From the front lines

Today's house update: we have a real contract!

We also have lead-based paint...on every surface of the house...it's chipping and peeling.  And maybe termites.  Probably not, but we still have to treat for them.  And those foundation issues are TBD.

Scary.

The good news is, if everything moves forward, we'll get the lead-based paint taken care of so our future children won't have brain damage or other issues caused by the neurotoxin.  That's a definite good thing.  And we definitely won't have the termites that we probably don't have anyway since the inspector saw no termites but maybe thinks they could possibly be there somewhere perhaps. 

Suddenly, I'm slightly frightened by the house that I loved.  Now I'm really glad we're not moving in until AFTER all the repairs are done.

203 what?

When S started talking me into buying a house and planting the seed that maybe rehabbing houses could become a main source of income, I thought, like my friend Carrie did this weekend, that he was asking me to buy a house for $203,000.  203k on our first house!?  We can't afford that!  Other than our real estate agent and our lender, no one I've talked to has heard of a 203k so I thought I would share.

This is a fantastic FHA loan program, at least I think it is right now.  Since we haven't actually gone through the whole process, I can't say for sure but so far, so good.  Some things to be prepared for with a 203k:

- it is a long process because of the hoops you have to jump through and the kinds of properties you're working with
- major renovations are an inherent part of this program so if you hate that idea, then steer clear
- there are only a few lenders who offer 203k mortgages
- not all houses are 203k eligible and some sellers aren't willing to wait for the longer closing process

Here's where it would be a great option:  Say you find an awesome deal in a great neighborhood.  Maybe it's a foreclosure or a short sale or a HUD home or just a house someone is trying to get off their hands quickly.  An awesome deal would be a house that is priced SIGNIFICANTLY less than the comparables, like 40-50% less.  Why is it so cheap?  Well it probably needs a hella lotta work which would scare away anyone other than investors.  It might need a complete remodel, new floors, foundation work, a whole new kitchen; it might smell bad or be missing a wall; it's generally a rather scary place on the inside.  But it's a great location and a great size and if we only had $30,000 lying around to put into it, then we could get it, make the improvements, and build a TON of equity.  But we do not have $30,000 so, bummer man.

BUT WAIT!  Have I got a deal for you!  If you and the property qualify for a 203k loan, then you are in luck!  You can finance the house, just like you would with any other property, AND finance the renovations and repairs, all within the same mortgage.  So if you got a house for $50,000 and put in $25,000, you would have a mortgage for about $75,000.  Ideally, you've made smart improvements and your home is really worth between $100,000 and $120,000.  You've basically done a flip but you are going to live in it for a while before you sell it and collect your equity.  The 203k is an owner/occupant loan so you have to live in the house for one year before you can sell.

You also have to have all of the work done by a general contractor and since we are getting a HUD home, all the work we do must be approved by a HUD consultant so that mean two groups of people have to approve the works that's done.  Some people might be turned off by all the oversight, but I love that so many people are going to make sure that the project is done right since it's our first major reno.  The downside is that it means no DIY projects until after all the major work gets approved.  So, I would love to take down all the wallpaper myself to save some money but we know that the walls will need some repair work after the foundation is fixed which means the wallpaper needs to be removed BEFORE the end of the reno work so, thank you contractor for removing the wallpaper.  On the upside, I don't have to remove wallpaper! :-)

We are still waiting to be officially under contract on the house.  Veteran's day slowed that process down a bit.  Hopefully this week we'll get our structural inspection, the make or break inspection.  The amount of the foundation repair will determine whether or not we move forward or walk away.  Keep your fingers crossed!

In the meantime, I shared "the good" of our hopeful home with the hardwood and built-ins, now here's some ugly.  Shabby chic perhaps?

Back with GOOD news!

This has been a hard year.  I'm totally over 2011.  I'm going to re-categorize the days that remain in this exhausting year as "pre-2012."  We wrapped up 2011 (see, I've already transitioned) with a bit more disappointment.  My mom and I missed the 3-Day to be able to be with family after my Grandma Boone passed away.  It was so good to be with family to remember my grandma and learn some little known facts about her life (jitterbug champ!?).  But is was a bummer to miss out on the walk.  However!  We are already registered for next year.  The sweet 3-Day folks let us transfer our registrations and, while I hope that I can raise the full $2300 for 2012, we'll be able to count our 2011 fundraising toward the 2012 walk.

