Muddy Boot Dreams

My beloved plants, will you still love me if you are withering away in the sun?

2012-01-28T04:06:00.000-08:00

I am finding out that many of the plants that I easily grew on my deck in pots, won’t flourish in the ground here, and I must ask each plant, will you still love me if you are withering away in the sun. I must decide before spring if I am bringing them up here, with over 150 plants safely tucked away in a friends garden, this is a big decision. To take a chance on whether or not they do well, or do I give away the very last of my beauties. The cull began this summer when I sorted, thought, and pondered which of my babies I should take, and which I should adopt out to a new homes. I have already given away over 100 plants, but this is a harsh, dry climate, and it doesn’t suffer water lovers well.

The ferns, oh the ferns….my little babies, with their sweet fronds that burst from the black soil in the first days of spring. You are my muse, your green shoots some of the first spring photos. I know that you don’t like hot and dry summers, but I simply can’t part with you yet. Will you survive, do I have enough shade?

Hosta, you water hungry swaths of vivid green leaves, what am I to do? Will you survive in the shade, and can I commit to watering you every day when it’s hot? If I use grey water will I feel less guilty about my water consumption?

Bleeding Hearts, your golden leaves, and red stems are the very first sign that spring will come soon. But you require so much water, and the heat will make you wither. What do I do?

Succulents, I know you will not suffer, you love the heat. Lewisia, with your jewel like flowers, you will thrive in this climate, and my collection of hen’s and chicks will increase greatly. But is it to be farewell to lobelia forever? Goodbye to my ferns? Hosta la vista hosta?

I have no idea, I just know that a water wise garden doesn’t include much of what I have right now. I am all for water consumption, and certainly won’t be wasting it on green grass, or purchasing any new water loving plants. But where do I draw the line, these are expensive well established plants, that might do well if I can care for them properly. Let me know what you think.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Farm Friday: About that asparagus picker

2012-01-27T04:05:00.000-08:00

Sharing shots of our life, from the farm in the North Okanagan

It’s Farm Friday, and I would like to share some shots of the gorgeous farm that we are staying at….soon to be the place we are no longer staying at, but visiting, since next week we will be in our new place!!

Last week I had talked about the Asparagus picker, and mentioned that it had flat beds that were similar to a surf board, yes, asparagus surfing in the country, life is exciting out here. Well I didn’t have any shots to share, and it was dark, so I had to wait until another day to get some shots.

I ventured out on a cold day, but it was totally worth it because look at the frost, and I love the bright blue color that matched my nose, and frozen fingers.

During the spring time, when the asparagus is growing and not just brittle branches of frost, the farm workers lay on the beds, face down, and pick the asparagus as the “plane” is towed behind the tractor, talk about laying down on the job.

All joking aside, it’s not a easy job. But how many people can say that they had a chance to surf the earth?

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Thrifty living 2012 : How we got here, our stories

2012-01-26T04:05:00.000-08:00

I’m taking part in Brenda from A Cosy Little House’s new series on Thrifty Living 2012. In this series, there will be five women sharing the individual struggles they face economically with their families in a particular region.

Each week [Thursday] one of us, Brenda, Claudia, Elaine, Diane, and myself will feature a topic on how we are living more thriftily in the year 2012.

Welcome to the second post of Thrifty Living 2012, today we are sharing the rest of our stories on how we got here, next week the thrifty team will be addressing our consumption of gasoline in our various regions. What it costs. How we try to cut back on it. What strategies we've implemented.

Living on the West Coast of BC, Canada is expensive, and many luxuries are out of reach, the largest of those being a house. The Vancouver area is rated high as one of the most unaffordable places to live, and owning a house in this area is beyond most of us since average housing prices in Vancouver are around a million dollars. We had longed to move to the Okanagan and purchase a house that we could afford, and live our life for us, not for the mortgage.

My family lives up in the North Okanagan and we have always wanted to call the area our home. With both of my parents rapidly aging, and going through illness we decided to put our condo on the market last spring. Unfortunately so did many others, the market in White Rock was flooded with condo sales, and prices were dropping. There were days during the seven months time it took to sell, that I wondered if it would ever happen. But it did, and we are up here, and about to move into our first “real” home.

This felt like just another road block to us in our long term yearning to move. Two years ago my husband was unexpectedly laid off, and told that he would be back at work in a few months. We had no warning, and had just purchased a new vehicle and had monthly payments.

Just before this all happened I had moved from a garden center job of 15 years, to a retail position indoors, and taken a pay cut of 1/3 less wages. The few months stretched into more, we lost our benefits through his work, and my hours were reduced, we struggled through it like so many are doing today still.

We had two big benefits though, one was, we are children of depression era parents, and we were brought up in one income households. Money was tight when we were both children, and we learned never to spend what we didn’t have, and keep our expectations realistic. So our credit card bills are always paid off at the end of the month, only buy what you can afford.

Our second saving grace is some advice we were given when young. Pay yourself first. It is some of the most important pieces of financial advice anyone can ever receive. There are many ways to set up a saving account that will siphon off a bit of extra for your own personal rainy days, and if you learn this lesson well, you will always have a nest egg for those unexpected events that are bound to happen. By saving small amounts each month, you learn to work with slightly less each month. Soon the benefits of saving will outweigh the pinch of having less money, and when the compound interest starts to add up, it will be a extra incentive to save more.

