Hobbit-ish Potpurri: Digging Out

Hey Humble Readers,

Long time, no talk.  I'm recovered from my stomach flu/day of pure hell last week, mostly.  My tummy is still rather sensitive, but I'm doing ok and thankfully no one else in the hobbit hole contracted the wretchedness.  The only positive to come out of this is that I have busted through my weightloss plateau in a big way.  Of course puking and dry heaving for a full day can do that...

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The Shire, and indeed the whole mid to northern part of the province got slammed today with a doozy of a snow storm.  About an hour north of the Shire there was a major pile up on the highway that resulted in 300 (yes, 300!) injuries.  The highway was closed for several hours, and the injured were sent to hospitals in 9 different surrounding communities.  So much for spring, right?

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We did actually manage to go out on Sunday for the afternoon and evening.  I was feeling well enough to be out and about so long as we took it easy and I was able to stop to rest and drink water several times throughout the afternoon.  My MIL came up, even though the roads weren't the greatest, and spent the night.  My Beloved and I had lunch, toured a show home (more on that later), did a little shopping (shoes for my Beloved, Easter baskets for the wee-lings), went for dinner, and then to a movie (Identity Thief - so funny!).  It was so nice to just be together, not thinking about which wee-ling needed to be fed or bathed or distracted or consoled.  It was wonderful to be able to browse through stores I could never take the wee-lings to (like Pier 1), and to be silly with my Beloved.  I was completely wiped out when we got home and spent all day Monday on the couch, but it was worth it. 

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So, this show home we toured... It was a town home in a new complex that I would love to live in.  And when I say love, I mean luuuuuuurrrrrrrrvvvvvvvve to live there.  Seriously, the house would be perfect for us.  Four bedrooms (we would have a spare bedroom!!!), three and a half baths, finished basement, with a postage stamp sized yard that is cared for through the homeowners association (whose fees are less than half of what we pay now for HOA fees).  There are new schools being built nearby, and it's close to a great little shopping center with groceries, banks, and a Starbucks (I'm pathetic, I know). 

Canada's favourite handyman - Mike Holmes
One of my celebrity crushes.  :)

The best thing is the builder of this complex has partnered with Mike Holmes as a part of his Holmes Homes program.  That means that all the building materials and procedures meet Mike's high standards.  The best insulation, the best high efficiency appliances, hot water tank, and furnace.  Even lumber and plywood that is mold and moisture resistant.  The only negatives about this townhouse complex is that we aren't in a place *right now* to put down a down payment (but we will be in about a year or so), that it's in a brand new area of town so there's not a lot of trees or parks yet (but there will be!), and it's over the dollar figure that we have been toying with (but not so far that it would be impossible for us).  They are currently building phase one, so POTENTIALLY we could get in on future developments through this builder.  (And if you're interested, I pinned the floor plan on my Dream House board on pinterest.)

Even if this isn't in the cards for us in the future, it's incredibly exciting for me to be thinking about what our next (forever) home is going to be.  Less than two years, Humble Readers.  Less than two years. 

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I can't recall off the top of my head if I told you all this, but both my Beloved and I are getting new glasses this year.  He's actually already got his and they are snazzy!  It's no secret that my rx is pretty ridiculous.  I'm blind as a bat without my glasses and have panic attacks if I can't find them.  When the girl at the eyewear shop gave me an estimate on how much my lenses are going to cost I almost had a heart attack.  I've always bought the cheapest lenses, without any bells and whistles, but we have agreed that I need better quality.  Anywho, with both of us getting glasses we knew it was going to get expensive.  The good news is, my Beloved just did our taxes and we will be getting back enough to cover about half of our new eyewear!  The other half will be able to be put through on my Beloved's health benefits with work.  Yay!

Hobbit-ish Potpurri: Has Spring Sprung?

Good Morning Humble Readers...

Welcome to all who are visiting from ICLW!  I'm sorry that there was no nifty little intro post yesterday.  Our wee sweet girl and I had a rough day yesterday (just general fussiness and fighting sleep) and by the time that I had time to actually post, my brain was too mushy to come up with something fun. 

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So, has spring sprung where you are?  I've been reading blog posts from some of my friends that talk about warmer weather and being able to fling open windows to allow the springtime breezes in.  And I am sick with jealousy!  This winter is never going to end for us here on the frozen flatland.  While it has warmed up a bit (no longer in the deep deep freeze), we are still below seasonal temps and it's been snowing since Sunday, and it's not expected to stop until sometime Thursday.  Ugh!  The killer is, just over a week ago, we were given a taste of the good life... temps above freezing and the ginormous piles of snow were melting.  It's enough to make a hobbit want to pull her hair out. 

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Ginevra has started to play with some of her toys.  It's really awesome to watch her awareness change when she's holding her set of plastic keys or her squeaky elephant.  She's also developed a fondness for being sung to... which is a challenge.  I don't remember many children's songs, so I end up singing 'Frerre Jacques' (I'm sure that's spelled wrong) over and over again. 

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I've been struggling a bit getting back into the bbt charting habit.  It's amazing to me that it used to be second nature to reach for my thermometer before anything else in the morning, and now I invariably forget until I've gotten up to go pee. 

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We went down to my MIL's place on the weekend.  We had a great visit, but it's apparent that she's becoming more and more like a stereotypical senior citizen.  She's still very active, always coming and going, but things are changing.  When my FIL was alive, they always ate earlier than what I was used to (no later than 5:30), but now she eats dinner between 4 and 4:30.  Oy! 

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I know I've mentioned before that I have moved a lot in my life (59 or 60 homes in three countries, three provinces and three states).  Because of my very mobile past, every now and then I start to get the itch that it's time to move.  I confess that the itch has been making itself known over the past few weeks.  I've found myself looking at real estate listings, and dreaming about a three bedroom, two bath town house with a finished basement, a teeny yard, near to schools and a park. 

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I have a ton of stuff on my to do list for today, so I should sign off.  Laundry, housework, baking and maybe a bit of crafting if I get the chance... What's on your to do list for the day?