At Home With Ailsa - August 2005

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Monday, August 29th, 2005. Oooooh, it's been a while since I've been on my At Home Page... it's been a bit hectic around here, lately! Ah, well -- better to be busy than to have absolutely nothing to do, right? Wrong?? Whatevah... I just got Aidan off to the First Day of Grade One, and it wasn't without a wee bit of panic. Poor little man -- I put him on the School Bus, this morning, so he could get right back into his Morning Routine, then I jumped into my fancy 'Family Van' and was supposed to meet him at the School. Well, wouldn't you know it, Aidan fell asleep on the Bus, the Bus Driver didn't notice him, so she left the school only to discover him later and turned around to bring him back. Just a tad scary for a Mother (Me!), but Aidan didn't know anything was wrong, so he just continued about his merry way. Oh, to be Five!

I'll tell you, though, I really put my 'new books' to the test, this morning, in an effort to stay calm in the event of a missing child. It's scary, because you never really know what a child will do, or how they will think, if they are suddenly in the wrong place... so I was careful not to let my mind race off into a wilderness of 'What ifs', and stay in 'The Now' (I'm reading The Power of Now -- very good book, by the way). And then I used the new-to-me concept of really, really not making assumptions (one of The Four Agreements), and it was surprising how much easier it was to remain calm. I couldda used these techniques years ago, when my life was a total disaster! ha,ha! Maybe things would have been smoother, or slightly better, if I'd had these fancy new skills...

It really hit me, about three weeks ago, that when Aidan (my last Child, as far as I know right now...! And I'm not implying anything, except for the remote possibility of anything like that in my Future, if I were ever to, let's just say, get re-married, yet again... oooh, now there's another path I shouldn't go down, given that I am already married, and you know how spouses like to be acknowledged, 'n all...! ha,ha,ha! But, still, you never know... Third Time's a Charm, I hear...!)... What was I talking about, again? Oh, right -- me being alone for the next Twelve Years, all by myself with my computer. Hmmm. Not sure what to do about that. Dwight says I can clean the house -- yes. That sounds fulfilling, and perfect for my University Degrees. Wonder if Dwight knows anything about me at all...

We went to the High River Scottish Highland Games, this past weekend. I always like to see the Scottish Highland Dancers, even though it inevitably brings back memories of me competing in a Highland Dance Competition in Kingston, Ontario when I was about 10 or 11. My Dance Instructor never did bother her shirt to tell us that other girls would be doing the Highland Fling or The Sword Dance (my favorite, mostly because I liked the swords!) differently, so when I was up on the Stage, I happened to glance over to the dancer beside me, and she was doing entirely different steps. I was painfully shy at the time (I'm over that, now, Thank God!), and was very insecure, so I made the assumption (see, I couldda used the 'don't make assumptions' thing right there...!) that I must have been wrong, then I got all muddled up and started to cry. On Stage. And to think that was one of my better childhood moments... no, no. I'm kidding. It was the best. Nooooo... I'm just amusing myself, now! har, har!

I see I've used the word 'wrong' multiple times, and I've only been writing for 5 hours... didn't think it could take more than a few quick minutes to write this, didn't you?? I know yer type -- smarter than me. Perhaps faster, too. Prettier? Maybe. But can you do The Sword Dance, improperly? Okay, I have only been writing for a few minutes, but it feels like 5 hours, because of all the drinking. Tea -- it's very filling, but not enough to prevent me from eating a big pile of delicious Hickory Sticks. I'm hoping that I don't just fill my possible Twelve-Year Void with unhealthy, tasty little morsels...hmmm. Must get a life. I'll make a note to myself, and get right on that -- tomorrow.

Did I mention that I finally got Dwight to put up the House for Sale sign? It's been up for two weeks, and we've had a couple of Showings, so that's good. We went to look at some New Homes in Calgary, a possible 'pit stop' before we either buy more land to build, or figure out what our other options are... we could just buy a bunch of Condos, and each have one -- so many poor choices -- which will we make?? ha,ha! Most likely, if the house sells quickly, we'll go see what Show Homes are available right away. 'Spec. Showhomes' are great if you need to move in somewhere in a real hurry, so if you're ever in a big hurry, that's something to think about. Or we'll rent -- man, it's hard for me even to write that (rent), let alone actually do it. Must get over that in case I end up somewhere where I can't afford to buy a Giant House -- or a very large Cardboard Box, complete with Separate Entrance... no, no. I shouldn't even put that 'out in the Universe', should I?

Okay, gotta go sit in the Sunroom and watch for Aidan's School Bus. I have no idea when he's due home, so I'll just read until he gets here -- maybe I'll pick up a few more Handy Tips for Living!

Thanks for popping in for a wee visit! I've been working on a new Back to School page, and a few wee things on my Sports page, too, that you might like. And there's my Big Brother 6 Update, which I have a lot of fun writing -- tricky to keep 'The Four Agreements', especially the bit about saying nice things about people, since sometimes, I accidentally say something a wee bit mean, but only for fun and my own amusement, so I wonder how bad that really is?? Anyway, it's always lovely to see you!