Drop by and visit Brenda, Claudia, Elaine, Diane to see their stories and how they deal with living thriftily in 2012.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Thrifty living 2012 series coming up on Thursday

2012-01-25T16:27:00.001-08:00

I forgot in all the excitement about the deer photos to let you know that once again I will be joining in on Brenda from A Cosy Little House’s Thursday’s series on Thrifty Living 2012.

Be sure to drop by all 5 bloggers and see what they have come up with.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Deer-ly beloved what a collection of deer photos

2012-01-25T04:05:00.000-08:00

Deer-ly beloved we have gathered here on this blog to view some deer photos. And not just one or two, but a grand total of 66 photos of deer. Imagine our surprise when we put that camera card into the computer and up popped 66 shots of deer-ly beloved deer.

And all it took was some frozen squash and pumpkins collected from the garden, and dumped in front of the camera. If you feel like viewing all 66 deer shots, feel free to visit this MBD Picassa album.

In the process we learned a few important lessons.

One: Deer like to pee on the pumpkins that they can’t break open, either they do it, or the dogs did it. Or maybe it was the coyotes….all I know is don’t you go and eat that yellow snow.

Two: Our first impulse was to go to the feed mill and buy a bag of corn. It was a generous impulse, but apparently we would have ended up killing them by mistake. Deer cannot digest bellies full of corn, and develop acidosis, which eventually kills them. Well fed deer are no longer nomadic like they should be, and are exposed to parasites, and disease when they are grouped together feeding at one site.

Three: The things you learn, when you think you are doing something right. Check out this site from Farm and Dairy, it’s full of interesting facts on deer, stuff I had no idea about.

Four: Don’t feed the deer!

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Counting the days, and I want some photos too!

2012-01-24T04:05:00.000-08:00

It’s a mere 9 days until we get into our house. I am counting the days, I can’t wait, it’s going to be so exciting to finally have our own place. And to know that the banging upstairs isn’t from the third floor neighbours, it’s just one of us making some noise hanging pictures.

I’m still reminding myself to bring quarters each time I need to do a load of laundry, old 17 year habits don’t die easily. After all of those years shuffling, and coordinating laundry on 3 floors in our condo my husband and I tag teamed the laundry so many times, it was second nature. “Do you have quarters?” Yes, what floor? “The washer on one, and the dryer on 3.” It seemed that the entire condo building wanted to do it’s laundry at the same time, no matter what day, or time we choose. Now to have the luxury of doing laundry whenever, and however we choose….bliss.

No more curious neighbours walking past our ground floor windows as I am getting changed. Can you believe it, privacy? More then once I have dove for the floor in the bedroom and hid myself behind the bed, as yet another neighbour strolled by to admire the patio garden. That gives another meaning to the phrase, nude garden statues.

I wish I had taken more photos when we were in the house during our house hunt. The last time we were there was for the house inspection, and I was so intent on learning everything I could from the inspector about the house, that I never took any photos. Condo living is easy compared to living in a house, where upkeep, and maintenance are so important. We had a great inspection, and there are very few issues that need to be dealt with when we move in but this is serious stuff, and I had to pay attention.

Part of me wanted to wander and take photos, redecorate in my mind, letting my husband deal with the technical stuff… our offer was based on a favourable house inspection, and I was very strict with myself. No mental decorating until you know for sure it’s yours. No falling in love with this house until the offer goes through!

So it’s ours, in 9 days, then I will be able to share photos, and ask your decorating advice. I don’t know about you, but I always want to know that my kitchen, and bathrooms are super clean when I move into a new place.

Meanwhile I am gathering together my non toxic cleaning supplies, organizing ideas, and hoping for more photos soon.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Deer-ly beloved where are you when I put up the trail cam?

2012-01-23T04:34:00.000-08:00

Deer, oh beloved deer, why don’t you show up the nights I bundle up, lace my snow boots, and cross the treacherous ice covered driveway, walk far out there into the dark unknown to place the trail camera “just so” in order to capture your likeness in the dark bitter night?

Don’t you realize how hard it is for this city girl used to bright street lights to walk intentionally onto a dark road. Trained from birth never to walk out of the reach of street lights, I don’t feel comfortable being out there at night. It’s cold, dark, and who knows what lurks out beyond the shadows of the feeble house light. It could be anything, but obviously it’s not you, my beloved deer.

Do you know how much nerve it takes for me to stand my ground and not run screaming back into the house when the dogs growl at some still shadow late at night? That in my mind there could be anything out there. Don’t laugh, it’s not funny, and yes I know that you have spent your life dodging dogs, darkness, and coyotes, but I haven’t.

Oh deer, why can’t you decide to eat the frozen pumpkins and squash we put out for you on the nights when the trail camera is up? Why did you bring a whole herd of your friends, we counted 8 of you through the windows, and there was no trail cam out that night. The joy of seeing you cancelling out the discomfort of our icy toes as we watched your blurry shapes enjoy the feast below. But our regret for being camera less was like a hangover the next morning.

