Yesterday, we got a letter in the mail stating that our mortgage payments were going to be over $200.00 higher than originally stated. This is a large increase considering what our monthly payments are and what the house looks like. My mother calmly talked me through a small nervous breakdown (Thanks, Mom!) After that, I called the bank to get the story. They weren’t very clear on things, but apparently the tax numbers provided by our lawyer were way, way off. How, we’re not sure. I have a call in to her, and hope to hear something along the lines of “Oh no, it’s the bank that has it wrong. Your payments aren’t going to skyrocket. No need to worry.” If we don’t hear that, there’s a distinct possibility we’ll be turning the house back into a two-family for a few years. Yeehaw. I’m trying not to think bad thoughts until I hear official word, but in the back of my head I’m remembering ramen noodle college days and calculating how many nights of waitressing I could take without going crazy. What fun!

But life will go on, whatever the outcome, right? Right.

Another weekend is almost here, which means large chunks of time to get things accomplished. Our to-do list grows exponentially each week – this weekend, we could:

• Put a Christmas tree up!
• Putty the holes (from ugly hardware) in the kitchen cabinet doors and paint them white
• Pick out cheap cabinet knobs, pull and hinges we can live with for a while
• Finish up the gutter installation on the back of the house
• Jack the basement some more
• Paint the stairs
• Finish the kitchen curtains
• Install the dining room chandelier (a housewarming gift from my thoughtful Grandparents!!)
• Play with the poor, neglected dogs
• Check out Significant Elements, a non-profit salvage shop in Ithaca

I’ll let you know how far we actually get…. ;)