Hillsboro Queen (no, I'm not talking about myself)

There she be...our new home. We are in contract on this home in Hillsboro, Oregon and I'm so excited about it. We have been back in the Portland area around 2 years and we are finally getting our life put back together. We have been looking for a home for a few months now and we finally found the one that will fit our immediate wants and needs. Although we really do like this home, it still feels like a step backwards from our first home purchase in Louisiana. We had a 2200 sq ft home on a one acre lot and we basically paid peanuts for it. So it was a huge shock to see what money will buy you here in the Portland Metro Area! All I can tell you is that it's certainly NOT a one acre lot, it is NOT 2200 sq ft and we did NOT pay peanuts for it, but none the less, it's ours.

This is our one level, 3 bed, 2 bath, 2 car garage home. She comes in at a whoppin' 1552 sq ft, but she boasts vaulted ceilings in the family room and living room for the appearance of extra square footage. In the back yard there is a great deck for BBQs and entertaining, a play structure that is being left by the current owners and a fantastic hot tub to soak my worries away. I'm sure that will be a delightful place to have an adult beverage this summer! She will keep us warm in the winter and cool in the summer with her heat pump. There is a perfect bay window in the front of the house so she can proudly display the twinkling lights of our Christmas tree this year. Although she can brag about her many fine qualities, there are some cosmetic changes she will endure throughout our stay. The first, and most blaring flaw, is what her careless owners have put on her walls. WOWZAH! They certainly did a doozy on her. Some inexperienced homeowners might call her damaged goods, but under that retina burning paint, there is a fine woman waiting to show her true colors. We will be delivering that fresh coat of "pizazz" before we move all our belongings in. With that small token of the love and care that we will give her over the years, I'm sure she will begin to shine like the diamond in the rough that she is. We will be ending our engagement and beginning our marriage with this fine Hillsboro Queen on May 17th, at a smokin' rate thanks to our lender. I will be posting more picture of the interior, and all of the intense paint, later this week. Our inspection is this week and I plan on taking my camera, not only to show everyone, but also to start my before/after portfolio of this gem of a house.

**if you need a lender, even if you have been denied and you think you can't get a loan, YOU CAN. Just ask and I will send you her name. AMAZING lender. She works her tail off for you and fights for you, I can't say enough good things.**

Oh and if you were wondering why I'm so certain that she is, in fact, a she...the trim and door paint is purple. ...but like many things, that too will change! I'll take a vote later on because I'm not 100% certain what exterior color I want. Let me get some photos with better lighting so you can submit your opinion.

Too Much, Too Soon?

I'm in over my head. You know when you get a REALLY GOOD idea that turns out to be a pretty bad idea, well that's where I am. I've talked and talked about how I think Addie could probably start potty training and be pretty successful. So yesterday I took the plunge....and I'm sinking! I bought the Dora the Explorer pull ups, some padded training woo-woos (underwear) and some pretty princess woo-woos, oh yeah and a large box of diapers for when this all blows up in my face (hopefully not literally).

Well yesterday we had two #2's in the pull up, expected, but still not a good time. She also wore the woo-woos yesterday afternoon for a few hours without incident. She had a wet pull up only once yesterday. I thought we were off to a pretty decent start.

Today is a different story. When she is wearing diapers, she will tell me if she has gone potty or #2, which is one reason I thought she was ready for potty training. However, today she went potty in the pull up and said nothing. She yells and screams when I talk about putting a diaper on her, yet she doesn't want to go to the bathroom when I do let her wear Dora or woo-woos. I'm not sure if I've pushed it too early, or if I haven't stuck with it long enough. Pull ups are a mighty expensive way to wear a diaper, ugggh. The only thing I know for sure is, she is way too cute.

Retro Post: The One With Pay Phone Confusion

"Mommy, what is this?"