The dogs were wild with joy, over your scent, left behind in the deer prints all crisscrossing the field. Since their barking continued all night, we were both sleepless, and lacking a photo.

So deer, lets make a compromise, you show up at least one of the nights per week that I have put out the trail camera, and we will keep feeding you those frozen pumpkins, and squash.

It’s a really fair deal, and maybe somewhere along the way, I can get over my dislike of the dark.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Land of mountains, spectacular sunsets, and long drives

2012-01-22T04:08:00.000-08:00

It’s a different light up here, less grey, brighter, and there is always a feeling of wide open spaces. This is the land of mountains, spectacular sunsets, and long drives.

For someone that’s lived in a condo with buildings all around her for the last 17 years, this is quite the change. Down on the coast I couldn’t look out my windows and see the sun setting in the sky, it was blocked half way down by a building across the street, with two more to be built beside it. Even when I drove beyond the city, I couldn’t see for miles like I can do here.

But it takes a little getting used to, all these wide open spaces, and I hope that I never lose that sense of awe at how much space, and land is out there. Distances are greater, and it’s nothing to have to drive a hour to get to a big enough city that has a Michaels, or a Home Sense. Those were stores that I could drop by and visit whenever I liked, now it requires a planned day of travel. One that I have only made once since we have been here. Beside a little mental lament about the “big” city not having a Chapters Indigo, I think that I have adapted well.

With sunsets like these, who needs a Chapters anyways?

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Making my own sunshine and sparkle

2012-01-21T04:05:00.000-08:00

Sometimes life doesn’t hand you lemons, it hands you snow storms, and grey days instead. So we need to be able to make our own sunshine and sparkle.

Thank goodness for photo archives, these sunflowers are chasing away the gloom.

And to give them a bit of extra sparkle, I used a bokah texture from Shadowhouse Creations.

So go ahead make your own sunshine, and sparkle. After all, winter’s not going to do it for you.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Farm Friday–Asparagus

2012-01-20T04:03:00.000-08:00

Sharing shots of life, and the farm we are staying at.

Welcome to Farm Friday, I thought I would share some shots of this beautiful farm that we are staying on before we move to our new home. Baby it might be cold outside here, it’s now a balmy –15 C, but it was nasty weather yesterday with – 20C , and all of your lovely comments have warmed my heart. Thank you and we are so looking forward to moving into our new house. And I can’t wait to show you shots of it as soon as we get there, you just have to be patient, we move in the beginning of February.

And it seems like Brenda from A Cosy Little House’s new series is going to be very popular. If you missed the introductions, here’s a link to my post. Be sure to go and meet each of the 5 bloggers participating. This is one you won’t want to miss, we will be posting every Thursday.

The Farm

It’s a huge 150 acre farm, nestled in the hills of the North Okanagan. They grow asparagus, strawberries, turf, corn, and pumpkins, and all of it is for sale in the summer.

The Okanagan asparagus is known for it’s crisp green stems, and it’s popular with locals who buy it off the farm stand, and with retailers, and restaurants that feature it on their menus.

When the spring rolls around, [and it can’t be soon enough for us gardeners] those green shoots will push their way up from the cold ground. As soon as things start to grow I will be able to show you the funny contraptions they use to pick asparagus, it’s reminiscent of a old biplane. The pickers lay face down on long narrow beds, think of a surfer paddling out to sea, except instead of water, they are floating over beds of asparagus.

Sprinklers stand on guard drained for winter, but come spring they will be busy watering the asparagus fields. The fields may lay dormant for now, but soon as the weather warms, it’s going to be a busy place.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

I’m joining in on a new series Thrifty living 2012

2012-01-19T05:42:00.000-08:00

I’m looking forward to taking part in Brenda from A Cosy Little House’s new series on Thrifty Living 2012. In this series, there will be five women sharing the individual struggles they face economically with their families in a particular region.

Each week [Thursday] one of us, Brenda, Claudia, Elaine, Diane, and myself will feature a topic on how we are living more thriftily in the year 2012. Then the rest of us will add our own paragraph or so on how we apply that to our own lives.

We run the gamut. Brenda is a single family household. Claudia and Don live with their two dogs in New York. Elaine has a small daughter, and grown children in Southern California. Diane and Ron live in Florida and are retired. Gar and I have just relocated to another part of BC, Canada and have just bought our first house.

So here’s my introduction:

My name is Jen. My husband, along with Bootsie our cat, and I have just moved up to the North Okanagan, in BC, Canada. We moved from a small condo in White Rock, near the beach to the gorgeous mountains, cold winters, and hot summers of the Okanagan to be near my family. It's a huge change for us, going from 850 sq. ft. condo, to 1st time homeowners of a real house! The first thing I would have to say, is it's expensive to do this, from the move, to the house purchase it's been a big drain on our finances. Like everyone else we have a budget that we have to live within.

So while I might dream of tearing out the kitchen right away, and replacing all the brass colored door handles, along with the interesting light fixtures, reality will take over as soon as we move into our new home. And that's where Thrifty Living 2012 comes in. I am going to have to dig deep, and be creative in order to make this house our home without breaking the bank.

