I have a strange thing with my chest. I've had whooping cough twice, and when I get a cold or anything in Winter I get asthma that flares up. It sucks and is frustrating and distracting from the rest of the things I have to think about. Especially when I don't like taking my inhaler for it as it gives me the shakes but don't have many other options and have a lot to think on!
It's kind of a long list at the moment. Buying a house is heinously stressful. There is so much crap and fluff and ritual around it. So many boxes to tick and fit into and then other bits that are skated over. It's kind of confusing for the first timer, ya know? And then when I know what I'm doing it'll all be done and I won't do this again evah ;).
I did joke to TheHusband today that the next time we buy our first home it'll be a lot easier. Har har.
At this stage, we are settling at the end of August and moving in the first half of September. Our landlord who is a GEM has offered to advertise the place from that stage as well which means we *might* not have to pay rent at the same time as rent. Maybe.
Add to that that my last placement EVAH for my degree is going to be difficult to manage because I got option number "not even on my list" which means I have to drive an hour each way each shift and there's a lot on my mind at the moment. But I have been doing some knitting - I finished another Milo just the other day, and have knit more of my super secret project as well.
And look! I posted a blog post. Which isn't a fabulous one (yes I did take my inhaler and am all over the place) but it is done! Good night.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Saturday, July 23, 2011
On doing my tax
Did my tax. Sigh. I wish we could just agree to get back roughly $x of what we pay out through the year. Agree on some deductions, agree on some surcharges. And be done. Cause I get the same amount back roughly each year.
It did take me a while to do my tax this year. I've had a husband for the entire year and a child for the entire year as well. But I had to wait on so. many. pieces. of. PAPER - Centrestink, Flinders University, Adelaide University, Bunnings, share statements - that it took 2 weeks to get through.
I love doing my tax. I know some people get upset about it. That "their money" is hanging out somewhere other than in their hands for up to a year, and should be theirs instead! But I like having some forced savings through the year, and a money balance sheet that is in my favour.
Now I'm waiting for the money to come back to us. What with buying a new house and all, the money we can get in needs to be accounted for and the more the merrier! So much more for the plans we have for next year as well.
But that's for another post ;).
It did take me a while to do my tax this year. I've had a husband for the entire year and a child for the entire year as well. But I had to wait on so. many. pieces. of. PAPER - Centrestink, Flinders University, Adelaide University, Bunnings, share statements - that it took 2 weeks to get through.
I love doing my tax. I know some people get upset about it. That "their money" is hanging out somewhere other than in their hands for up to a year, and should be theirs instead! But I like having some forced savings through the year, and a money balance sheet that is in my favour.
Now I'm waiting for the money to come back to us. What with buying a new house and all, the money we can get in needs to be accounted for and the more the merrier! So much more for the plans we have for next year as well.
But that's for another post ;).
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
On how to buy a house
This was #10 in yesterday's list but I thought I'd write it out today.
A few weeks ago my settlement conference for my motor vehicle accident for going on 4 years and 2 months ago got delayed. Again. By 5 weeks this time. Which would be laughable if it didn't also come up against a whole lot of other stress in my life.
Like - our lease here is up in early October. So either we need to keep this lease up even though TheHousemates want to move on; or move from here to another place that is affordable; or buy a house. Actually that is only the distillation of the whole process, because there are a huge list of backs and forwards in there, and costs and benefits and challenges. In the end, we decided to go ahead with the craziness of buying a place.
So we (I) had to decide:
Because it was the right time to find TheNook. It is perfect.
It has 3 bedrooms.
It has a loo separate to the bathroom.
It has land to grow on.
Which faces north, which is all kinds of exciting because it is better for growing all year round, and for heat management for the house.
It already has solar panels which are feeding into the grid.
It's in good condition for its age.
It's been painted recently.
So now is the time to move and as we've not moved or packed in 2+ years this is going to be "fun" right?
Right????
