Let’s Catch Up

Hi everyone!  I’m so sorry it’s been so long since I’ve posted anything of substance here on the blog.  There have been many changes going on in the Garden household as of late. 

As many of you know from my Facebook page, Mr. Gardens grandmother passed away a couple weeks ago.  Unfortunately none of the family was overly close to her as she has lived in Missouri for many years and there were a lot of hard feelings between my in laws and her over the years.  However to our surprise when the in laws went to Missouri and the will was presented she had made my father in law the executor of the estate.  My mother in law was an only child and grandmas husband had already passed a few years back and his two sons were for some reason written out of the will. 

Now here comes the big surprise.  Grandma lived on an estate with 16.2 acres of land.  The house is paid for.  There is a beautiful catfish pond on the property with a small boat.  The property taxes are only $1000 a year and the utilities there are next to nothing. She willed the estate to my in laws!

Now with the current economy they know they can’t get much for the property since it’s in such a remote area of southern Missouri.  And as a result they have come to the decision to to move into the property.  This will free up much of their financial obligations and set them in a good place for retirement.

Here is the kicker for us.  They want to give Mr. Garden and I their home!  Okay not totally.  They want us to assume payments on it until we are a place to purchase it from them.  The note is paid down exponentially.  The mortgage is about $750 less than what were currently paying.  It’s only 20 min from where we currently live.  However… It’s a 1960’s/ 1970’s home.  NOTHING has been updated in it since it was built.  It’s on an amazing 1/3 acre lot with views that go forever.  We are figuring we can have the mortgage paid on in about 15 years. 

Here are some of the lovely features the home currently offers:

1960’s blue shag carpet, original.

A smurf blue master bathroom.  I mean I don’t know what people were thinking back in the day.  Must have been all the drugs.

A deck that wobbles when you step on it.

Poop brown wood fascia on the exterior. 

Cabinets that are literally falling off the walls.

And 20 years of cigarette smoking in the home.

Needless to say we have our work cut out for us.  It’s a DIY heaven in there.  We expect roughly 100K in updating the home and about 5-7 years worth of projects to get it up to par.

Here is a small list of the things we plan to do to the property.

Landscape front and back yards.

Put vinyl siding on the home.

Replace all the flooring in the home. 

Update kitchen and all bathrooms.

Knock down a few walls to create a more open concept including a 5 piece master on suit, a kitchen island and a mudroom off the garage entry.

Completely demo the basement.  Seal all the walls and rebuild.

A new deck the length of the house.

All new windows and much much more!

Now father in law is putting a request with his company today about transferring and becoming a remote employee since there are no offices where they will be.  He feels good they will agree.  We will know the finality of all of this by the weeks end. 

I will keep you posted.

We also bought a new car recently.  My 1999 Ford Expedition was getting a whopping 10mpg on a 26gal tank.  This was costing us an arm and a leg to keep fueled just to get the kids to and from school each week.  So we bought a cute little Kia Sportage that is currently getting 23-25 mpg.  I about fell over when I filled it up the other day and it cost my $34.75 LOL  I had to treat myself to a Starbucks!

Lastly I was with the bestie who passed along some furniture to me and we did a little shopping last week.  We completely updated my formal living space which I am now in love with!  Thanks bestie!!

 

I will keep you all posted on the house situation.  We currently have a lease until next February.  But we plan to ask the owner if he would be willing to try and get new renters in sooner.  I will also be getting pics and measurements of the in laws home.  Let me just say… you will need to keep an open mind! LOL

 

~Sommer

Costa Rica Family Vacation Part 1

 

We had the most amazing trip.  Well okay it could have been slightly better if we had a nanny lol.  But here are some clips of the best parts.  I’ll probably be on vacation posting overload in the course of the next few days so I hope you enjoy!

This video takes place in Quepos, Costa Rica, Dominical Costa Rica, Uvita, Costa Rica and San Isidro Costa Rica.

