Starter Home, Maybe?

I am sick as a cough, and it stinks. Thankfully Marcus has been taking great care of me. He cooks for me, shops for me. What a man! I gotta tell you this week has sucked. I have been sick most of it and then half way through I started my period and it has been terrible. I am completely drained. But, I am trying to be more positive, so I will point out that I sold Maddy's Exersaucer which we got her back in October. She hasn't played with it as much as she initially did because she is crawling and moving around all the time. She would rather have something to play with while being able to crawl away quickly with ease.

I replaced the Exersaucer with an Activity Table. It has fun buttons that make noises and an etch-a-sketch built in. She was so pleased when she first realized the buttons could make noises. She would laugh and look up at me with the cutest grin and then chirp with excitement. Another exciting thing that happened was that she has learned how to wave "hi!" She tries to say it as well. I am so excited for the day she and I can have conversations about what she is thinking and how she perceives the world. I know she has an active brain because I can see her little sneaky mind function when she is picking up trash and trying to sneak it in her mouth as she angles her body away from me so that "mom doesn't see." Haha. Oh boy. I have my hands full, but my heart is full, too. I am one lucky lucky mama!

Marcus and I are thinking about buying a house when we move out to South Carolina. Rent would be more expensive than a mortgage, and we wouldn't be building equity. We feel that the best investment we can make is to buy a starter home there. It will most likely be a three bedroom/two bathroom. I want a fenced in yard, for a dog of course, and a tree in the front yard, but not one blocking the view of the front door. I want a porch where Marcus and I can place a bench or rocking chairs for sitting on while enjoying the morning air or the evening sunset. The budget we have set is 40-70k. The house we both want is so cute! It' 42k and is a foreclosure. I hope that they don't sell it by the time I graduate, but it would suck for the bank to have to hold it that long... it would suck for the house too! No lovin' for it! It is a house that needs a little tender love and care, but the bones of it are just lovely and perfect for our first home. We just need to put new flooring in, and update the kitchen. I am researching great deals as we speak. Lumber Liquidators is actually a great place to purchase flooring, but I love bamboo flooring. It is better than hardwood because it can take a good beating without upkeep. Hardwoods need to be revamped like every five years.

I need to try and stay focused on the "now" though because my life now is a gift. I need to focus on my degree. I am so close. This week has really been terrible for me. Since the sickness I have been stuck at home...but I wouldn't really call it "stuck." I love being home all day. I wish I weren't sick, but being home is sweet! I have senioritous so badly! I thought it was bad when I was graduating from high school, but it's actually worse for college! This semester will be over in three months, and then I will be able to focus on my PRAXIS exams...and then after that I will be on my LAST semester before I student teach! Eeek! So, student teaching will be over and done with next April. Hallelujah. Just take it one day at a time.