A few weeks ago my settlement conference for my motor vehicle accident for going on 4 years and 2 months ago got delayed. Again. By 5 weeks this time. Which would be laughable if it didn't also come up against a whole lot of other stress in my life.
Like - our lease here is up in early October. So either we need to keep this lease up even though TheHousemates want to move on; or move from here to another place that is affordable; or buy a house. Actually that is only the distillation of the whole process, because there are a huge list of backs and forwards in there, and costs and benefits and challenges. In the end, we decided to go ahead with the craziness of buying a place.
So we (I) had to decide:
- where to live
- what to live in
- how much we could afford
- what kind of loan to get
- how to find a house
- and the whole process of buying it!
Because it was the right time to find TheNook. It is perfect.
It has 3 bedrooms.
It has a loo separate to the bathroom.
It has land to grow on.
Which faces north, which is all kinds of exciting because it is better for growing all year round, and for heat management for the house.
It already has solar panels which are feeding into the grid.
It's in good condition for its age.
It's been painted recently.
So now is the time to move and as we've not moved or packed in 2+ years this is going to be "fun" right?
Right????
Friday, July 1, 2011
In which my blog morphs into a house reno type blog...
No not really but dear blog, I do have a lot to share with you!
I've had a serious attack of Life (TM) recently so my blog has just fallen down the list of priorities. I has gotten me to thinking though that blogging about deeply personal stuff, like working my way through the steep learning curve that is putting an offer in on a house, is something I'm better at doing in hindsight. Plus I was so caught up in the doing that I couldn't also take time to do the blogging about it, ya know?
I have been so caught up in the last few weeks with Life (TM) that I've also not been looking after myself very well. Sigh. It seems that I fall off my "to do" list so much more quickly than other things, and when I'm limited with my number of spoons* I just don't have time for me. Silly Emma though because that then reduces the number of spoons* I have and so on and so on.
So as well as blogging, I plan on doing:
I've had a serious attack of Life (TM) recently so my blog has just fallen down the list of priorities. I has gotten me to thinking though that blogging about deeply personal stuff, like working my way through the steep learning curve that is putting an offer in on a house, is something I'm better at doing in hindsight. Plus I was so caught up in the doing that I couldn't also take time to do the blogging about it, ya know?
I have been so caught up in the last few weeks with Life (TM) that I've also not been looking after myself very well. Sigh. It seems that I fall off my "to do" list so much more quickly than other things, and when I'm limited with my number of spoons* I just don't have time for me. Silly Emma though because that then reduces the number of spoons* I have and so on and so on.
So as well as blogging, I plan on doing:
- a massage
- a haircut and colour
- fitting the gym back into my weekly schedule, twice a week
- finish TheChilderbeast's quilt
- catching up with friends
- planning my future better
- cooking and baking
- spending time with my lovely TheHusband and TheChilderbeast
- doing my tax
- and - buying a house
Sunday, June 5, 2011
The long and short of it
I went to the gym today. I worked out hard enough to work up a sweat, which is unusual for me. What was more unusual was that I rowed, and used the weights machines, and found a fit ball and a wall and made sweet lovin' to them both.
Yesterday I took my sorry left leg and shoulder to an exercise physiologist. I had no idea how much help he'd be but after seeing a physio (or three) and a personal trainer (or three) with no joy, I needed a plan C. The physio gave me exercises to solve my "injury" which is crap, as I'm not "injured" and won't "be cured of an injury". The personal trainer was all "Wah your left leg is atrophied and you're very lopsided - let me focus on your left!" despite me saying that doing so made my left sacral-iliac joint burn and could we not?
This is not my current physio by the way. He is awesome. Well, he's horrible and nasty and has big pointy long needles that he insists on sticking into my muscles some 7cm (!) but he's worth his weight in gold and I do recommend him to everyone who needs a physio come acupuncturist.