We will be living in a rural area, it's a long drive to the grocery store, or to a job, there is no Friday night take out around here. We plan on recycling as much of our waste as possible, because there isn't any garbage pick up, no mail at the door, and I am not sure if there is even any cable.

As soon as summer comes along I am going to learn to can, and freeze summer fruits, and veggies for the winter months. I have big plans for a garden, and I love to cook, usually making most of our meals from scratch because of my severe allergies to so many foods, and additives. I also make my own cleaning solutions because I am allergic to the commercial ones that you would buy in the store.

It's going to be fun, and interesting, and I am sure that you will pick up some great tips from our series on Thrifty living 2012.

To read the introductions from the rest of this team, go over to:

Brenda of Cozy Little House

Claudia of Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Elaine of Sunny Simple Life

Diane of Lavender Dreams

I am heading off to read the other introductions, and get to know the other bloggers in this series, talk to you later.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

We’ve found our dream home

2012-01-18T04:22:00.000-08:00

House Hunting: the series finale, and a new beginning

It’s been fun writing this series on our house hunting adventure for our dream home. I certainly feel that being able to write about the houses we saw was cathartic. Trust me, there are more stories…and somehow I do wish I could post pics of some of the houses we saw, but some things are better left to the imagination.

Did you know all the time we were looking for our dream home, I had this thought in the back of my mind, as to how am I going to explain to you the blog reader that we are not going to be buying a farm after all?

That my allergies are so severe now that the thought of working outside on a farm in the spring is impossible. I mean who worries about telling their blog readers that their dream has changed? Well me.

It was our dream, a small farm, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen. And you know, that’s OK with me, my Sister’s farm is within 10 minutes of where we will live, and in the other direction, my parents are 10 minutes away. It’s as perfect as we can make it. And we are in love with our new home, eagerly waiting to move in at the beginning of February. A little Cape Cod, on a large lot, in a very rural subdivision, there are farms just a few streets over. It’s our first house, and it’s our dream home.

I can’t wait to make some changes, to make this house our home. We have a budget just like everyone else, and I am going to be sharing with you my frugal ideas, and asking for your input on design changes. You have always left such encouraging comments, and given great advice. We searched among so many houses, and this one stole our heart, so we know that it’s meant to be.

Right now I am busy pining photos on Pinterest, kitchen ideas, living room ideas, gardening ideas, and bedroom ideas. My mind is brimming with thoughts, and I am going to share them with you. And I can’t wait to design my garden, it has in ground sprinklers, and lots of perennials already, so it will be exciting to see what pops up.

So as soon as we get inside, I will start sharing, it’s been a adventure, and thanks for coming along, the real fun is just starting.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Needs, wants, and will not’s

2012-01-17T04:35:00.000-08:00

The house hunting series:

Everyone has a dream home in their mind, the perfect place, situated in a great neighbourhood, with a wonderful garden, or no garden at all. We all have that mental list of needs, wants, and will not’s. For some its lots of bedrooms, not too many bedrooms, huge kitchen, cosy kitchen, bright, sunny, or shady and secluded. We are all different in what we consider the perfect dream home.

The trick is to decide which needs are the most important, which “will not’s” you definitely won’t put up with, and what a “want versus a need” is.

If a big kitchen is important, or lots of storage, you probably won’t be happy looking at cottages. Or if you are looking for privacy, then you won’t be content near a busy street. Or if you don’t want to be next to a school, then that’s a “will not.”

It’s a good thing to do your homework before you contact a Realtor, because one of the first subjects to come up will be what are you looking for, and where?

We knew what we wanted right from the beginning, we knew our budget, and we knew our general area. Of course things change, and they have been doing that throughout our entire search. But knowing what was a deal breaker, and what was a want, makes it much easier to find a home that suits our needs, and saves time for both of us.

And I am sure it makes our Realtor’s job that much easier also.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

If you would like to read more about our adventure in house hunting, and believe me it’s been a ride, here are some links to my previous posts.

How your camera can help sell your home

Why cell phones are such a great house hunting tool

Our dream home, perfection is only a renovation away

Why house hunting on the internet is like online dating

More house hunting horrors

5 easy tips to “not sell your home”

Ice houses, and dust bunnies

House hunting, it continues

The perfect pleasures of fresh fallen snow

2012-01-16T04:06:00.000-08:00

There is something ethereal about a fresh fallen snow, and it’s made even more magical if you can walk in it while it is still happening. Being the first to plow though white powder leaving your footprints behind you, watching them fade away as the snow falls around your feet, it’s a perfect pleasure.

The dogs with their four legs are so much faster then I am in my clumping snow boots, and they delicately dance like ballerinas through the icy roads, while I slip, and barely manage to maintain my balance. Its harder for me to find fresh white icing sugar snow to leave my unblemished prints in when they dance around me like snowflakes. So sometimes to thwart them I will unexpectedly change direction on our walks, and for a few seconds there is nothing ahead of me but a unsmeared blanket of white.

They catch on pretty quick, and arrive only to overtake me in the direction that I am going. A rather quizzical look passes between them, “she’s up to her old tricks, what’s with that.”

Its easier to walk with the Boo. He likes to take shelter from the wide open spaces, and he makes a beeline for the nearest tree. His footwork, and delicate shaking paws makes a ballerina look gangly.

