AtHomeMay2006

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Tuesday, May 9th, 2006. Yo, yo! How you doin'?? Man, it's, like, forever since I've talked to you, and can I say you've never looked better? Goiiigeous! Must be the tan! So, a lot has been going on around here, as I imagine you might have guessed... some fairly leading writing I've been doing lately! Ah, such is life, no? What's really bizarre is the sheer number of people I have come in contact with recently who are going through some major transitions of their own, too. Must be the Moon. Stars? Universe playing little tricks, perhaps?? ha,ha!

I only have a tiny window of time, today -- have to go find a new house because our house Sold (yippeeee!), last night. Massive amount of work to downsize from this house... wish me luck with that -- and the next phase of me life! ha,ha! More later -- hopefully tomorrow!

Hey, we can meet at the computer and all have a fancy Toast to a Great Future, full of Health, Happiness, Love (?!), and plenty of Wealth ... did I miss anything?? Oh, and I had one very weird run-in with one Realtor -- think her name was Bea Otch, but not sure on the spelling, there... ( ha,ha!), but everyone else has been lovely and very helpful.

Monday, May 15th, 2006. Yo! You there on the computer. The good looking one with the wandering eye... oh, wait. Perhaps that's me...but, man, you are lookin' smokin' hot, ta'day! And you smell good, too... Is that a new perfume, or did you have a shower? Both? Ooooh, so fhancy! (Yes, go back and pronounce the extra 'h' in the middle of 'fancy' -- way more fun to say!) So, did you get through Mother's Day without any tears? Such a funny day! Expectations galore.

My favorite part of the day is the whole 'This is the one day when Mothers don't do anything that mothers typically have to do'. I'm not sure why that amuses me so much, but it does... I actually left Dwight (not completely! ha,ha!), and poor wee Aidan (6) in the 'Lobby', to take my Daughter, Cara (just turned 18!), into the Bar area of the restaurant we went to for dinner, last night. We had an estimated hour and a half wait outside the restaurant (no benches) because Dwight didn't make Reservations for Mother's Day in time, and since Cara is now Legal to Drink (yippee!), the two of us went in for a drink before dinner. Man, that was fun! Our first official Drink together in an actual Bar... It's a New Era! Oh, and I tried a new drink I've never had before, but our lovely Waitress recommended it -- Brahma Beer, from Brazil. Nice little slice of Lime, and it was deeelicious!

Okay, so where to start, where to start? So much has happened around here in the last month, or so. We went on a fantastic holiday down to Los Angeles, California, a week after Cara got back from her Graduation Trip to Scotland. On the drive down to California, we got an Offer on the house for $600, 000., which we didn't take seriously at first because it was such a low-ball number (our asking price was $659,900.). When we got to Las Vegas, we countered with $650,000. and settled at $640,000., and by the time we got to our hotel in Arcadia, the papers were ready for us to sign, so we did the deal in the hotel in California! How cool is that? A little ironic, too, since California is the place I long to be!

The Real Estate Market is crazy-hot in Calgary (Alberta, Canada), right now, so the second we knew the house had really gone through, I dragged Dwight into town to look at some houses. Giant fight on the way into town, and we rarely fight -- mostly, it's just silent, but there is a lot to discuss right now, and this is no time for anyone to be mute... Anyway, Dwight was under the impression that we could look around at our leisure to find something new, and I said the second we see something that he likes, we have to put in an offer immediately. Right now, we just need something to move into that would be better than renting. And there's nothing available to rent, so I was not gonna let slow decision-making cause us to have nowhere to live. Uh, nope. Sometimes a Girl's gotta put her foot down...

