Toys for the Boy
In response to Sharon’s plea for manly toys for Fulton:
Tonka Truck: Check.
Now for that front-end loader…
Category: Family
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Archive for » August, 2007 «
Family Cars
Someday in the near future my kids will look back on this photo and ask “What happened to that car? Why are we riding around in this boring ol’ van?”
I had the same question for my parents – except it wasn’t a van, but this very car – when I came across a photo of me in my youth standing next to a 1979 Ford Thunderbird. Maybe my parents can send the picture along and I’ll post it.
Thérèse decides that washing cars is not for princesses. 
Actually, that’s not true, she was just being camera shy. She is always thrilled to help daddy wash the car.
Category: Family
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Last bit of nesting
So, I’m almost done with my nesting. Many many thanks to friends Zvezdana and Julie–my kitchen angels– for spending the afternoon with me cooking and baking the last bit of meals in our Chop and Stock 2007! The freezer is full for Baby G’s arrival. I really had a great time with them jamming to oldies in the kitchen and having a girls’ afternoon while Adam watched the kids.
All we really need to do now is figure out where our blessed little bundle will sleep and keep his/her clothes and diapers. Perhaps we’ll get to that tomorrow.
With two and a half weeks until my official “due date,” please keep us in your prayers. Specifically please pray that Therese and Fulton will be well taken care of when we have to go to the hospital. Also pray that I may perservere and endure the suffering of my labor with grace and that Old Red Legs stops probing at my anxieties. And of course, pray for a safe and health birth of Baby G.
Category: Family
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Labor of Love
I often get the question ”Are you ready for the baby?” This is a loaded question. For me there are three areas of preparedness before my babies come. The home needs to be ready–not only baby stuff put out again, but all the preparations for Therese, Fulton, Adam and life when we get home. Then there is the physical preparedness–keeping up with excercise and practicing our contractions and relaxation techniques to prepare for labor.
Finally and probably most importantly is the spiritual preparedness. Because we choose to have natural births–even at the hospital–the whole laboring process is one that requires I be in the right frame of mind for the pain and suffering involved in my labor of love.
Having been pregnant during and/or through Advent the last two pregnancies, I often view birth of our children through the biblical references of death/resurrection. Like the wise virgins awaiting the bridegroom (Mat 25: 1-4), I must make sure we’re prepared for the great gift our Lord has to offer. We know not the hour or the day (Mat 25:5) when the baby will arrive. And like a thief in the night, our baby is stolen from the security of the womb to be born to this world and the loving embrace of our arms.
Women have babies all the time, and I don’t hear any deep theological views on suffering and childbirth. Yet, I have always been drawn to the fact that this pain during childbirth was given by God himself to Eve after the fall in the garden. Why? Was is to show her to love even through suffering? And why has it become unthinkable in today’s world to escape that suffering of childbirth? (This is not to say that women who choose medication or scheduled c-sections do not endure their own pain and suffering. For I know they have their own challenges.)
Until this morning, I thought I was overreacting to my need to be spiritually prepared for my suffering–especially for an event that is so blessed. But then I remembered that even our Blessed Lord went through his own anticipation of suffering (even though he knew, since he’s God, that the resurrection would also come). He went off and prayed in the garden of Gethsemane with his most trusted friends. His meditation on his suffering and embracing the Father’s will for the salvation of mankind was so great he sweat blood.
When I was pregnant with Therese, Jeff Cavin’s tape series called “The Mystery of Suffering” came across our path. It has since become my “pep talk” for each pregnancy. Cavin’s reminds us that our suffering is our opportunity to participate in the salvation and redemption of souls. So with my most trusted friend and companion, my beloved husband, we pray and come up with the list of souls and intentions for which I can offer my suffering during labor. If you would like us to add you and your intentions to that list, please email me.
Category: Faith, Family
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Broker’s Price Opinion
Home ownership has been an interesting adventure. From buying the house to maintaining it to making improvements, it’s been an opportunity for Adam and I to learn so much more.
In my attempt to be the financially savy one of our marriage, I’m always looking for ways to save money. So I always read any financial magazine that comes in the mail with keen interest. About 6 months ago, I came across an article on how to save on your home mortgage payment. Essentially the article said, if you didn’t put 20% down on your home or take out two mortgages (one for 80% and the other for the remainder of the principle that you didn’t put down on your home when purchased), then you’re probably paying mortgage insurance on your home. We fall into the those who were paying mortgage insurance. Usually if you’re paying two mortgage payments, then your interest rates are higher than if you’re just paying for one. At the time we bought our home interest rates were really low and we didn’t want to pass that up.