When it snows here it is even quieter here, muffled birds call from overhead, as they flap their wings. There are no sounds of traffic, of airplanes, of any other life. Its easy to believe that with the unbroken snow on the path, I am the only one living here. Just me, and the perfect pleasure of fresh fallen snow.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Homesick for the ocean, 5 hours away

2012-01-15T04:12:00.000-08:00

I’m feeling a wee bit homesick, not for the green grass of my previous home, but for the ocean, it’s 5 hours away. The winter ocean, with it’s chilly wind swept grey gravel beaches, and tides that go out forever. The off season ocean where you can walk for ages before meeting another soul.

For the sensation of warmth, and a whiff of sea salt that envelopes you when you get back into your car. The brisk wind whipping your hair into messy waves, as if trying to recreate the ripples on the beach.

I am homesick for the ocean, the waves, the water, and the seaweed with the occasional dead crab washed up on the beach. The sound of the gulls as they ride the air currents, the wings snapping to keep up with the breeze. The crashing of the white caps on the footings of the pier, don’t slip, watch your step on the wet wooden planks.

Homesick for the sea glass, broken, sanded sea jewels, that were added to my treasure pile. Glistening wet shards that can be found in piles of washed up seaweed.

Pebbles, shiny in the weak winter sun, rounded, smooth, each one different with a story to tell. I brought one home from each beach visit, and placed them in the space between the bricks on my patio. Who reads their stories now?

Crashing waves, keening gulls, and tangy scents of sea water. Will the falling snowflakes here make me forget the ocean that was so much a part of my life there?

A chapter ended, and a new story begun, maybe this time I will collect pine cones in a basket, building up in a pile at my door. Each spiky cone containing a different tale, telling the story of my new life, washing away the homesick feeling, like the waves that gently lapped at our feet.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

I am so missing my cut tulips

2012-01-14T04:35:00.000-08:00

It’s a big move for us, from a small coastal city so near the ocean we could walk there in minutes to a temporary home at the farm in the middle of land locked North Okanagan. We are adapting, learning where to buy our special brand of kitty litter, and Boo’s low cal cat food. But I do so miss my cut tulips.

Not that I ever took all the masses of colorful flowers decking the outside of corner stores for granted. It’s just that they were always there when I wanted to buy them. Huge white buckets direct from the flower auction, choices galore. Up here I can’t seem to find any and I do so miss my cut tulips, or any flower bright colors, petals, that’s all I want.

The selection here is limited, and they are expensive. I ~~stalked~~ visited our local florist until she finally admitted that the fresh flower delivery was scheduled for Tuesdays. We got to the florist that afternoon, and were delighted to see boxes of potted flowering plants. But to my dismay when I could get the florists attention for a second, everything I liked was declared spoken for already.

Sure I could buy a single stem of carnation for $3.00 each, or a lily, at $6.00+ a stem, but what I was looking for was a simple bunch of cut tulips. Just like the kind we would pick up at the corner store for a few bucks. A few dollars for maybe 5 stems, a few dollars only.

“Nope, they are too expensive, we didn’t get any.” I enquired about daffs, those beautiful yellow harbingers of spring. “Too much money” she muttered.

I found out why the flowers up here are so expensive. They are sent by the grower to the flower auction, marked up to wholesale cost, purchased by and shipped on a cooler truck that hits all the small florists up country. Then the florist marks them up to a retail price. By the time they reach us, they have been through at least 4 middle men, and each needs a slice of the petal.

That leaves me with tulips that cost over $2 a stem. Too much for tulips I say.

So next on my agenda, after finding our dream home, is finding a good source for fresh cut flowers, since with the –11 C temperatures, I won’t be growing my own.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

A unpleasant surprise

2012-01-13T04:14:00.000-08:00

Mornings should always be full of sunshine, happy times, and blogging. At least that’s what I think. But yesterday wasn’t full of any of those things, it was full of a unpleasant surprise.

I got up intending to start my day with a bowl of cereal, and some blog reading, but what I got instead was frustration, and worry.

My blog was suspended, it literally disappeared off the face of bloggy land, access to my email, contacts, and Picasa web albums, [all of my web site photos are run through here], was suspended also. And when I tried to verify my name by having them send me a code to my cell phone, that didn’t work either.

What’s up with Google? Turns out I was temporarily suspended for breaking the “ terms of service” and I did nothing wrong. I am not the only blogger to go through this lately. At first I thought maybe I was hacked, but I had recently changed my password a few days ago, and I think this triggered something….again.

Last summer I was without any access to any of my emails, blog, or albums because I changed my password, and they refused to believe that I was Jen from Muddy Boot Dreams. It took a week of emails to convince anyone that the email connected to my business, and my blog was important enough for them to take a look at.

Have you had this happen to you? Have you heard of another blogger going through this? What’s going on? And why?

And most important I guess, is how do we stop it from happening again?

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

How your camera can help sell your home

2012-01-12T04:09:00.000-08:00

Did you know that 1 of the top five realtor tips to help you sell your home is to declutter? And did you know that you have on average 30 seconds to impress a buyer? Your camera can help you out with both managing clutter, and impressing a potential buyer.