We ended up putting an offer in on a house in a new community that allows you to build your own garage (detached), and I thought Dwight wouldda liked that, since he has a big truck that typically won't fit in the normal attached garages. Anyway, he seemed very unhappy with the house choice, so I went online and started looking for anything I could find in our new price range (we're downsizing in a big way, so I wanted to stay under $400,000.). Our Realtor, Trish, put me on an automatic email feed with homes we might like, too, so I gathered up all that information so we could go house hunting one more time. The relatively fortunate thing was that the first house we put an offer on (and I loved it), the fellow wanted to wait until his pre-scheduled Open House the following day, so our offer wasn't set in stone. Anyway, the first house that Trish showed us was perfect for Dwight -- lots of space in the Lower Level to build an extra bathroom, and put in a large Media Room and maybe an office or spare bedroom... stuff that Dwight likes.

We put in an offer, thought it was done, but by the time we got to the restaurant around the corner to celebrate with our Realtor, we got a call that another offer had gone in on the house, so we were in a Bidding War. If you aren't familiar with Bidding Wars over houses (lucky you, if you're the Buyer!), a Bidding War starts in a really hot real estate market where there are very few houses to purchase and a great number of Qualified Buyers. It's a Sellers Dream Market. Our new Price Range of $400 Grand put us right in the middle of this kind of market, so the war began. The key to 'winning' the house in a game like this is to remove all Conditions, buy the house 'As is', and go higher than the Asking Price. Or put the full asking price down, first, (what I wanted to do... Dwight disagreed, so we ended up paying $5,000. more than the asking price, which still wasn't too bad...), and waive all conditions.

The really great thing, though, is the Possession Date on the new house -- June 20th, and the Possession Date on this house is June 30th, so that gives us a full 10 days to get everything moved. I have sooo much stuff to get rid of, because there's no way we'll get all the stuff we've accumulated into the new house. We're going from 5400 square feet (this house) to 1500 square feet, so a lot of down-sizing. Can't wait, though. I like the whole idea of paring down -- I've done it every time I have a really Big Move (usually involving switching countries!), but it's a good way to see what you really want to keep hold of, and what needs to go...

Rats, I haven't even told you about the Trip to L.A. -- man, I love it there! Next time, fer sures! I better go pack some more -- I packed all the books, yesterday (a whole day job...). Now here's an interesting thing I found when I was packing -- an old Mother's Day card from my husband, Dwight, signed, "Thanks for being souch a great Mom to Cara, Aidan and Me!" Ugh. Wince. I'm not his Ma, for Goodness Sake... yuck! Oh, and I found an old calendar from 2000 when I had been recording what was happening in our marriage... up until about May, 2000, then it stopped. I'd forgotten that I was doing that, and had stopped because everytime I looked at the calendar of 'wrongs', it made me mad, so I stopped doing that. I do still keep track of myself, though -- helps me to see any patterns that I might see developing that I can change, if need be. Works for me!

All right. So now I really have to go pack. I'm gonna start by emptying all the closets, and get rid of everything we haven't used in a couple of years. Dwight found a great Charity we can give most of our stuff to -- we prefer to give the stuff to a charity where we know for sure that the people don't have to pay for any of it -- pet peeve of mine (when the charity seems to be making a profit from the people they're supposed to be helping...). I gotta remember to pack the Drinks, last, since I might be needin' them as the days get crazier...!

Thanks for swingin' by for a wee visit, Baby! See ya' soon! Love, Laughter & Great Success, Ailsa

Oh, My God... I can hardly wait to see The Da Vinci Code with Tom Hanks and that gorgeous guy who plays the creepy monk... yum. (Yum is probably not his first name, but that's the new name I've given him, all by meself!) If, by chance, you haven't read The Da Vinci Code, yet, here's an easy way to get your hands on it... and if you see the movie first, you'll want to get all the extra details from the book, afterward. Ooooh, I loves me a little controversy! You know what, though? I don't get how any information could actually rock someone's Faith. (Like a Faith-lift... good for yer complexion and makes you feel younger, I hear...) Why would that happen, if you are secure in your Beliefs? Really, you're just adding something new, but that never has to take away from what you already know to be True, does it? I love anything that expands your realm of thinking -- now that's truly a Good Thing... and, no, Martha was not the original thinker of that little phrase...<

Da Vinci Code

> You can use this little 'button link to go straight into Barnes & Noble -- I buy most of my books through Barnes & Noble, because their prices are great and they actually ship to Canada -- a big deal around here! ha,ha!

