Not stressed.com

So.  It's true.  I'm not stressed.  Well actually, apart from the fact it took me the last half an hour to 'find' my blog in order to post another chapter - that was stressful, but house-buying? pah. A veritable walk in the park...

A few weeks ago - when we were still negiotiating and communicating on all that 'legal' level that I loathe (heart on my sleeve kinda gal, me, straight up and down...) I was experiencing some kind of horrible anxiety. I have a healthy respect for mental health - for my own and for the people around me, and I didn't like being the 'victim' of such ferocious uncontrollable pit-of-your-stomach, all consuming madness, I didn't like that at all.  But when everything was agreed, when the Real Estate Agents agreed between themselves that `we` could do this deal and we were worthy of this place, when the mortgage people deemed our reasonably comfortable income to be 'acceptable', when the house insurance group said, oh okay then, we'll insure you... When the begging bowl went away - so did my anxiety.  Oh how I hate that situation, how I hate being a third party onlooker to the playing out of my family`s destiny... some may call this control freakiness, I prefer to say I want to be in control of where my world goes.  That couple of weeks forced us into a downward spin of 'close-your-eyes, let-everyone-else-do-the-talking-and-hope-for-the-best'.  Oh and beg a little bit.... who needs self-respect anyway.  Highly overrated.

So yes, when there's stuff to do, Jules is cool.  I'm damn good at lists.  So good that I have lists of the lists I'm going to write.  Yep, it's true.  At heart, I'm a Project Manager - I love to co-ordinate and List (there's that word again) I love to organise and gel things together, I'm going to love this Reno thing.  You can remind me I said that in a few weeks...

And it's true, I'm not stressed.  I'm very excited at the work we have ahead, I'm enjoying 'selecting' every. last. flipping. detail for this house, and what I, what we, imagined was going to be a short-medium term flip house is probably going to be the place where I park off until I die, at this rate, how can anyone invest so much emotional energy into one abode and then think of leaving it for someone else to make it theirs? Behind every last door handle is a swathe of if's, but's and maybe's... this place is being crafted - if only hypothetically at this stage - by our very hands...

So where are we now?  We have chosen and ordered our kitchen.  It's red. Sorry, actually, it`s RED. Glossy red and it could be absolutely fabulous - or not.  Let's hope we run with the former.  So kitchen ordered, decisions made about quiet closing doors (yes) lazy susans (yes) waterfall countertops (no)... and are you absolutely sure, Mrs Galloway, that you don't want a corner-bloody-unit... Yes. I am.  I can see this space so clearly (well, it is kind of my job, don't you know...) that every time I go back into the actual kitchen I feel a tiny bit disappointed not to see my grey countertops and gleaming glossy kitchen shouting 'THIS IS SO 2014'... Alas no, we have a little way to go before 1982 departs this abode...

Now you might be wondering where Andy is in all of this.  Did I ride rough-shot over him and make all the decisions because 'I'm a Designer'... Nope. He has been absolutely fabulous.  By that I mean he has given me pretty much carte-blanche, and that;s probably a good thing for everyone... For the kitchen at least.  I'm sneakily suspicious that he has some 'workshop' or something up his sleeve... never trust a husband who says yes to everything... there must be an agenda... or maybe he just likes my taste ;0)

Kitchen ordered. It's arriving late but hey-ho, we'll work that out somehow. (See how un-stressed I am?!!) .. Flooring chosen; tile, carpet - LOTS of lovely European carpet (SO not very north american..) a little bit of bamboo flooring and some coolio vinyl stuff for the kids office.  That's almost all decided and just a day away when we hit 'go' so no panic on the flooring...

Appliances all ordered, that's quite exciting really... all new applicances, I've never washed my smalls in a machine that hasn't been used for someone elses dirty laundry... nice.