We have lost count of how many houses we have viewed over the last two months, some stand out for good reasons, others for bad reasons. Many were cluttered with personal papers, photos, and family items, that it was hard to envision the room as our own when there were so many items screaming “other peoples stuff.” Most times we just moved on, there were plenty more houses to see that might work better for us.

While it’s not easy to declutter, or to organize it is essential to do this before a buyer comes to visit. Taking a photo of each room and loading it on your computer will help you see the room as the buyer does. You will need to view the photo in a larger size to scrutinize the details, and just looking at the LCD screen on the back probably won’t give you enough detail.

I never realized that my condo was cluttered until I started to take photos of the interior, and began to see it through the unerring eye of the lens. The camera takes a accurate photo of exactly what is there. It’s better then a good friend telling you what’s wrong with the room and it won’t be worried about hurting your feelings, like a friend might.

Take a starter photo of each room, decide what needs to be removed, relocated, or reorganized to make the room shine. And then later when this is accomplished, take another photo from the same angle, and compare them. You will notice the difference immediately, and might even see some areas that need a little bit more work. Think like a potential buyer, and work that camera to your advantage.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Why cell phones are such a great house hunting tool

2012-01-10T04:07:00.000-08:00

I’ve always had a healthy disdain for cell phones, and the way they are overused in public. But since we started house hunting, I have found out how useful it is to have one with us. We have been snapping shots of interiors, using them while driving by For Sale signs, and as a memory jogger.

When there are lots of houses to view, it’s very easy to get mixed up on the details. And since you don’t want to remember the living room from the first house, the bathroom from the third house, and the basement of the fourth house as a completely new home, it’s good to have a visual reference. Trust me on that one.

At night when you sit on the couch with your head spinning over what color the tub was in the second to last house you saw that day, you can just pull up the photo on your phone and voila, it really was violet, not beige.

We have been using ours to keep track of details like which room belonged to which house, and what was the backyard like? All those little details that will elude you when you stop getting in and out of the vehicle, and start to filter through everything that you have seen that day.

A good way to do that is to click a shot off of the MLS listing info sheet that your Realtor will give to you for each house. You will end up having a catalogue of what the rooms look like, with the MLS listing info sheet as the start page. This way you can always tell your houses apart.

And you won’t be remembering the violet tub being in the wrong house.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

PS: If you are loving the android phone apps as much as I am, check out Photojojo’s new blog. You will find a link on Muddy Boot Dreams Facebook page.

Our dream home, perfection is only a renovation away

2012-01-09T04:19:00.000-08:00

For the purpose of illustration only, I am using the Realtor photos of our condo that I took this spring.

But this post does not in any way refer to our condo, which was solidly built, and well maintained.

“It’s almost perfect for us.” Just take out this wall, redo the kitchen, bulldoze the yard, and level it off…..then it’s our dream home.

Did you find yourself mentally redecorating, or renovating the home you are viewing? The ability to see beyond the current decorating scheme is a important one when house hunting. Just follow me around and listen to how many times I say to myself, “it’s only cosmetic, it’ can be changed.” it’s not a deal breaker.

But there are cosmetic changes, and then there are renovations. We have come to the conclusion that we really don’t want the work, and mess of a renovation in order to make it our dream house. Of course that can be done, and starting with a clean slate is tempting. But we know that we are not quite that handy, and frankly we don’t like the mess.

So we are trying to find a house that has a nice enough kitchen, and yard, built solid, and dependable. Kind of like the Maytag repairman, a good value for the money would be nice too.

It seems kitchen Reno's are all the rage out here. It’s the first thing many homeowners do, after which they work on the bathrooms, and the family rooms. Sometimes a wonderful interior tries to hide hideously cracked foundations, or rotting roofs, and shabby windows. Seems to me that instead of spending the money on cosmetic changes, such as new laminate flooring, marble countertops, or dashing paint colors, you would spend it on the maintenance of the home first.

It’s almost like a bait and switch, notice the shiny new brushed nickel taps, and the matching door handles throughout the home. Don’t look up at the roof, it needs to be redone. And what ever you do, don’t look too closely at the windows, that’s mould, and dry rot under the new coat of paint.

Obviously not all homes are like this, but it seems we have seen a fair number of them that are absolutely adorable inside, and it’s only after you look closely that you see the wrinkles. And those are the kind of cosmetic changes we are avoiding.

Buyer beware, be really aware.

Jen @

Muddy Boot Dreams

Why house hunting on the internet is like online dating

2012-01-08T04:43:00.000-08:00

“I met him online, we met through the internet, we found each other through a computer dating site.”

You hear so many people say that they met their significant other through online dating sites all the time. And for every successful match up there are two or three horror stories about people misrepresenting themselves, saying they look like a 6 foot tall, strapping male model, but turning out to be 5.2 feet tall, rather burly, and bald.

It’s not any different house searching on the MLS online housing market. Read “gorgeous tall home, seeking committed buyer, has large windows, and a large perfect yard.

What that really means is the windows are filthy because they are too high to reach, and by the time you finish repairing all that’s wrong with the house you might want to be committed. The yard, sure it’s perfect, a postage stamp sized lot.

“Single condo seeks personable and generous buyer.” Objective love, and emptying your bank account.