> Okay, so this is really cool -- you can make a bet on The Da Vinci Code Movie (Da Vinci Code, Da Movie, I'm calling it...! ha,ha!). Wagerweb.com is offering bettors the chance to predict the opening weekend grosses of “The Da Vinci Code.” The site puts the over/under at $70 Million. Hey, you could go see the movie and win some monies! Sounds like a good weekend, to me!

Friday, May 26th, 2006. Hi, Honey! Welcome Home, again! Always so nice to see you, especially in yer fancy wee Sailor Suit... is that just for my benefit, or is there anything else goin' on? I gotta say, I love the Drawstring -- really accentuates your waist. And the Bell Bottoms -- fantastic! Really, that's a look that suits everyone, no matter what the other folks say. You gotta follow your own path, right? So where's your Path leading you this Weekend? And then the whole year after that? That whole 'Ten Year Plan' has totally gone out the window for me -- I'm happy if I have some clue of what might happen three days from now! Ah, you go through cycles like that from time to time... the key is to to take it a wee bit at a time and just do your very best. That's what I'm clinging to! ha,ha! I do hope that there are quite a few BBQ's in my Future, and yours, too! If you haven't tried my favorite Macaroni Salad, try it this weekend -- sooo delicious! Excellent for Breakfast!

So check it out -- I went back into my 'Archives' of my 'At Home with Ailsa' pages, and looky what I found... my prediction for The American Idol Winner! Yahoo! Totally right! Yippee -- first time being totally right -- must write that on the calendar! I knew that Ace wouldn't win, but it was fun to look at the guy for a little while, and Paris is fantastic, just a bit young, but, man, what a Bright Future she has ahead of her. Anyway, I'm thrilled such a nice guy, Taylor Hicks, won The American Idol competition. Hope he puts out a good Album. (Do they still call them Albums? And, yes, I don't know why you ask, but I am gettin' a little long in the tooth...! ha,ha,ha,ha! I'm just imagining myself with one giant, long tooth -- oooh, my Dating Opportunities are gonna be endless!)

"Hey, you know what line I love on American Idol? You know when Paula Abdul loves all the singers, and after some of her favorites she says, "You're great. You're greater than great. You know, you have an infectious smile!" Sounds sweet, but here's the bit I like... isn't an 'infectious smile' something a really happy person with a cold sore would have? Maybe that's one of those famed 'back-handed compliments'! ha,ha! (Really, I'm just amusing myself, now!) I do have some favorites of my own for American Idol, though, just like the other 50 million or so people who were watching The American Idol instead of the Olympics... I like the young girl, Paris -- she's unbelievable, and I really like Ace, the guy who sang the Stevie Wonder song, and the guy with the grey hair. Funny I only remember the good looking one's name! What's that all about, me wonders??" Excerpt from my Friday, February 24th, 2006, article.

Still no time to chat about our great trip down to L.A., but soon, Baby... I'll get to it. Sooo much packing to day, and wouldn't you know it, lots of Guests. And by 'lots', I mean 'more than one'. I end up having to clean the house for each successive House Guest, when I really should be spending my time packing. So far we've been able to give away a whole lot of Furniture, and I think we're gonna sell some of the big items, like the Pool Table and the Dining Room Table. Believe me, there's not an extra inch in the new house for all the giant furniture we have in this house. It's like an 'Everything Must Go' sale over here! Hard to get rid of stuff, because you get so attached to your things, so I just have to keep the bigger picture in mind, then be ruthless. Even my beloved Desk has to go... sob, sob. I loves me my favorite desk!

Aaah, where does the time go -- my little man, Aidan, will be home any minute, so have to get out to the Bus Stop (yes, end of the driveway -- gonna miss that, too!)

Have a Fantastic Holiday Weekend! Have a Beer for me! (And I'm just kind enough to have one for you, too! ha,ha!) Love & Laughter, 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