Now, on to the good news.  S and I have been house hunting for a couple of months.  I was not sold on staying in OKC.  Originally I agreed to live here for ONE year and ONE year only.  But I don't exactly have a plan for the end of the one year so we decided it would be okay to plan for 2-3 years and then make a change.  S also got it in his head that rehabbing old houses would be a fun "hobby" so why not start with our own?  We are one phone call away from having a contract on a cute 1919 craftsman house in a historic neighborhood and I am finally doing my happy dance!

I'll share a bit more as we move forward with the process - our HUD home, 203k financed, renovation-tastic project.  Hopefully everything will move forward without a hitch but there's always a possibility that the deal will fall through.  In fact, we thought we had missed out on this property because it was already under contract when we found it.  That deal fell through and we swooped in.  We're learning with these great deals that swooping is really important because lots of investors are waiting in the wings.  We missed out on several other gems because of our failure to swoop.  With this one we are cautiously optimistic.

In the meantime, how about this shot of the dining room, taken from the living room?  Fireplace, built-ins, hardwood floors, vintage wallpaper...I'm in love.

Sabbatical

I've always wanted to take a sabbatical because usually it involves traveling and doing exciting things.  So I am going to take one!  But just from blogging for a little while.  You'll be relieved to know that we will be back, I know that you were worried.  We are currently working on business plans and family plans and dinner plans.

In the meantime, I'm still raising money for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure!

Shocking, I know.

People ask what happens if you don't raise the full $2300.  Here's what happens: I have to pay the difference!  Really.  Nothing like the threat of having $700 deducted from your bank account to motivate you to beg for money.  So, here are the two ways you can help:

Make a donation here!  This is the easiest and most helpful way.
Visit Boonaroo's and order some Christmas presents!  Especially dishcloths. I have many, many dishcloths.

Thank you and see you upon our return!

32 days

I have 32 days to finish my Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure fundraising.  I'm sweatin' bullets over here!  Last year I was DONE with my fundraising by the middle of August but this year, as I've mentioned, I recruited my most generous donors to walk with me and it is coming down to the wire!

But with 32 days left, we can do this!  Last year I was so proud when I finished the walk but I was even more proud when I reached my $2300 fundraising goal.  I can walk 60 miles on my own, I mean, if I had too; but I cannot contribute $2300 on my own, not right now.  It took a lot of people standing with me to reach that goal and it's going to take a lot of people again.  We're over halfway there but there are a few (figurative) miles left.

My family has been touched by cancer, specifically breast cancer, so many times that I have a document on my computer titled "Family Cancer History" and it is a full 8.5x11 sheet of paper.  My family on my mom's side was the subject of a cancer research study at the University of Oklahoma.  It's like being famous except it sucks.

I do not want to give this document to my kids.  I don't want to add my mom's or my aunt's or my own name to the list.  I want to send it to the recycle bin and delete it forever, but I can't, not yet.

And that's why I walk.  I walk so I can delete that document.  Walking 60 miles shows solidarity, it shows strength, it shows sacrifice and commitment but without the funds for research and education, it's just a symbol.  It's a lovely symbol, but it's not going to have any lasting impact unless we back it up with financial commitment.

But you can help!  You can have a lasting impact on our world with a small gift!  And if you pass this along to your friends and family your impact will be even greater.  If you utilize your employer's matching gifts program for charitable donations, your gift could be multiplied!  Just click on any of the links in this post and you'll go to the page where you can donate.

Thank you for journeying with me!  I am confident that we can do this together.

Trend sitter

Not to be confused with a trend setter, a trend sitter is one who sees a trend, likes the trend, but then sits on it for a while to make sure it's sticking around before jumping on the bandwagon right before it goes out of style.

 That is me.  Hi.  It took me two years to embrace capris because I was CONVINCED they wouldn't stick around.  Oops.  And skinny jeans.  And boots.  Are you getting the idea?  Ballet flats however, well, I was all over that.  Remember in the 90s when every shoes you owned had a heel or a giant sole (I'm looking at you Doc Martin sandals).  Far thee well, ugly shoes, until you return on my children's feet and I say "that's what WE wore in high school!"

My current trend sitting involves the zigzag, um, chevron pattern.  Actually, I'm not really that behind, I did make this pillow earlier this year.  I painted the fabric and everything!

But now I am SO trendy because I painted these beauties.

Ooo....ahhhhh...  I know, right?  Gray, yellow, chevron...I'm like every Pinterest pin ever pinned but in real life!