That is an exact quote from Tucker. We were outside the zoo waiting for our friends when he noticed the mystery machine, AKA pay phone. He was genuinely confused about why you would even use that kind of phone. The follow up question to "what is this" was,

"Mommy, why would you use that when you have a phone in your purse?"

Exactly.

Beauty, From The Inside Out.

Dr. Pepper: A bubbly, sweet, curious wonder of 23 magnificent flavors. A token, crimson tube with sparkles, better yet, the infamous jumbo tube. Difficult to find in health and beauty sections of the store, but somehow Target always comes through, just when you think you'll never find a jumbo tube again. A sweet, and obviously tasty, shine for your parched lips. My daughter LOVES the jumbo tube of Dr. Pepper chapstick, not only for the beauty it brings her on the outside, but also for the tasty snack it provides for her insides. Now that's what I call beauty, from the inside out.

(brought to you exclusively by Bonnie Bell)

First Bank Account

Yesterday, Tucker opened his first bank account! What a big boy. It was a happy and sad day for me. I'm glad to be able to share the wealth of information I have on being frugal and hopefully teach him how to be responsible with spending and saving money. However, it felt a little bit like dropping him off at preschool for the first time. Watching my 4 pound 2 ounce baby turn into a kid, no longer the baby or toddler who needs me like he used to. (Maybe this is the part where I take my own advice and start enjoying Addie more instead of wondering why she is always hanging on my legs, crying endlessly) Either way, Tucker...big dude.

So we emptied his 2 piggy banks that were filled with coins, with the exception of three $1.00 bills, and headed to the bank. Matt and I made bets on how much it would be worth. I said $57.00 and Matt said $73.00.

We get to the bank and the people are all very sweet to Tucker, asking him questions about what he is saving his money for, etc. They also let us go behind the counter to see the coin machine work its magic counting the 30 or so pounds of coins. When all was said and done, that kid has almost as much in savings as we do. See below....

If you don't think you are reading that correctly...let me make it clear for you....

TWO HUNDRED EIGHTY DOLLARS AND FORTY SIX CENTS.

I'm FAMOUS...according to Addie

Addie just saw a picture of Ellen DeGeneres in a magazine and said, "Mommy". How do you suggest I break the news to Matt that he is married to a gay woman in her 50's?

Retro Post: Tillamook, Oregon--January 30, 2010

I have never been to Tillamook, but I love everything about it. The ice cream, cheese and delicious yogurt they make is amazing, so I knew there would be much to love if we visited the city and factory. And for all of you Tucker, Addie & Associates Fans out there who are not lucky enough to be from the Great Pacific Northwest, it's pronounced TILL-uh-mook (mook rhymes with book). Gotta love all the Native American influence here that makes all non-natives easy to pick out of a crowd. Which makes me think that I should do a post that is only about all the unique names and quirks that I love about the Northwest. Man, it feels good to be home. Where else can you wear ankle socks with keens and not be stared at? (not that I do that, but I could!) FOCUS...back to the great coast city of Tillamook. Oh, maybe that's a Northwest thing...let me know from my Other Coast friends if this is true for you too... Here we don't really say we are going to the beach, we say we are going to the coast. Or maybe that's just my family? Ok, it's official, no matter which coast you are from you can weigh in on this one. What do you call where the ocean meets the shore?

Addie wasn't tall enough to be a cow and neither of the kids were tall enough to be the farmer...so this is our "face in the hole" picture. Oddly enough, with all the people and families at the dairy, no one offered to take our family picture. I always think that's weird when people aren't that friendly.

After watching the factory workers make the tasty Tillamook cheese, we went back to the restaurant area and tried some of the ice cream...just a Quality Control service that Tucker, Addie & Associates were happy to provide to the Tillamook Dairy. Notice that Addie has a cone in one hand and a spoon in the other hand!

Then we found our way to where the ocean meets the shore, whatever you call that. Oceanside, Oregon was our final stop on this adventure. We saw the water, felt the rain and loved the colors of the sand. What a beautiful way to see the Oregon coast, in the rain...just as it should be.