So I went to the gym and rowed and such. I also sorted three baskets of washing, parented fed watered boobed and loved on my small, ate breakfast and lunch, took said small to child care, did the gym, showered, visited with my sister, am now blogging and am out to dinner with TheHusband this evening to celebrate his thesis getting examined.
This is a Big Deal (tm) by the way but kind of sort of not mine. Yes it means a lot to TheHusband and by extension me, but not to me directly.
Unlike the other big things which have happened recently, which include that my settlement of my injury case, now 4 and a bit years in the going, has been delayed AGAIN. To 22 June this time. Sigh. But that means it'll be done before the last evah exam that I have to sit for my degree, which is 29 June and yes I should start thinking about studying for it. Or even having a clue about what I'm meant to know for it.
So the delayed court date, again, for the third time, came after being given a ballpark figure of settlement for my case. So that means that we are now a bit more prepared for the future in that we can start to daydream about the future, and to think on what we're going to do.
Ugh. This is a BIG DEAL (TM) in the Vanilla household though. A big deal to take your life off hold and start to progress it towards... well, as our financial planner will want to know, towards what?
So
many
OPTIONS for our future that it's a tad overwhelming. And I have to start making decisions now about things for next year as graduate positions are being publicised at the moment, with applications in August which is really soon.
But the idea of doing a fulltime ish program is underwhelming for so many reasons. Not only would I rather never work than go and work in the system that I've been a part of as a student, I also don't want to work fulltime or even 0.84.
But I have to do something with my time next year.
But I am hearing from more mainstream than my crunchy freerange friends that they'd never take on a midwife who was fresh out of school.
Which leads me to doubt myself.
BLAH.
Yesterday I took my sorry left leg and shoulder to an exercise physiologist. I had no idea how much help he'd be but after seeing a physio (or three) and a personal trainer (or three) with no joy, I needed a plan C. The physio gave me exercises to solve my "injury" which is crap, as I'm not "injured" and won't "be cured of an injury". The personal trainer was all "Wah your left leg is atrophied and you're very lopsided - let me focus on your left!" despite me saying that doing so made my left sacral-iliac joint burn and could we not?
This is not my current physio by the way. He is awesome. Well, he's horrible and nasty and has big pointy long needles that he insists on sticking into my muscles some 7cm (!) but he's worth his weight in gold and I do recommend him to everyone who needs a physio come acupuncturist.
So I went to the gym and rowed and such. I also sorted three baskets of washing, parented fed watered boobed and loved on my small, ate breakfast and lunch, took said small to child care, did the gym, showered, visited with my sister, am now blogging and am out to dinner with TheHusband this evening to celebrate his thesis getting examined.
This is a Big Deal (tm) by the way but kind of sort of not mine. Yes it means a lot to TheHusband and by extension me, but not to me directly.
Unlike the other big things which have happened recently, which include that my settlement of my injury case, now 4 and a bit years in the going, has been delayed AGAIN. To 22 June this time. Sigh. But that means it'll be done before the last evah exam that I have to sit for my degree, which is 29 June and yes I should start thinking about studying for it. Or even having a clue about what I'm meant to know for it.
So the delayed court date, again, for the third time, came after being given a ballpark figure of settlement for my case. So that means that we are now a bit more prepared for the future in that we can start to daydream about the future, and to think on what we're going to do.
Ugh. This is a BIG DEAL (TM) in the Vanilla household though. A big deal to take your life off hold and start to progress it towards... well, as our financial planner will want to know, towards what?
So
many
OPTIONS for our future that it's a tad overwhelming. And I have to start making decisions now about things for next year as graduate positions are being publicised at the moment, with applications in August which is really soon.
But the idea of doing a fulltime ish program is underwhelming for so many reasons. Not only would I rather never work than go and work in the system that I've been a part of as a student, I also don't want to work fulltime or even 0.84.
But I have to do something with my time next year.
But I am hearing from more mainstream than my crunchy freerange friends that they'd never take on a midwife who was fresh out of school.
Which leads me to doubt myself.
BLAH.
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