. The photos that I love to look at every day must be taken down. We have to re-arrange some furniture so that it looks more inviting.

All of that to say that we really don’t have to do too much to the house.

We don’t have to repaint or fix anything broken or redo entire rooms. I guess that means we’ve done a pretty good job of maintaining it over the years. And they said our style is tasteful and will go a long ways. All good things.

You wanna know the best part? They suggested we get cracking and have it ready to go by the end of April.

I’ll give you a minute to look at the calendar. Ready? Ok. Yeah. That gives us 4 weeks to do the following:

Get a storage unit rented
Clean every room from top to bottom with a fine-tooth comb
Clean out all closets, drawers, cabinets to just the essentials
Pack up all knick knacks and “personal” family type items (photos, etc)
Re-arrange furniture in a few of the rooms
Take all boxes and various extra furniture to storage
Replace a sink or 2 and possibly a bathroom countertop
Clean up the yard and plant flowers, lay down mulch, etc
Put away all of Isabella’s toys and only keep out those that can fit in to a rubbermaid container
Paint or restain all baseboards and woodwork
Meet with a mortgage lender to see how much we can afford and how much of a loan we’ll get approved for
Start looking for a new house

4 weeks for all that? Pffftt…no problem!

I tell you this – I’m SO glad CJ painted the outside of the house last fall so we don’t have to worry about any of that now. Phew!

Now the new adventure begins! Op Dream Home just got kicked up to high gear!

Ready, set go!

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Op Dream Home Update

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30Mar2011

You Capture: Vibrance

Posted in You Capture by teamtradermom

I will fully admit that I did not think about the You Capture very much this week. I was busy with all kinds of stuff and shooting photos fell by the way side. Fortunately I take a lot of pictures anyway of our daily life so I had a few to choose from. The theme was “vibrance” so I chose to depict it in terms of vibrant colors.

Here is Isabella playing in her wagon. She basically filled her red wagon with blocks and then climbed inside it.

Between her orange shirt, the red wagon and blue wheels, there were lots of bright colors that made this photo stand out to me! Plus I love the look on her face!

In this one, Munchkin decided to take 2 of her juice bottles and put them in her school bus. Then she went about pushing it around the kitchen going “vroom! vroom!”

Again, there is a lot of brightness with the yellow bus and colored juice cups. It’s also a clever way to transport 2 sippie cups!

So there you go. That’s my You Capture for this week! Not too terribly exciting but at least it’s something. I promise I’ll try harder next week! Smile

Go check out some of the other takes on this theme over at Beth’s –>

Be sure and stop over to the art page and check out my work for sale!

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You Capture: Youth

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29Mar2011

Pop!

Posted in Health and Weightloss by teamtradermom

I have one annoying habit.

Well, ok, so maybe I have more than one but this is the one that sticks out the most, at least in my mind.

I pop my knuckles a lot. Half the time I don’t even know I’m doing it. It’s definitely habitual and subconscious. I’ve done it for years too. And I mean YEARS! I remember being like 10 or something and my dad yelling at me to stop because it would cause arthritis.

Guess what – it doesn’t!

I realize it’s an annoyance to others and I have tried to stop on several occasions. But I always go back. It actually feels good to me. It’s relaxing. And as weird as this may sound, I get a kick out of hearing the “cracking” noise. What smoking is to some people, knuckle cracking is to me.

I know…I’m crazy and should be immediately committed.

Here’s a fun fact for you – I can actually pop every joint in my body, except for my elbows (but I’m working on those). Some day I’ll join the circus just to show case this talent. The audience could yell out a joint and I’d pop it on demand.

“Knees!” POP!

“Neck!” CRACK!

“Shoulders!” POP! CRACK!

In fact, one of the things that tipped me off to CJ being the perfect match for me is that not only does my knuckle cracking not bother him, he does it too! Seriously, you should see us when we wake up in the mornings. He’s over there adjusting his neck and popping his toes while I’m bending and twisting each of my fingers.

Isabella doesn’t stand a chance.