 

~Sommer

Fabulous Family Planner

This is my favorite time of year!  The kids went back to school yesterday!  My youngest starts kindergarten this morning.  She had her orientation Monday.  My last little bird to leave the nest.  Am I sad?  Heeeeeeellll no!  She’s cute don’t get me wrong but I’ve been waiting ten long years for this bit of freedom! I douched the house and got everything in order.  And I got all the paperwork showing the kids schedules for the year. 

Woohoo for the Zoo

Yesterday our best friends from over at Type A were going to the zoo.  Were on spring break for two weeks and the kids are making me climb the walls already so we decided to push our sanity to the limit and go together with 5 children.  

Since I still don't have a bathroom update for you... (I got paint up today though!)  I'm going to bring you the zoo instead.



I told the kids that he was chewing the last kid who didn't behave lol.



I though this cheetah was breathtaking.



Peace out to all our blogger buddies!



Penguis!



The crew minus one... waiting for the carousel ride at $2 a pop! Ouch.



Princesses



I love the moments they help teach each other and are a real team.



Cotton Candy Fingers



My crew



"Mommy take my picture" she says.  Do you think she's marking her territory?  I'm thinking we better be leaving soon.



So Majestic



Nature at it's finest

 And lastly... Parental advisory... this next photo may be too mature for some audiences.  Aside from the whining, crying, screaming, running, falling, tattling, squealing chaos of walking around with five children for an afternoon... This is the #1 reason not to take your children to the zoo!

The animals are corrupt!

~Sommer

Best Friends

I don’t have a ton of friends but the ones I do have are simply the BEST!  There isn’t a single one I couldn’t call in the middle of the night or run to in a crisis.  They make me laugh, give good advice and listen when I need to get something off my chest. 

I have a unique friendship with a select group of women.  I’ve known them for a little over ten years and out of about 25 I’ve only met a handful of them.  Because most of them live all over the world.  We met on a pregnancy forum online when we were all due with our first babies in the month of May 2001.  Some babies came early in April and some late into June.  A few of them parted ways once their children were born but the majority of us stuck together, moving our forum to a private site where we’ve shared our experiences, triumphs, heart aches, photo’s video’s etc…  We’ve been through marriages, divorces, deaths, miscarriages, infertility, job promotions, moves etc…  I’ve never known or loved someone I’ve never met the way I do these friends of mine. 

What’s my point?  I’m getting to that.  One of these beautiful, successful, kind and loving friends of mine lives over seas.  I’ve seen photo’s of her children for years sporting beautiful European dresses and outfits. 
Last year a package she shipped me was misplaced.  Luckily she was able to retrieve it and we tried again early this year.  We were both a bit un-nerved when the package was expected right around the time I was moving and forwarding my address.

Guess what arrived at my PO Box this morning?  The most beautiful brown box with they key words on it “BARCELONA”.  I was dancing in line waiting to turn in my ticket to retrieve it.

I was expecting a little white dress I had planned for my daughter to wear on her birthday in June.  Here is what was inside… to my surprise.

She always dresses her girls alike or matching and I’ve always found it to be so adorable!  I got matching outfits for BOTH my girls.

I have to ask her about these.  I think they are dresses but they fit a bit more like a night dress.  Sorry I didn’t iron anything, I was too excited to share! Did I mention these were made in Paris?  PARIS!  Says so on the tag ;P  Do you wonder if they get excited when something says “Made in NYC”? 

These are my absolute favorite of the bunch and I plan to drag the girls all over gods country this spring snapping photo’s in them.

Then came the little white dress, all neatly wrapped in bubble wrap.  The one I’d been waiting for.  The one that would make my little baby look like an angel. 

It’s fairly simple but I find it refreshingly innocent looking.  And then I found this…

This is not for either of my girls.  It’s for me!  It has the most beautiful details, lace and buttons and woven cotton.  It’s GORGEOUS!  Unfortunately I cannot button it all the way up in the back.  I think I will be able to soon but I’m not quite there yet.  So once it fits I’ll post more pictures =)
Bear couldn’t wait to try on the dresses.  She loves to look like a princess these days.  I couldn’t get her to stand still as she was twirling around and around!



