November 3

November 3, 2009 is sixteen days from today. By the end of it, Shawn and I will be homeowners. It's a heady notion. But not a frightening one. We can afford it, we'll get the tax credit, which we can set up in a checking account and use to pay the mortgage and taxes for quite some time, and the payments will actually be LESS than what I've been putting aside each month anyway. Of course, we can't insure it until the foundation is done (January?). We're financing through the seller (Pop), not a bank, which is how we can buy it without insuring it. This is fueled mainly by the tax credit deadline. There are extension rumors circulating, but I don't put faith in rumors.

It's been rainy and miserable here, so yesterday we stayed inside and winterized, putting our inch-thick polyisocyanurate (foam) panels into the windows. I think this one-room living arrangement will be cozy this winter and keep the heating costs lower. The Ingalls' had it right -- cooking and living in the same room.

I made a no-reason-cake last night and left the oven door open when I was done. No sense wasting heat that's already been paid for. Speaking of Laura Ingalls, I made the light bread from the 'Little House' cookbook last weekend and think I'll do it again. If you've ever wondered how people stayed warm in the olden days, lemme tell you...labour-intensive cooking is the way to go.

Stay warm!