It is for this reason that the Chiropractor is one of my favorite people to go see. Hearing all the sounds that my back and neck make as he works on them are glorious! Music to my ears! And it feels so good.

Case in point – yesterday I paid a visit to Dr. Bill. See, the right side of my neck has been locked up for almost 6 weeks now. Not sure if it’s how I’m sleeping or if it’s the way my computer is set up at work but it’s really tight and painful. Also, a rib on my left side has dislocated again and is super sore. CJ was able to pop it back in for me Saturday and Sunday night but then it slipped back out. So, last night I went to see my chiro.

And it was like a religious experience.

First he did my upper back and got a few pops. I don’t think he got the rib back in but it moved some and is a little better. Then he moved on to my lower back. I swear he literally has me twisted around and then jumps on me with all his weight. POP POP POP!

That’s when he moved on to my neck. Usually he twists it but this time he did something else. He had one hand above my ear and the other on my shoulder and with one quick and forceful movement cranked my head away from my shoulder.

It seriously sounded like someone was standing there with bubble wrap and popped them all at once. Then he went on to do the same thing on the other side. More bubble wrap.

He asked me if I was ok and I couldn’t quite hear him over the angels playing their harps above my head. I wiggled my toes a little to make sure I could. Then I checked my neck. The tightness was gone. IT WAS A MIRACLE!

The adjustment was so good, and released so much stuff, that I felt like I had come out of a 2 hour massage. You know that feeling like you’re in a daze and floating above the ground and all you want to do is nap? Yeah, I drove home in that condition.

My neck is still a little tight. It’ll take probably one more adjustment of that caliber to get it right again. My rib is still out too so I’ll most likely go back tomorrow to get that popped in. It’s like a drug. I need more…just one more time and then I’ll stop I swear. Come on just one more adjustment!! DR. BILL I NEED YOU!

So to all my co-workers, family and friends who get annoyed by my incessant knuckle popping just know this – I apologize that it bothers you but it keeps me sane and from killing people so really, it’s the lesser of 2 evils.

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Annexed: The Night Out

Posted in Annexed by teamtradermom

Welcome to this special edition of Annexed!!

The Annexed crew has been talking for a while about unleashing ourselves on the general public to see what this town is made of. Well, Saturday was the night. Barry and Bubbles stayed in town (instead of flying home to Texas) and the rest of us went about securing baby-sitters (except for the Brit who doesn’t have kids. But what she does have is a snotty stuffed up nose so she went about securing drugs and a purse full of Kleenex).

The plan was to meet at the 360 Steakhouse, at Harrah’s casino in Council Bluffs, at 5:30 p.m. We’d have some drinks and then head down to the buffet for dinner.

CJ and I were running a bit late as we had to introduce Isabella to a new sitter. But we got there at the same time as The Brit and her hubby and we all walked in together. Barry and Bubbles were already there and on to their 2nd round of drinks (Cosmo for Barry, Sprite for Bubbles – look out!). I ordered a White Russian. I seriously haven’t had one of those in 2 years and it tasted so.good. Went down very smooth too.

The 360 is on the 12th floor of the casino so it had a great view of downtown Omaha and the river. Unfortunately it was a cloudy overcast day so while I took some pics, they don’t really showcase the beauty and splendor of our fair city.

Wow, I actually typed that whole sentence with a straight face.

Seriously though, Omaha is growing really fast and becoming a pretty cool city. Take a look!

Bob and his wife arrived and we all had a great time chatting. At one point we noticed a bottle of booze on display at the bar that looked A LOT like shampoo. Seriously, don’t you think this looks like something you’d put on your hair?

Turns out it’s sparkling vodka. Huh. We were all curious but you had to buy it by the bottle and none of us was willing to make the investment.

