New Year

 Happy New Year! 

Today I am hanging with my favorite (and only) grandson while his parents move into their new house. Shout out to Donvan and his family for making this happen for them. They finally have a place for their little family to call home. 

We had breakfast and watched Encanto. Charlie and Rowan both love this movie. As does Michelle, but she was helping Carolynn clean and pack.

For Christmas, Carolynn got me this great cookbook. 

The Unofficial Disney Parks Cookbook

I love it. Today I decided to try out a recipe from it. I made clam chowder from New Orleans Square in Disneyland park. I even served it in a bread bowl. We listed to the sounds of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride while we made it. Rowan sang "Yo Ho, Yo Ho!" It was easy to make and fun. And most importantly delicious. 

Scary

Last Tuesday a man came to my home looking for the home owners. We rent. He informed us that they had not paid property taxes in 6 years and if they didn't pay up by May 31, they were going to auction off my house. They owe just over $30,000. Then he proceeded to post a scary red notice on the front of the house and take a picture of it.

I called the rental company right away. They had no clue.

I was freaking out.

I don't want to move. I love my house.

I was looking at other houses. I was hoarding money. (Hamburger Helper and Top Ramen anyone?)

Finally, today, I got some answers.

Turns out, as a renter, I have way more rights than I thought I did. In the event that the county seizes my house for nonpayment of taxes, they are still required to give me 60 days notice. Generally, in situations like this, those 60 days come rent free. Also, if the county becomes owners of this house, the property management company has no choice but to refund the $1695 deposit I gave them. (Within 21 days.) And finally, there is a government program (through the fair housing act) that will help us with a grant for deposit and first month's rent in a comparable house if we are forced to move due to owner neglect. And not paying property taxes and getting the house sold at auction is in fact owner neglect. So we are covered.

Plus, we were told today that the owners are taking out a loan against this house to pay the taxes. (They currently own it free and clear.)

So it looks like we don't have to move. YAY! And if we end up being forced to, which is unlikely, we are covered. I mean really, who lets a $148,000 home go to auction over $30,000. And half that is in fees and interest and penalties. I bet they could get it lowered a lot.

And now I can relax.

Let The Christmas Spirit Begin

Now that the turkey has been eaten and the pies are all gone, it's time to get into the Christmas spirit. We took down the Thanksgiving decorations today. I bought a tree at Target yesterday. Target yesterday was crazy in case you were wondering. The girls are gone on a visit today so it was easier to clean and get the laundry done. I went to church. That was about it. Tomorrow when I go pick up the kids, I will get the Christmas decorations out of storage. Then we can go crazy. On December 8 we are going to Disneyland to check out their holiday decorations. You should know by know that we are big Disney lovers around here. So, that is about it around here.

Here are some more of our Old Apartment/New Apartment Pictures.


This is our old porch. It was small. The only things we kept there were a pile of toys and David's grill. It was so small we actually grilled while standing just inside the door.


This is the new porch. It is much bigger. 


Now we have room for some plants, the grill, and some chairs. The washer and dryer are in that closet. 


Plus we have room for the pile of kids stuff. We also have our own stairs and a private entry.  

Wine or Whine

Today at work, we had a man come in to buy some baskets. He gave us all this wine… A lot of wine. I got four bottles of wine, two red and two white. Plus I got one bottle of grape juice for the kids. Anyway, I do not know a thing about wine. I never drank any in my life. I am not much of a drinker. I saw alcohol do some really bad stuff to some people I like a long time ago. After that, I never really wanted to be like that. So, does anyone know anything about wine? The four bottles I have are

California Classic Chablis
California Muscat of Alexandria
California Classic Red Table Wine
California Carignane/Rouge

The first two I am pretty sure are white wines and the bottom two are red. Maybe I will try them.



Carolynn went to the Knott’s Berry Farm today with her friend Kina. She will probably write all about it on her page.

Tomorrow is our turkey extravaganza. I got the bird in the fridge. I am ready to cook. Catherine wrote this list of things she is thankful for at school.

I’m thankful for David, Mom, Brett, Aaron, Elvis, Carolynn, and Hercules.
I’m thankful for school because I would be smart when I grow up
I’m thankful I have my family because I would have a home.
I’m thankful for God because He made me.
I’m thankful for food because I won’t die.
I’m thankful for family, Kitty, Elvis, Priscilla, David, Mommy, Daddy, and Jesus.

There sure are a lot of pets on that list.

That is all for now. Oh, yes and here are a few more pictures of our new place.


This is our old kitchen. The dishwasher didn't work. Only half of the stove burners worked and one of the drawers was broken.


This is our new kitchen. It's way better.


This is the old dining room. It was small and cramped and the cupboard over there had the washer and dryer in it.


This is our new dining room. It's much bigger and nicer.

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For those of you who guessed… my actual major is Broadcast Media Communication. And I am almost done!! WOO HOO!

Happy Late Birthday

Last Saturday we worked our butts off working to move. However, last Saturday was special for another reason. Last Saturday, November 4, was David's birthday. We celebrated this weekend instead. He got his computer fixed. (It hasn't worked since January.) I baked him a cake, yellow cake with chocolate frosting. Here are a few pictures.


The Cake- I couldn't find enough candles. Maybe that's a good thing... We don't need to test our smoke detectors.


Blowing Out The Candles


The Beast

This weekend mostly we just unpacked. We are almost done. We started with the kids room. Then we did my room. Next, we did both bathrooms, the hallway, the kitchen and most of the dining room. We have to finish the dining room, the living room, and the porch.

Here is another installment of "Old and New"



The Old Bathroom


The New Bathroom

Gypsy Travelers

In my life time I have lived in 22 different houses. David lived in the same house his whole life until he came here. Since he has been here we have moved twice. Maybe I am a little nomadic, but what are you going to do about it? NOTHING! HA HA!

Here is my list of why we moved. Oh, and in case you didn't know we moved directly across the street.

1. Both of the toilets work in the new apartment. In the old apartment, one of the toilets leaked constantly and we had to keep a towel down.

2. The new apartment is much bigger.

3. The all the appliances work in the new apartment. In the old one, only 2 of the burners on the stove worked, the dishwasher was useless, the washer only held two pairs of jeans and it took 2 hours to dry them.

4. All the windows and doors close and lock at our new place. At the old place, well, not so much.

5. Our new place is in a gated community, with alarm systems in every apartment and a security patrol at night. The old place had none of that.

6. The rent is cheaper at the new place.

7. The people are friendlier, and they speak English.

So there you have it. First, here are some pictures from the big move.


Moving Day


Little Movers 

Next is the first in a series... we are calling it "Old and New"


Carolynn and Catherine's old room 


Carolynn and Catherine's new room 

Hold Your Horses

Okay, so I mentioned I was moving right? Okay, so it is only across the street, but moving is moving. So it will be a few days until I can get something good on here. Then there will be pictures of the new apartment. Have a little patience.

Happy November

This November is starting nicely. We are moving to a different building in this neighborhood. It will be a much nicer apartment. This one is in a bit of disrepair. Therefore, as of next week we will have a new address. Of course, you can actually see our new place from here, but still a new address.

The kids are still coming down from the sugar high from last night. They are in their rooms listening to Christmas music. I think they are trying to hint at something.

That is all for today. I have no pictures for you. I could not even find one of David’s feet.