We found what I thought was our dream home online just after our first foray into the housing search this spring. We had just returned from a reality check where pepto bismal pink bathrooms, and ten foot long handmade tubs ruled the market, and were very expensive.

“Oh sweetie look, it’s perfect for us.” Split level, large half acre lot on a flat site, tall cathedral ceiling in the living room, and room for a gym, all wrapped up in a desirable area. I visited this house online every single day from spring, until we arrived here in winter. Checking it out, watching to see if it was sold, who it was dating.

I emailed copies to friends, asking is this the one, it’s perfect are we a match? I knew every detail of the online photos, I had the measurements committed to memory, the garden planned down to the last trellis. I spent hours looking at the online photos, peering into them trying to see through windows to catch a glimpse of the view it might have. I freakin Google Earthed it’s location to check out the neighbours yards.

Two days after we arrived we went to view it, consider it the coffee date. It wasn’t quite like the pictures. From the street it looked shabbier then online,but this was a first date, we could work on that. The garage was tiny, it had looked huge in the photos. We went inside and the date started to fall apart. It was filthy, and yes, it was the house with the dog poop in the crawlspace. The window sills were in disrepair, the kitchen was a mess, and the bathroom was black with mould. The date ended in disaster. You might say we broke up before we even started to date.

We learned that the same as online dating, house hunting what you see isn’t what you get. To read between the lines, and to realize that the black fuzzy spots on the kitchen cupboards are not just from low light pics, but mould. We now scrutinize photos for shots of dirty carpets, smeared windows, and clothing scattered all around the room. Those are usually not the kind of houses we need to see.

Call it a learning curve for online house dating.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

More house hunting horrors

2012-01-07T04:09:00.000-08:00

So you read the previous post 5 tips on how not to sell your house. Trust me, it’s all true, and I’ve got more to share with you.

Some readers were asking if it was all true, yes every last bit of it are experiences that we have just recently had while on our house hunting searches.

Oh, and there is more. Let me tell you about the “cranky lady house.” We arrived at the house and got out of the car. Our Realtor [who deserves a medal for politeness while under fire] knocked on the door as she always does before entering. The door was opened by a women with no eyebrows who exclaimed “you're too early!” Now the tone of her voice was sharp, and nasty. She actually told us to drive around the block for 15 minutes until the “correct time.” Chastised we piled back into the car and drove around, I was feeling rather rebellious, and suggested not going back at all, but we did, and she was gone the second time. With it being a buyers market, you would think that she might have been a little nicer, and a bit politer. There’s tip #6 in how not to sell your home.

We had a guy who was conducting a business meeting at the kitchen table, while his Son, and their enormous dog greeted us at the door. When you are expecting a empty house, and you are greeted by a dog/horse at the door, and some guy giving stock quotes over the phone, it’s hard to really get into the layout of the house. We left as soon as it was polite. Tip #7 get out of the house, take the dog/horse to the neighbours.

Tip #8 is a easy one, take down the creepy Halloween decor after the end of October. Our trip to visit this potential home was rather surprising, the outside was lovely, quiet, and nicely landscaped. But go through the front door and there in the foyer, was a antique wooden chair hanging from a oversized black butcher hook. As if that wasn’t enough, there was a old wooden coffin in the shed outside. Our very brave Realtor actually opened it to see if anything was inside, nope empty. The downstairs had bedroom doors painted black with giant tigers on them. And the clincher that this property wasn’t for us….the “grow op” wiring in the wall that had been duct taped over. Turns out they claimed it was for a summer kitchen, ah ha, in the bedroom?

Be honest, this is tip #9. We saw a lovely house built on the hillside. It showed beautifully, clean as a whistle, and the owner even baked cookies to give it that lived in feeling. She told us that she had just dropped the price. That wasn’t all that was dropping. Things didn’t deteriorate until you took a walk in the bedrooms. As we progressed across the room, we got the feeling of going downhill. At first glance everything seemed fine, it wasn’t until we crossed the room and looked back that we realized we were several inches lower. Yes, the lovely cookie smelling house was sinking down the hill.

The cute little house in town was adorable, nice yard, and as we opened the front door, the soccer game blaring out of the wide screen TV shouted, and announced every move. Unable to find the volume control we toured the house wishing we could concentrate, and left. Tip # 10 the background noise you choose can influence your buyers. Choose wisely, obviously not all of us are into foreign soccer games.

I’ve seen rotting window sills filled with dead insects, dirty floors, unpatched walls, dust bunnies galore, and I am sure that the journey isn’t over yet. And I know that all the Febreeze in the world won’t disguise a smokers house, nor will a slap dab of paint cover a hole in the wall. It’s pretty amazing what some sellers consider clean, and presentable. But on the other hand, don’t forget there are some amazingly beautiful staged houses out there. One person even Christmas wrapped all of her paintings to give the home a jaunty seasonal look. It’s a journey, come along for the ride, our dream home is out there somewhere.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

5 Easy tips to “not sell your house”

2012-01-06T04:52:00.000-08:00

Yes, you read that right, 5 easy tips to NOT to sell your house. Not that I am claiming to be a expert, but some of the houses we have seen made mistakes that seem so downright easy to avoid that I thought I would share them with you. The market is tight, there is too many houses, and not enough motivated buyers out there. As a seller they should be doing everything they can to entice potential buyers into a showing, and when they are in the home it should be clean, inviting, smell good, and look better, and be competively priced.