It was finally time to go down to the buffet for din-din. Fortunately, Barry is the Slot Machine King and he had enough comp points to buy dinner for ALL of us. Yes, ALL of us (for those of you not paying attention earlier, that’s 8 people)! They had pretty much everything you could think of on this buffet – Chinese, pasta, pizza, salad, all kinds of meat and cooked veggies. They even had a macaroni and cheese calzone! Cheesy noodles stuffed inside bread? Yes please! They also had a whole line of desserts from cookies to cheesecake to ice cream to apple crisp. The Brit and I particularly enjoyed a delectable chocolate mousse.

The best part of the buffet was our “waitress” Norma. She was this cute old lady who basically kept our drinks refilled and dirty plates picked up. She was so sweet. I just wanted to tuck her in to my pocket and take her home so that my drinks would always be full and my dirty dishes always whisked away.

Bob and his lovely wife had to leave right after dinner but before they departed, we took a group photo (notice the “Responsible Gaming” ad on the TV behind us. We stood there hoping to get a cool photo of the casino or 360 lounge or something but instead we got that. Figures)!

(CJ, me, Brit’s hubby, The Brit, Bubbles, Barry, Bob’s wife, and Bob)

Then, it was time to head over to the Horseshoe Casino and see Barry’s second home.

Before we could get in, we had to wait in line to be carded. The guard told the Brit that anyone who looks younger than 35 has to get in line. Barry and Bubbles walked right in (probably because they’re there so often that everyone knows them). The rest of us got in line. Then the security guard actually came over to tell CJ he could get out of line and go right in because he looks older than 35. Ceige said he was both happy and sad about that. Although he is older than 35, he’s always been told how young he looks. So being told that he looked older was a bit of a blow to the ego. But on the other hand, he didn’t have to wait in line anymore so that was a win!

When I got up there, I couldn’t get my driver’s license out of the little slot in my wallet. I told the guard that and he just stared at me and said to keep trying. Finally I got it out and he looked at it, then looked at me, then looked at it, then scanned it through a machine, then looked at me again. Finally he shook my hand and said “Good luck Sarah.” Gees!

We went straight to the General Manager’s Lounge, which apparently only the high rollers get in to. Because Barry is the Slot Machine King, he could get in and bring the rest of us with him. I won’t tell you how much money you have to bet out on the floor over the course of a year to get access to the GM lounge, but it’s a lot. A LOT. Once in there we got unlimited drinks and desserts. One of us, I won’t name names, took advantage of the free desserts (hmm, who could it be…?).

(This was some raspberry cheesecake cup and a cookies and cream cheesecake bite.)

We sat by the fire and had a really nice time.

Then Barry took us out on the floor to show us the good slots. OMG they are so much more advanced and high tech than I ever realized! There are Wizard of Oz , Sex and the City and Star Wars ones! It was fun to watch them being played. CJ and I had to take off and get back home to Munchkin. I would have liked to stay and play some slots but there just wasn’t time. I’m sure Barry stayed and played enough for all of us though!

It was great to get out with the gang, have fun, and include our spouses. Everyone really got along well and it brought back the “glory days” of working together at the Annex. Hopefully we can do it again soon!

Consider yourself Annexed!!

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25Mar2011

Runnin’ on Empty

Posted in Holidays and Seasons, Work and Professional Life by teamtradermom

T.G.I.F.F. (I’ll let you fill in whatever you want for the extra F).

This has been a very long week. Not a bad week mind you, just long.

The CEO of an organization I am on the Board of Directors for was in town this week. Since I am the local President, it was up to me to organize her visit, take her out for meals, etc. Tuesday night I picked her up from the hotel and we went to dinner. That was my fist time meeting her and she was really great. You always wonder if someone in that position will be arrogant or uppity or uptight but she was none of those things. She was very personable and I really like her a lot. Wednesday night she gave a presentation to our organization. I had to be there as the overseer and emcee. Thursday she came to the company where I work and met with some of us. Then I took her out to lunch with the rest of the B.o.D. All in all, I’d say her trip was a huge success and I’m very glad she came.

There were a couple downsides to her visit though. For one thing, I had to dress up all week. I HATE dressing up and being that way all day. I don’t mind getting dolled up for a night on the town or a special occasion, but having to wear heels and dress pants and suits all day every day is loathsome. I suppose I’m an oxymoron (or maybe just a moron?) because I like to be fashionable and always try to look nice for work, I just want to do it in jeans.

