After our Saturday of chores, we took some time for fun on Sunday. We went to a matinee of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It was great! Terrific special effects and sets, and lots of action with, of course, good winning out over evil.
After the movie, we drove through two areas in Avondale to look at houses. These areas have big lots--one of the areas has all new homes, and the other area has old homes with lots of mature landscaping and feels very secluded. There are lots for sale in the first area, and 2 homes for sale in the 2nd. We don't know if we're moving, but it's just something we're thinking about as we prepare for kids!
I made clam chowder for dinner, which we enjoyed with a delicious loaf of sourdough bread. And I baked a carrot cake, with cream cheese frosting. Chris was alarmed that it had actual carrots in it! He was happy though, when he was eating it.
Oh, and there's never a dull moment with our apartments. I got a call Friday night from Larry (one of the Sunnyslope residents), and he told me the people in number 2 were moving out. I called Brutus to see if he could get the details. Don was moving, with his dogs (a good thing), but we needed to know if Darryl was still there. Brutus got back to me with the word on the street--Darryl and Thomas, aka Rodney, who were the first two roommates to move in in June, had apparently committed armed robbery against a local Radio Shack. Needless to say, this was a violation of Darryl's parole, and he's back in the slammer. So, we now have a vacancy again. I'll try to do better next time in getting tenants!
Enjoy your week, everyone! j&c
Monday, July 30, 2007
Adoption update
Hello, and sorry it's been a while since my last update! We're moving along in finishing our additional requirements for our foster license. Chris and I went to Home Depot this weekend and got a couple of things we needed for the home safety requirements--a carbon monoxide detector and cabinet locks (we've got to lock up all alcohol and dangerous chemicals). Chris installed the carbon monoxide detector, and then he had some other stuff on his honey-do list--replace our doorbell (which has been broken for a year!), replace 3 lightbulbs that had burned out in the highest part of our ceiling, and replace the lightbult on the front porch. It's very nice to have all these things done!
We still need to get a locking box for all medicines and buy a shepherds crook and ring buoy for our pool area. We need to put fire extinguishers on each level, and we need to finish up the locking cabinets and move everything into them. I have two pool fence companies coming today to give us quotes on a pool fence, and we take our CPR/First Aid class this Saturday. Lastly, there are just a few things to finish up on the on-line application.
Once we feel like the house is almost ready, we'll schedule the home inspection--I'm going to try to time that so they come right after our monthly Molly Maid housecleaning!
That's the latest--I'll keep you posted!
We still need to get a locking box for all medicines and buy a shepherds crook and ring buoy for our pool area. We need to put fire extinguishers on each level, and we need to finish up the locking cabinets and move everything into them. I have two pool fence companies coming today to give us quotes on a pool fence, and we take our CPR/First Aid class this Saturday. Lastly, there are just a few things to finish up on the on-line application.
Once we feel like the house is almost ready, we'll schedule the home inspection--I'm going to try to time that so they come right after our monthly Molly Maid housecleaning!
That's the latest--I'll keep you posted!
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
The search for a business
As you know, we're growing our real estate investments, but right now we're supporting them, not the other way around! We'd like to own a business, so that Chris can run it, rather than working for someone else. Tonight, we have a meeting with the owner of a laundrymat. He is retiring and has built a very nice business that he is now selling. We have the prospectus, with all the financials, but it will be a matter of all the numbers working and being able to come up with about $70,000 down.
A laundrymat, you might ask?! Well, it makes sense in a few ways. It's a cash business, which is a good thing. It's not so quarter-intensive anymore (have you been in a laundrymat recently?), because they have a card system that allows people to add money to a card and then swipe it in the machines. It deducts the cost from the card, and then they can fill the card again when they need to. It also is appealing because it's self-serve. You can manage it without having to be there all the time. You can be creative with additional ways to increase income--for example, adding videogames, snack machines, soap vending machines, wash & fold service, etc. So, you can spend as much or as little time running the business as you'd like. Obviously, the more time and effort you put into it, the better off it will be financially. But, in the beginning, if Chris can't quit his job right away, then we'll still be able to run it until it makes enough money to replace Chris's salary.
I'll let you know how it goes! j&c
A laundrymat, you might ask?! Well, it makes sense in a few ways. It's a cash business, which is a good thing. It's not so quarter-intensive anymore (have you been in a laundrymat recently?), because they have a card system that allows people to add money to a card and then swipe it in the machines. It deducts the cost from the card, and then they can fill the card again when they need to. It also is appealing because it's self-serve. You can manage it without having to be there all the time. You can be creative with additional ways to increase income--for example, adding videogames, snack machines, soap vending machines, wash & fold service, etc. So, you can spend as much or as little time running the business as you'd like. Obviously, the more time and effort you put into it, the better off it will be financially. But, in the beginning, if Chris can't quit his job right away, then we'll still be able to run it until it makes enough money to replace Chris's salary.
