Tuesday 18 February 2014

LIFE: Thirty Seven Down ...

Crochet Afghan Crochet Afghan Crochet Afghan

It felt like we've just come through one of those weekends. One of those two steps forward, one step back kind of days. Sushi and take out pizza, met with a flat tire, finishing and starting our taxes and then not being to upload them, Joe having a four day weekend met with more snowy and freezing cold weather (back down to -15C) meant too cold to visit the zoo, the list goes on. 

They say buying a house is one of the most stressful things you can ever do, I'm starting to think they were right, but it's more of the mortgage pre-approval than the house finding lark (well we haven't really got that far yet). Hopefully the tide is turning and once our taxes have been filled with the IRS we can try and apply for a government loan for down payment and we can finally get somewhere. Our apartment lease runs out in May, we've started putting stuff away in boxes, we're ready to be out of here. So if buying a house alone is stressful, throw on top greencard renewl and it's all fun and games. 

I did score a huge bag of vintage wool at an estate sale for five bucks which added some new colour into my pile and pretty much crocheted to my hearts content for the rest of the long weekend (Monday being Presidents Day and all). Grand total of 37 motifs for the crochet afghan project now complete, save being outlined in a final shade because I didn't haven't figured out on what colour to use as a border. Head in sand with big decisions like that. It's nice though, to have something you can just do without thinking, while watching the tv, listening to music. It just happens, it's certainly helping to chill me out a little. Just a little.

What do you do to relax?

12 comments:

  1. Hope things work out for you mortgage-wise. Buying a house (and moving!) can be such a stressful time with things not working out the way they should and the like. When we bought our flat we had spent the last six weeks living apart (our lease had been cut short eight months early) so it was a bit of a bit are trying to get all our stuff back together as well as the paperwork side of things. We were meant to get the keys on the Friday but didnt get to move in until the Monday because the previous owners hadn't settled their account with the factors of our building. It was awful. I hope everything goes well for you in your house hunt!

    Debi x

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    1. I mean it's not so bad with our lease - it's on a year by year case, so we either sign up for another year and then have to pay $1200 to get out of it, or we go to a month by month lease and pay like $900 a month which I wouldn't mind if I knew we'd found a house and the paperwork was rolling. Thing is they need like 60 days notice for leaving Wah.

      I mean lucky for us, we won't have a chain but I know everyone above us will be waiting on finding/buying a house themselves!

      Ah life! :)

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  2. I love this, the colours and just how they look is so beautiful. I love to do crafts in the evening. I feel you with the whole house buying stress. Ours is taking forever and I'm ready to strangle everyone that's involved with it, I think I underestimated how stressful it actually is. I hope you get some luck though with it x

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    1. Thank you - i'm pleased with how it's coming together. I'm dreading the paperwork/waiting bit with the house buying, knowing our luck we'll be at the end of a super long chain!

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  3. I'd love to be able to crochet! It's a skill that I keep meaning to master. To destress I like to read, as simple as it sounds I find it so relaxing! Xx

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    1. Def learn to crochet - it's a really fun hobby, although I sometimes find it a little limited in what you can make, but it's fun all the same! Reading is a big helper for de-stressing isn't it, I find myself crocheting at night when i'm too sleepy to read.

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  4. Oh the buying a house thing!!!! The pain is still so recent. Even though our purchase went ridiculously smoothly (at least compared to purchasing my apartment) it's such a painful experience.
    We found our dream house right away and then came the negotiating, the discussions with our mortgage broker, all the lists and spreadsheets I could possibly make!
    I found that making spreadsheets and putting everything in it's place helped me destress. That and focussing on the house! (http://polkadotsandsparkles.com/2013/12/10/the-first-probably-of-many-new-house-tours/ - I can't help but brag!)

    Hopefully crocheting will help melt the stress away. It's something about that repetitive action which I find calming.
    Good luck with it all. Hope it goes as smoothly as it can.

    (I don't know how I wasn't following your blog before after following you on twitter for so long! But all fixed now!)

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  5. Wow. Good luck with all that. I'm thinking of heading to the zoo this weekend. I need wolverine pictures of a different sort.

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  6. I am crossing my fingers that everything gets sorted out quickly! It's a good thing you can desstress and make such pretty things at the same time!

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  7. I don't envy you the house buying process, it's stressful enough finding a place to rent and move! Fingers crossed things go smoothly.

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  8. You will have an aphgan in no time! I know the first time Kris and I had to move together was crazy stressful and we weren't even buying a house. May have been related to not having any way to move our stuff, had to hire a man with a van...

    I don't envy your taxes or house hunting at all!
    Or your crazy weather!

    K

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  9. My word that crochet is looking magnificent! Good luck with all the mortgage stuff - that is super grown up and dead serious of you. I can only imagine how stressful it can become. Hopefully it will lead to the house of your dreams though! x

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