If you give a mouse a cookie..... You get a money pit.

Four years ago Bobby and I were blessed with an accomplishment not many couples achieve in their 20s. We became 1st time homeowners. We were over the moon. We were a small family with a 2 and 3 year old boys and it was a small 3 bedroom 1 bath house so it worked. The little old man aptly named Mr. Shorty was the nicest man to sell us this house, even lowering the price so we could afford the payments. I cried. It was wonderful.

Then life kicked us where the sun don't shine and I'm not talking butts. The house is block with s crawl space. There was four feet of mud under the two feet of standing water under the house. After Bobby got the water out and mud dried up, the floors started being bouncy. Soon after walls started cracking, and the black mold showed up in bathroom and our bedroom. We suspended the TV from the rafters in the attic, we painted over or hung paintings over the cracks and sprayed bleach on the mold. We told ourselves that when we had the money and time we would get around to it and fix the things that needed to be mended. Then came the diagnosis and with it the knowledge that this wasn't working. See here's the deal, Chloe has a gait trainer now to help her get around. But the house isn't open so she's limited to our small living room. But there's carpet so she can't roll. Then there is the space issue, there is no closet in Chloe's room, the boys closet is literally 3inches deep (no one believes me until they measure), there is only one bathroom, eventually Chloe will need a wheel chair, and other aides. I just want something that will fit our needs, both now and in the future. Now here's the kicker, Chloe is already having seizures, we know that they are brought on my several things but one of them is stress. Wanna guess what a house renovation is. Plus studies show that stress can make the regression worse. And with our house if you tear up the floors in one room you have to do the other rooms, if you fiz the walls in one room you have to get the others fix, then you don't want that work to get ruined my the holes in the roof.... Well if you give a mouse a cookie.....
So what's the plan? Glad you asked, I have no freaking clue. But this is the plan so far, we are having fund raiders to get the materials to fix the house. Once we have that money acquired then my plan is to look into either A. Seeing if we cam get a loan to buy another house and after we fix up this house rent it out. Or B. Move into a rental until we can fix and sell our house then buy another. Which ever way, this is why we are going to be having a booth at the Garden City Fall Festival. You can get bumper stickers, window clings, fudge, cakes, bracelets, your face painted, and your nails done and a clip in purple hair extention. You'll learn more about Retts, our house, and Chloe. I refuse to give up and go quietly into that good night. I'll beg, borrow and guilt, until Chloe has a home she can get around in.