I'll let you know how it goes! j&c
Update on our embryos
I met with Lynn at my doctor's office on Monday, and we now have a plan with a schedule! I have started on some medications, but they will really start up in full-force on August 7. I hope I can remember to take them all! Luckily, the shots don't start until August 18 because Chris is going to have to do those. My next doctor's appointment is August 17 for a blood test and an ultrasound. If everything is OK, then they'll transfer two embryos on August 23. Then, it's two days of complete rest. On September 3, we'll know if I'm pregnant. We'll keep you posted! j&c
Adoption process update
We met with Elizabeth, our caseworker at Arizona's Children Association, last evening. She is required to visit us quarterly. An update on our adoption certification: On Friday, the whole home study packaging (including my approved fingerprints!) went to the commissioner. So, we're hoping this week or next we'll have our certification! Thank you, everyone, for your prayers in moving this forward!
For the rest of the visit, she asked us some questions about the adoption process, and we had to think about any strengths/needs we have. We need to get a pool fence, and we talked a lot about how we're going to manage our time and finances with both of us working and then bringing children into our lives. We discussed the resources that will be available to us through different state and city programs, and those will definitely help. I'm sure we'll figure it out once the children are here; a lot will depend on their ages.
The other big item that came up is that we now also need to be licensed for foster care. From the beginning they told us if we were only interested in adoption, to only get certified to adopt, rather than both. But, CDS has changed a certain policy that makes it now more advantageous for us to have both. Here are the details: Some children are "legally free," meaning all parental rights have been severed, and they may be adopted. By having our adoption certification, we are eligible to adopt them. Then, there are some children who are not yet legally free, but will most likely become free for adoption. The caseworker for the children in these cases likes to try to get them adopted before they are completely free--it's very hard for children not to be connected to anyone. And, the longer they're in the system, the slimmer the chances are of them ever being adopted. Anyway, long story short, is that if we're not licensed for foster care, then we aren't even eligible to try to adopt kids in this siuation. So, there will be far fewer children available for us to adopt. We now are working on meeting the additional requirements to become licensed for foster care.
Luckily, our home study is complete for adoption, so it won't take too much extra work to get our foster license. Elizabeth thinks it will only take 2-4 weeks. With adoption, WE are certified, but with foster care, our HOME is licensed. So, we need to do some safety things in our house, such as installing the pool fence, putting fire extinguishers on each floor, adding a carbon monoxide detector near the kitchen, locking up all medications and chemicals, etc. Then, an inspector will visit and make sure our home meets all the requirements.
We're still very eager to adopt kids, so we are happy it seems to be progressing. It's been discouraging to wait so long for our certification, and it was good to meet with Elizabeth to get us thinking about it again. It's a balancing act between getting your hopes up and having to be patient! We'll keep you posted! j&c
For the rest of the visit, she asked us some questions about the adoption process, and we had to think about any strengths/needs we have. We need to get a pool fence, and we talked a lot about how we're going to manage our time and finances with both of us working and then bringing children into our lives. We discussed the resources that will be available to us through different state and city programs, and those will definitely help. I'm sure we'll figure it out once the children are here; a lot will depend on their ages.
The other big item that came up is that we now also need to be licensed for foster care. From the beginning they told us if we were only interested in adoption, to only get certified to adopt, rather than both. But, CDS has changed a certain policy that makes it now more advantageous for us to have both. Here are the details: Some children are "legally free," meaning all parental rights have been severed, and they may be adopted. By having our adoption certification, we are eligible to adopt them. Then, there are some children who are not yet legally free, but will most likely become free for adoption. The caseworker for the children in these cases likes to try to get them adopted before they are completely free--it's very hard for children not to be connected to anyone. And, the longer they're in the system, the slimmer the chances are of them ever being adopted. Anyway, long story short, is that if we're not licensed for foster care, then we aren't even eligible to try to adopt kids in this siuation. So, there will be far fewer children available for us to adopt. We now are working on meeting the additional requirements to become licensed for foster care.
Luckily, our home study is complete for adoption, so it won't take too much extra work to get our foster license. Elizabeth thinks it will only take 2-4 weeks. With adoption, WE are certified, but with foster care, our HOME is licensed. So, we need to do some safety things in our house, such as installing the pool fence, putting fire extinguishers on each floor, adding a carbon monoxide detector near the kitchen, locking up all medications and chemicals, etc. Then, an inspector will visit and make sure our home meets all the requirements.
We're still very eager to adopt kids, so we are happy it seems to be progressing. It's been discouraging to wait so long for our certification, and it was good to meet with Elizabeth to get us thinking about it again. It's a balancing act between getting your hopes up and having to be patient! We'll keep you posted! j&c
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Our summer vacation
We're looking forward to getting out of the 116-degree heat and heading to Hawaii! Our trip is planned for September 15-22, and we're going to the Big Island. We'll be staying with Dad and Shari in their beautiful ocean-front condo in Kona. Likely we'll be spending most of our time on the lanai looking out over the water and relaxing with a glass of wine.
We'll also go snorkeling, hiking, and sight-seeing around the island.
We'll also go snorkeling, hiking, and sight-seeing around the island.
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