And here is the famous white dress.  And my angel =)


THANK YOU KARLY!  We love everything! Xoxo

~Sommer

A New Start

We got approved for the house!!  We are all ecstatic!  The kids will all have their own rooms now.  Our son will have his own private bath in his room.  There is a loft for the kids to hang out and play on the Wii and PS2 and watch movies. 

I have a new family room furniture set picked out already.  A little more modern than what I've been leaning toward lately but I feel with a few old world touches it will blend nicely for a look Mr Garden and I can both appreciate.

This is from one of those "expensive" companies online but I found a similar set on Craigs list with the sofa, love seat and all the end tables and coffee table for only $500!

Then I'm hoping to achieve a look similar to this in the front room.  A soft, welcoming, open and airy feeling with a little shabby and lots of chic!

I adore this little round table with the chunky legs.  Too bad I don't feel that way about my chunky legs lol.

We also have a HUGE office.  So I plan to find a set up that works both for Mr Gardens computer and my sewing machine/craft stuff.  I would love to have this set up in the back corner of the room where the windows are on both walls for the natural light.

Then put this computer desk on the opposite wall for contrast where the door leads into the room.

Oh and just don't get me started on all the little finishing touches I've found at Hobby Lobby that are screaming my name!  Like some smokin hot matching lamps for my bedside tables and bunches of old barn looking items for the tops of the cabinets etc...

Moving is so stressful... but so much fun!

~Sommer

Moving Madness

If you read my last post you know we found a house we love and have great chemistry with the owner. 



Which brings us to this point.  Our move date would be the weekend of Feb 26th-27th.  That’s a little less than three weeks from now!  Throw into the mix, three kids, a husband who works 60+ hours a week and my little sister who has been living with us for 9 months.  We are taking my sisters things with us to store in the garage until she gets the keys to her new apartment March 7th.

I can say that it’s awesome having older kids in the house though.  I have my minions children taking boxes here and there, moving couch cushions, carrying around garbage bags.  They are soooo helpful and I’m so grateful I don’t have a little infant crying in the mix.

This once empty space…



Now has three sofas in it and piles of crap…



The living room now has the office desk, my sewing and craft desk, three sofas, two trunks, a shelving unit, some chairs and a cat house.  You have to do a little dance just to get to the kitchen lol.

That doesn’t even include my dining room…


And I have this little corner of organized boxes which I’m desperately seeking for the rest of this mayhem.


Last but not least… Our Parents of the Year award was presented to us this weekend by our youngest daughter.  “Look at my necklace Daddy!”


That would be a Nintendo DS charger wrapped around her throat.  I guess she was bored moving things around and needed some attention from her two busy parents!  Way to go mom and dad!
I’m hoping to get back over the new place to take some pictures this week.  So keep your eyes peeled.

~Sommer

How I spend my Labor Day Weekend

Here is how I spend my Labor Day weekend every year...  At the Colorado Springs Hot Air Balloon Festival. 

I get up at 4am 9am the day of the festival and make blueberry pancakes for the family.  Then we get showered and ready and run errands and all that un-important stuff you know.  Of course you didn't really think I got up to watch them launch at sunrise?  What's the point really when your not a morning person?  Fighting the early morning Starbucks traffic, tearing the kids out of their beds.   All so the entire family can be screaming and fighting by the time the first balloon launches?  No thanks.

Besides, why would I do that when I could go in the evening where they are selling giant turkey legs and fire roasted corn on the cob?  Or how about fresh squeezed lemonade and funnel cakes?  Yep, that's more my style too.

And when you can have all that plus see this.... it's no brainer in my book!

Remember the Fire Roasted Corn I told you about... It really is to die for.