We've chosen and purchased our bath.  Much to Andy's disapproval; Andy doesn't believe in baths. That space would be better utilised for a... pinball machine or something. In the bathroom. Yes, a pinball machine would be much more useful than a bath.  Who uses a bath anyway?  ... he does have a point I have to admit - only on here of course, between you and me my love for a bath is purely hypothetical, I have probably bathed twice, at most, in the last 4 years.  That romantic idea of lazing back in a bubble bath, glass of wine in hand, candles lit, silence in the house... yeah... no.  It doesn`t happen.  But I live in hope.  That`s why `we` bought a funky freestanding bath (with a really, really cool tap..BIG cheesy grin.!)

I think that`s everything that we`ve bought... Oh no... wait, sinks and vanities.  Oh yes, and toilets.  We bought three toilets - how exciting does it get.  And who would think buying a toilet could be so complicated... Surely a toilet is a toilet, right? How can you buy a toilet for $60 and a toilet for $600? A toilet is a toilet is a toilet... and we have three of the critters. I said Critters.

I`ll save my vanity story for another day.

Did I mention that we don`t actually own this place yet? That`s OK, we`ve only spent about a year`s salary so far, on the house that we don`t...yet...own.  Just a few more days of holding our breath... Wednesday 3rd April - that baby is ours and then we don the hardhat (maybe not...) steel toe boots and bash the crap outta that place... five days and counting...

Renovation Start Day -5.

Stay safe, my friends, be happy :)

International Property Tycoons...

So. Hello. We're back - it seems life got in the way for a while there - thank you for hanging in...

I seem to wax lyrical inside my own head about life, about the differences between our two worlds (by which I mean our old world and our new world..) and about how I wish I had time to write it all down.  Well, I'm back and I'm waxing on paper, wax paper if you will, because I finally have something worth making the time to talk about...

We appear to have bought a house.  Just like that. Half a million smackeroonies later and we are, in the words of my sister, international property tycoons. Wherrheyyy, don't we feel all growed up :) Ply me with a '98 Chianti and I'll show you our portfolio... Pahahahaa.

It was a long time coming, don't get me wrong, scouring the virtual equivalent of the property pages on a weekly, sometimes daily basis over the past 3 years.  Checking out variations on the same theme and never quite 'getting' it.  We trawled through the doors of various Ranchers, Two Level Split, Walk-out Single Family homes until we could stand it no more, nothing floated our boat and we felt doomed to a life of beige.  Or renting. Or renting beige.  None of which appealed to the point where we really, seriously, considered packing our red and white spotted handkerchief (we'd probably need a couple more these days) and heading back to the other side of the pond.  We were looking to plant roots but nowhere seemed like our back yard.  And then came Diamond.

With it's seventies decor and moose horn welcome, it certainly seemed like an obvious first choice... ahem. The place was Custom built don't you know, in 1981 (the 70's must've lasted a bit longer in South East Kelowna..).  A menagerie of stuffed animals - the real 'hunted' kind, not those that adorn our No. 2's bed... and the faint wiff of Deep Heat (or RubA535, depending from which side of the pond you hail). But it was love at first sight for me (OK, maybe deep joy), but closer than any place had come thus far.  I could instantly see through that shagpile carpet, the wood cladding, wide stone fireplace and alabaster bathroom suite - yes really - toilet and all... this place with it's split level living area and sunken lounge, corridors and modest sized rooms was perfect. Yes, thank you, that'll do, donkey, that'll do...

So, an offer or two later, some high-stress frenetic activity for two weeks while we conform to the scarily unfamiliar Canadian house-buying protocol... we're $10K down, committed to another bazillion and up one very lovely (under all that 70's treacle coating) house. Nay, home.  We own a home. We finally own a Canadian home! 

So on the suggestion of a dear friend that I revive my blog on account of the occasion, here I am. Watch this space for our week by week blog on how we take this 70's baby with her Kaftan and Platform soles, her porn-star shag pile and pot-smokin' afro and turn her into a sleek, funky yet homely personal expression of our European selves... watch out Kelowna, the Galloway's are on another mission...

Until next time, brothers & sisters, stay happy :)