Later, Baby! Ailsa

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Saturday, August 20th, 2005. Hi, there, you! This has been a difficult week, so here's what I wrote instead of my usual Weekly Update. You can pop in to have a wee read if you like, but I'll be back in to write something about the better things that happened this week, later -- maybe tomorrow! Depression and Suicide Awareness & Prevention . Okay, better go. I want to read a bit more of The Four Agreements Companion Guide before I start with any construction stuff, today.

See you soon! Love & Laughter, Ailsa

Friday August 12th, 2005. Hello, You! Good Lookin'! (Yes, You, My Favorite Reader -- you've always been my special favorite, but just keep it between me and you, and if you've just heard someone else say that to you in a slightly different context, go with mine and maybe keep some extra distance from them! ha,ha,ha!)

Cara's got on a 'New-to-me' Show (you know how I like to watch TV through my Office windows -- God Forbid I only do one thing at a time! ha,ha!). Anyway, she's watching 'World Famous for Dicking Around', and it's hilarious! A bunch of British Guys drinking and doing particularly stupid things. Oh, and you have to pronounce 'stupid' like "St-you-pid", then you'll really get the Scottish feel for the word! They're playing 'Genuine Scottish Human Conkers' -- two guys conking themselves together, hanging from a tree... it's on The Razor Channel, if you have a minute and want to see something silly, yet funny! Oh, now they're doing 'Blind Boxing' -- now there's a Sport I'd enjoy watching! Soooo funny!

So I thought I would be driving into Las Vegas, today, according to my little plan to go on a Road Trip to Los Angeles in time for this coming Monday, the 15th. Yep. But here I am, still at home. Surprise, surprise! I wanted to go to a Job Fair being held in Burbank by the Los Angeles Unified School District, to see if they had a wee something for me... hmmm. Dwight was not a bit happy with my plan, since, frankly, he wasn't invited. Spouses hate that sort of thing, but what are you gonna do, eh? I've clearly run out of time to get down to L.A. in time for the Job Fair, but I'm still looking into possible new options for me... we'll see what happens.

At the very least, we both think we should sell this house and find something much smaller in Town (Calgary), so we can figure out what to do from there. I wanted to put the House on the Market (formally) a while ago, but I can't get Dwight to hang the For Sale Sign out. Drives me crazy, every time I see a 'Drive-By-Spy' (what we call people who are driving through our little neighborhood looking to buy a Property...), since if we had the Sign out, they'd know our house is for sale... I'm sure you can imagine how much I feel like running out with a giant For Sale Sign to wave them down! ha,ha,ha!

When we Show the House, this time around, though, I'm not going to let Dwight do his usual 'Tour Guide' thing. I think it would be better to just welcome Potential Buyers into the house, then let them poke about on their own. That way, they can make any comments they like, without having to worry about who is listening, and if they have any questions, they can ask us later. We like Selling Our Houses on our own, since it gives us a lot more flexibility in deciding when a Potential Buyer can come over, and they can ask us anything they like. Sometimes you only get to see a house a couple of times when you're going through a Realtor (don't get me wrong -- we use Realtors, too), and this is such a big house, that someone might miss some Features on a quick Walk-Through.

Now Cara's watching (and waiting for me to finish writing!) an old Chuck Woolery show, Lingo. I think it was on at the same time as his old Show, Scrabble, which I was a Contestant on back in 'the day'! That was a really fun day -- I met all sorts of lovely people, including Chuck Woolery (he has the most gorgeous Blue Eyes...!), and had fun being on TV... hope I get another chance to be on TV in the Future! Anyway, I looove Spelling (I know, you think that's seeeexy, like Craig Ferguson would say!), and Scrabble is my favorite Game, so I thought I would do well on the Show. Here's what really happened -- I was teaching Special Education at the time, and Chuck asked me a question about what my students would bring with them to school. The answer was 'Pencil', but that didn't cross my mind because my students would have poked an eye out if they'd had a pencil, so that was pretty funny! Needless to say, I didn't win, but I did have a great time!

Oh, and I had some new Papers printed off at a Local Print Shop to put in the Mail Box we have attached to the House For Sale sign. I always put out an Information Sheet so people who are interested in the house can quickly peruse all the info about the house, and see how much it is ($629,000), since the Price should never be a special secret -- I can't stand that. I like all the information right up front. All I need now is to get Dwight to actually hang up the sign, so someone driving by will be able to see it! Wish me luck!

Thanks for swinging by for a wee visit -- always lovely to see you! Maybe next time you could bring your own Gin, though, and then we'd have even more fun! ha,ha,ha!

Love & Laughter, Ailsa

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This is still the best book I've read in a very long time ...go ahead and get it -- you'll love it -- promise!!

<The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom >

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Friday, August 5th, 2005. Man, August already! And you look lovely and summery in your halter top and daisy dukes, although I'm not so sure that all the men can pull that look off... that usually is a look perfect for, oh, Jessica Simpson... and very few others... Cara's watching Aidan's Kindergarten DVD, and so I'm watching it, too, since I can see it through my Office Windows (and I will always build this style of Office that is glassed in right beside the Theatre Room, provided that I even have a Theatre Room! ha,ha!), so it's hard to work and not watch the whole video. Very sweet idea to have a permanent video record of this formative year!