These canvases were from a failed painting project.  They once held my attempt at painting "botanicals" but there was nothing botanical about them.  So they each got covered in white craft paint and sat in our "little living room" for two weeks because I dreaded the next part.

Taping.  I was going to have to tape our the pattern and I really didn't want to.  I get antsy pants when it comes to detail work and it makes me want to jump up and down and scream.  But I used the method and the pattern that I found here and, two reruns of 30 Rock later, they were taped.  And I didn't take pictures because that's kind of boring.
I lightened up my gray paint with some white and paint, paint, paint...they were done!  Now they hang next to the TV and look subtle and pretty. And making the rest of the wall look really bare.

Now, time for a BIG UPDATE.  The toilet paper roll mirror had a makeover.  See if you can tell.

Well, as you probably can't tell from the really dark picture, she got a new coat of paint!  We upgraded from Colonial Red to Apple Red.  Uh-huh, she's sassy now.  And she got another layer of rolls.  For humans this would be a horrible thing, but for a toilet paper roll mirror, it's spectacular!

Alright, I'm off to trend sit on my giant customized subway art with special meaning that only we understand and my yarn wreath.

Banana Pudding, Precious edition

Yesterday I posted that I successfully made my grandma's homemade banana pudding and several people asked for the recipe, so here it is!  We call my grandma Precious because that's what the oldest grandchild called her so that's her name.  But it's not actually her name.  Her name is Jeretta which gets a gold star for originality.  I won't tell you her middle name because it's just way to original and it would blow your mind.

I love this pudding.  Well, my dad loves this pudding and I love that he loves it.  In elementary school I wrote a story about one Thanksgiving when little Bobby (my dad) showed up for Thanksgiving and there was no banana pudding.  It was a tragedy, as you can tell.  Never mind that Precious is my dad's mother-in-law so her banana pudding was NEVER at my dad's childhood Thanksgivings.  S loves it too and he was the one who requested it.

I didn't take any pictures (we were too busy eating) but let me assure you, my presentation was immaculate.  I dished it into individual servings in antique goblets.  I'm not exaggerating, that is actually how we partook of the pudding.  Here, this is the goblet.

Here are two versions of the original recipe.  You will notice some inconsistencies in the first one.  You might also notice that when you try to add flour to the milk mixture, it clumps up miserably and you have to start over.  Precious says she mixes the flour and sugar together before adding it to the warm milk, this might solve the problem.  I solved the problem by making a roux with the butter and flour and then adding the milk which seemed to work out just fine.  So, the second version is how I made the pudding this time along with my mom's recollections of how she watched her mom make the pudding.  Next time I'll try the flour/sugar blending method.  Also, Precious always doubles this recipe to have enough for more than four people.


PRECIOUS'S BANANA PUDDING - Original Recipe

6 Tbsp butter or margarine
2/3 c. flour (or a cornstarch/water mixture for thickening)
3 c. milk
2/3 c. sugar
3 eggs, separated, beat egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla
3 bananas, sliced
Nilla Wafers

*This isn't in the recipe but you have to keep stirring all the time so the milk won't get filmy and the bottom won't get burned!*

Use a nonstick skillet (large) or pot.  Heat milk.  Blend sugar and flour and add to milk, stirring to blend.  Cook over low heat until thickened, stirring with a spatula or whisk.  Pour some of the warm milk mixture into the beaten egg yolks, then cook altogether 2 more minutes.  Add vanilla and 1 tbsp. of butter.

PRECIOUS'S BANANA PUDDING - What I actually did

(same ingredients)

Melt 5 tbsp. of butter in a nonstick skillet or pot.  Mix in flour, it will ball up in clumps.  Add milk and stir with a whisk until all of the flour mixture has dissolved.  Stir until milk is heated and add sugar.  Cook over low heat, stirring until thickened.  Slowly stir in at least 1/2 c. of the warm milk mixture into the beaten egg yolks and then slowly add the eggs, stirring constantly (this keeps the eggs from scrambling when you add them to the warm pudding).  Stir and cook for 2 minutes.  Add vanilla and the remaining tbsp. of butter.  Stir until blended.  Remove from heat.  Create a cool bath in a large pan or the sink and place pot in the cool water.  Stir while pudding cools to maintain consistency.  Once pudding has cooled, mix in the banana slices.  Layer pudding and Nilla Wafers in a large bowl or individual serving cups and refrigerator until cold.

Enjoy!