When I was young and ready to conquer the world, I was all about being dressed up and stylish, regardless of comfort. Not anymore. As Patrick Henry once said, “Give me comfort or give me death.” Or something like that. I’ve learned that for me, coziness is akin to productiveness. The more relaxed and comfortable I am, the more work I will get done. Case in point, the 3 days that I had to be dressed up this week were my least productive days. Today I was back to wearing jeans and I kicked major ass!

CJ and I have debated this over the years. He is one of those people who would love a job where he had to wear suits all day. He says it’s because of his finishing school background and being taught that to present well you had to be dressed up. I think it’s because he worked in construction most of his life wearing jeans and “dirty” clothes so the idea of dressing up sounds exciting. I’m the opposite. I had to be business professional for so many years that I abhor it now. It used to be that when I got home from work, I’d head straight to our bedroom, rip off my work clothes and change immediately in to pajamas. CJ pointed out that this wasn’t very sexy of me. Apparently it’s not “hot” to be shuffling around the house in flannel p.j.s, slippers, and my hair thrown back in a ponytail. For better or for worse mister, that’s all I gotta say.

But I do see his point so I make more of an effort now and resist the urge to dive head first in to my jammies until at least Isabella goes to bed or I know there is no chance of any baby making happening that night.

The other downside to the CEO visit was that I was away from the family a lot and didn’t get a lot of sleep. Tuesday I wasn’t home until 7:30. Wednesday it was 7:45. Both of those days I got to see Munchkin for maybe 15 minutes at the most. I hate it when we don’t get time together. I feel like she starts to forget me or loses that closeness. Thank God we had some extra time on Thursday before volleyball and again tonight, for our girl’s night.

Because of all the stress and running around, and going to bed later than usual, my knees were really achy this week. They were doing their fire dance every single night. I tell ya, I’ve popped more Ibuprofen this week than I did all last month (when I went back and reread that sentence, I thought it said “I POOPED more this week…” Ha! As if anyone wants to read about my bowel issues…).

Now for a couple oddities. On Monday, Bubbles sent me a photo from the Annex. Just when you thought things had returned to status quo (if there is such a thing there), we discover this in the middle of the hallway:

First of all – really? A piece of paper taped to an upside down trash can? Really?! Secondly, what exactly does this mean? Is the tile going to jump out of the ceiling and start chasing me down the halls of the mall? Maybe that’s what happened to cause Scooter his injury. Or perhaps it means that the tiles are loose and could start raining down upon us at any moment, like the biblical locusts. I suppose the more likely scenario is that there is another leak. If that were the case, wouldn’t it make more sense to have the garbage can turned right side up? Phffft…that’s CRAZY talk!

The other oddity of the week – snow. Yes, 3” of snow at the end of March. My grandma’s birthday is tomorrow and she used to always joke about there being snow on her birthday. Well, this is the first birthday where we will not be celebrating with her as she passed away last September. So perhaps it’s only fitting for the universe to give us some white stuff in her honor. At least that’s how I choose to think of it.

It really was breathtakingly beautiful on my drive to work this morning. I snagged a few pics at home before I left.

Time for me to head upstairs and let myself be sucked in the couch. I need a night of brain numbing television (and extra PJ time!) to counter all the thinking I had to do this week.

Tomorrow night, the gang from the Annex is heading out on the town. Barry is playing in a slots tournament at the casino (yes, they actually have these) so we’re all (Bubbles, Bob and his wife, The Brit and her hubby, and me and CJ) going to meet down there, at the 360 Steakhouse, for drinks and dinner. Should be a good time and don’t worry, I’ll be sure to share all the good stories with you!

So what’s your verdict – are you a lover or a hater of dressing up? Please leave comments – I love hearing what you have to say!

Hey – have you checked out my art work yet? If not, head on over there. I’m selling it and all must go!

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