But the article went on to say that if you’re property value has gone up, it’s likely that you have the 20-25% equity on your home to be able to cancel your mortgage insurance. So I made a call to our mortgage lender and inquired what it would take to cancel on mortgage insurance. The first call was not encouraging or helpful as I really didn’t know what all these things meant and the customer service rep didn’t pity my ignorance. But all he said was it would take $350 to get our house reappraised by someone from their company. The assessed value by our county appraisal district was not suffient for their records. So then I asked my big brother who happens to be a chief appraiser for a county in south texas what all this meant and I asked our realtor, Therese’s Godfather and good friend, Jeff Kress, for some further clarification. Both said I should get it done but have a list of compareable sales for my home to hand to the person that comes out. These can be obtained from your county appraisal district. But Jeff sent me some too.
So after sitting on it and being unsure for a couple of months, I reread the paperwork the mortgage company sent. Basically the only conditions I could get the house reappraised was if their were “structural” improvements to it–like adding a deck, swimming pool, etc. Things like re-siding, re-flooring, remodeling a room are not considered structural improvements. BUT, if there aren’t structural improvements and the market value of the home has increase (i.e. what your home would sell for if you sold it today), one can order what’s called a Broker’s Price Opinion or BPO. And that only costs $150. Then I called the mortgage company back to make sure I understood all this correctly, and I did.
So I sent in my $150 to get the BPO. Two weeks ago someone came out to take pictures of the house. I handed him the copies of the compareable sales Jeff sent me and waited. And waited.
Yesterday I checked the mail. And a revision to our mortgage statement came in! And it didn’t have the mortgage insurance cost in there anymore! Woohoo!!! We’ll be saving $93.24 per month. Thank you Lord!
I don’t know if this is just a chance you take when you buy a home whether to have one mortgage payment and pay the insurance, or have two and pay the higher interest rates. I think most people who have done the cost analysis elect for the two payments because they assume they would be paying the insurance until they pay down their principle (for us that would have probably been another 10 or 11 years!) and they neglect or aren’t told about this other option if the market value of the home increases. Something to consider I suppose the next time you buy a home.
Category: Budgeting
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“M” is for Motorcycle
At least that is what the clerk told me at the licensing branch. My updated drivers license arrived the other day with the new classification – CM (standard with motorcycle). I’m looking forward to putting it to use.
Varoom!
Tonight the Vespa fired up for the first time since the rebuild. It took off on the first kick (we’ll negate any previous attempts before I realized that the U.S. model Rally requires the driver to engage the front brake to release the cut-off switch)! I managed to take it around the block but the idle and air-fuel mix adjusters need a bit of tuning – it’s running a bit rich.
Next up is to get the rear turn indicators working and have it inspected. Safetly gear is also on the list. We’re getting close!
Category: Vespa
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Overflow
If you haven’t checked out Matt Maher’s latest album Overflow do so now.
It’s also available on iTunes [iTunes]. If you don’t get the whole album, at least purchase “Resurrection Day.” You won’t regret it. Trust me.
Support Catholic artists!
Category: Faith, Fun
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Dual Identity
Mild-mannered-baby-loving boy by day…..
Fuzzi-Bunz-Puppy-Dog-Superhero by night….
And yes…we will be investing in some very BLUE MANLY boy toys ASAP! (For those of you with boys, please please please send some suggestions of what your boys like.)
Category: Family
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Look at ‘er Shine!
Thérèse was so impressed with 3M Perfect-It II Rubbing Compound’s results that she just had to join in the fun.
While it certainly doesn’t repair gashes and chips, the compound did an outstanding job removing scratches and marks, oxidizing minor surface rust, and bringing back the Rally’s glorious shine. Unfortunately you won’t find this 3M product at your local AutoZone or Pep-Boys. I had to search high and low and finally picked up the last bottle at A-Line Auto Parts.
I highly recommend using a buffer if you can get your hands on one. In my case however the smallest pad I could find was 4 inches and even then the device would have been too large to work its way into the smaller areas. I resorted to good ol’ elbow grease and added a 1/2 inch to my biceps in the process… okay maybe not but it felt like it anyway.
Category: Vespa
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