We had a great little Dinner Party with Aidan's wonderful Kindergarten Teacher and her lovely new Husband (he's not new -- the Marriage is, though!) this past Wednesday. Dwight was trying to make me agree to a 'Cleaning Schedule' to make the house immaculate for said party last Saturday... I kid you not! That guy... what are you gonna do? You can't sell husbands anymore -- I think they have laws about that sort of thing. Maybe there's a special Rebate if you send them back in within a ten year period, or something... must check into that! ha,ha,ha!

Oh, before I get into the Real Estate thing, the bit about Dwight trying to make me agree to his crazy Cleaning Schedule reminds me of how I managed to stay calm throughout the week -- I read The Four Agreements. Wow, what a beautiful book. I highly, highly recommend it, especially if you happen to have a Spouse of any sort... or are trying to make your life happier, and more pleasant. And fulfilling. Tempting enough, yet, to get the book?? I kept thinking, while Dwight was madly racing around the house, "It's not my issue -- this is Dwight's issue..." (he's a clean freak, whereas I am a 'comfort girl' -- I like to keep the house nice all the time, and feel that people who are coming over for a visit are here mostly to see us, and not here for a Cleaning Inspection. I also feel that I don't need any more 'Inspectors' of my work, so there. And I did clean more, but according to my very own schedule, which I made up in my head as I went along... works for me!) (Oh, and I served my favorite Scottish Steak Pie, and it was deeelicious!)

Okay, on with the Real Estate Show... so Lana and Kelly are Newlyweds, and they're getting ready to Buy a Home. This is a daunting task for many Newlyweds (or 'alreadyweds', or 'don't-wanna-get-married-weds',as the case may be...), because there's a lot of information out there that makes it seem like it's a difficult task. I wanted them to come over so we could show them how easy it can be, and the type of house they might want after a few 'Moves & Move-Ups' (yes, our house...!). It took us 4 house moves to get to this level, and that ain't bad! There's no way we would have been able to buy at this level if we hadn't bought and sold Real Estate to get here -- it's virtually impossible to save up that kind of coin in a regular job, no matter how much you make.

We went through all the Basics -- Get a Mortgage Broker to run through your Financial Stuff to see how much you Qualify for (how much money you can get to use as a Mortgage), then when you know how much you can spend, decide on how much you want to spend (ideally) per month on a Mortgage. They asked us about the Bi-Weekly Mortgage, which I happen to hate, because it puts waaay to much stress on a couple (especially a newlywed couple) to come up with two hefty payments in a month. No,no. Must avoid that. Much better to put even one extra payment a year on your Mortgage if you want to pay it off faster. It'll accomplish that same goal, but you won't go crazy on the way to a shorter Mortgage.

We told them about some out-lying areas af Calgary where the houses are quite a bit less, and you get to live in a lovely wee Community, which is always nice. If you (my fantastically good looking Reader -- and don't just mean you're really great at reading, neither...!) want to live 'In Town', or in 'The Big City', as we now pathetically refer to pretty much any City, but you want something nice that you can actually afford without ever being house-poor, try to find the newest areas on the outskirts of any city. You can usually score some gret deals out there, and before you know it, the city will grow out past your new house, then you can sell said house and make a ton of money, since your Property Values would have shot through the roof by then... see how this all works? Move to the Outskirts, Live there for a couple of years, Sell, move out with the tide of the city -- it's like Real Estate Surfing! ha,ha,ha! You'll either make a big bundle of cash to put doen on your next property, or you can make a lateral move and be mortgage free in a few moves. Sound good?

Rats, I'm all out of time... thanks for popping in for a wee visit! Don't forget to check out Craig Ferguson's new Show, The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Hilarious! Maybe he'll let me make a pie for him one day! And enough for his whole Studio Audience!

Love & Laughter, Ailsa

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Live, Love & Laugh, Ailsa!

Hey, you can help spread the word about my Site -- here's a new 'Tell A Friend' that my friend James made for me. He's been working away to teach me some new things for my website that I desperately need to learn to make the improvements I really want. Oh, and don't feel restricted by the whole 'Tell a Friend' thing. You don't even have to really like someone to tell them about www.buildyourownhouse.ca! What do I care? I'm just interested in loads and loads of people coming in for a visit -- maybe even buying something through the Site! And who knows??? Maybe they'll quit borrowing money from you by learning how to Manage their own money after reading my Articles! ha,ha! So here it is, and it's easy schmeasy to use!<

> Thank You!! Soon we'll be enormous! (And I don't mean just because of all the Caramel Apples, neither! ha,ha,ha!) Uh, oh... I see there's no apostrophe in the Friends Name Box -- must tell James! Rest assured ( I don't want you to lose sleep over this!), I do know it needs and 's... we'll fix it for you! See ya'! Ailsa

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