1. Take a really bad MLS photo. If you don’t care, just use any old photo, blurry, finger smudges across the lens, who cares…after all it’s only the first thing that a prospective buyer sees. Why worry about if it is well lit, as long as the house is in it. Toys all over the front lawn, bicycles leaning up against the garage, not that important.

2. Don’t take the dirty clothes off of the beds, or tidy up before your Realtor takes the photos for the listing. We have seen countless photos with dirty clothes strewn everywhere, and dirty dishes in the sink. Not everyone wants to see your toothbrush on the counter, toilet seat at full mast, and beds covered with dirty laundry. If you don’t want to sell, then choose the photos with people lounging around in the armchairs, and the family dog licking a mess off of the floor, that’s appealing to a prospective buyer isn’t it?

3. Leave dead plants in the pots beside the front door, don’t bother freshening up the greenery. Curb appeal is just some fancy term for having to do too much work. So if you can’t be convinced that it’s important, don’t worry about the way your home looks from the street. And don’t bother to shovel the snow to the front door, let them wade in. That’s what snow boots are for.

4. Don’t bother to take out the garbage, leave it inside. You can’t smell it because you are used to it, so they can’t smell it right? I can still recall the smell of fermenting apples, and garbage, in a otherwise clean house that assailed our senses as we walked about. I just couldn’t get beyond that smell. And for a real turn off, spray Febreze liberally in all the rooms, and use lots of perfume, and room sprays. You don’t have allergies to those sprays, why should anyone else?

5. Leave the dog poop in the backyard, don’t bother to clean it up. In this weather who is going to take a quick tour around the backyard? Well prospective buyers that’s who. Actually, one house even had dog poop in the crawlspace. That was a doozie.

So there are 5 easy tips for not selling your home, in my next post I will have some “do’s.”

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Ice houses and dust bunnies

2012-01-05T04:06:00.000-08:00

House hunting, and showing your home are very stressful times in peoples lives, I can vouch for that personally. After having our condo on the market for seven months, I can tell you, it’s hard to live “clean, and shiny, no dust bunnies hiding anywhere allowed.” Every time we had a showing I would clean for hours. Air out the place, organize any drawer that might be slightly messy, wash walls, get fresh flowers, all of those little tips to help sell in a saturated market.

We lived on the West Coast and the competition was fierce, add to that another suite in our building up for sale. Within a 4 block radius of our place, I once counted over 19 suites for sale. It had to be beyond clean, shiny, and presentable to just hold it ‘s own.

Not all of the places we have seen are presentation ready. For instance the “Ice house,” granted we found out later that the owner was out of town for extended periods of time, so that might account for the freezing cold temperatures in the house. And I mean freezing, it was the kind of cold that seeped into your bones, soaked through your socks, and made hair stand on end. Deep cold, perfect for a hot summer’s day, not good for the middle of winter.

A beautiful house, located on a winding road up the mountain, the property was just a little to remote for our tastes. High ceilings, lovely decor, a kitchen to die for, and I still shiver when I think of the place now. Somehow the cold stays in my mind, overriding any assets the house had. Along with the upended truck in a ditch we saw on the way up the hill, one driver taking the curve of the road a little to fast…not a good thing.

The search continues, we are starting to realize which areas appeal to us, and what style of house meets our needs. This way we are eliminating the “not quite right’s”, and zoning in on the “this works for us.”

Stay tuned.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

House hunting…it continues

2012-01-04T04:19:00.000-08:00

We are still out there actively looking for our perfect “dream home.” House hunting continues for us whether there are snowy roofs, or above normal temperatures. Of course the Christmas season has slowed us down a little, but we were back at it yesterday.

Honestly, I have a hard time touring peoples private enclaves [houses]. I know that they are up for sale, and I need to envision myself living in the space, but I have found that a uninhabited house is easier for me. It makes me uncomfortable to see people’s Christmas trees, and pressies all laid out there. I feel a little like a voyeur, touring the bedrooms, and ensuites especially of those whose people let it all sit out on the counters. I try not to look too closely, after all, I am not interested in what kind of deodorant they are using, but in what color the bathroom sink is.

How do you feel about this? Or is this just a quirk that I have?

Some of the houses we have looked at are perfectly staged, music playing, heat on, lights on, and the most important part, clean floors. Oh to have clean floors, and not worry about what you have picked up on your socks. I guess I could get those little slip on blue booties…but it’s the norm to take off your shoes. Some of the places, well let’s just say that taking off your shoes should be a option, you are more likely to get dirty socks, then dirty the floors. When we get home the first thing to come off is my socks….ugh. I hate dirty socks, and dirty floors.

It seems if the yard is perfect, then the house isn’t. If the house is a good fit, then it doesn’t have any privacy. We have looked at so many houses that they are starting to blur into one big smozzle. Our Realtor had a great suggestion, take a feature and identify it with each house, kind of like giving it a nick name. Maybe next time I will tell you about the “dog mess house,” and the ice house.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams