Slow news week

Time is flying by.  B's birthday last weekend, O's birthday this weekend.  B got a cell phone!  We've waited for each of the boys to turn 15 before getting them phones.  They've all told us at various times that they were the only ones in their class without one, even as early as sixth grade.  They weren't complaining, just making an observation.  If some parent wants to give their ten-year-old a $300 phone and pay $30 a month for them to use it, that's their business.  But it sounds kinda crazy to me.

Speaking of finances, last month we decided to refinance our house at a much lower rate.  We ended up saving quite a bit of money by doing this.  So yesterday Hubby and I had an appointment with a lawyer to sign the final papers.  While waiting for the lawyer I spotted a dresser/hutch/bureau that I instantly coveted.  I snapped a photo, and then had to explain to my bemused husband why I was taking photos in the waiting room of a law firm.

Such a pretty mosaic on the doors.

We've also been toying with the idea of purchasing a small house in Mankato for our sons to use if/when they go to college there.  O and E currently pay $770 a month for a teeny tiny one bedroom a few blocks from campus.  That's almost a mortgage payment right there.  It would make even more financial sense if we bought a house and rented another bedroom out to another student.  

O&E's tiny only-one-person-at-a-time kitchen

But Mankato is super duper insane with rentals.  You have to have a rental license to rent out a room, and those licenses are tightly restricted.  No more than 10% of the dwellings on any single family residential block can have a rental.  Which is good for the homeowners that live on the block, I guess, but it really stinks for students who can't find a place to live for a reasonable price. 

In other totally not newsworthy news, we have successfully defrosted another freezer.  And we have successfully finished off the box of After Eight mints that we opened on Christmas.  My Mom would usually have After Eights at various holidays during the year, so it's kinda a family tradition.  There was one mint left in the box for the looooongest time.  It's a Minnesota Nice thing, not taking the last of anything in case someone else wants it.  Which usually means the last thing goes stale and eventually gets thrown out.  

And finally, monsieur – a wafer-thin mint.

So as you can see, it's been a slow news week here.  Especially compared to all of the other news taking place around the country.  What's that famous curse?  "May you live in interesting times."  Well, these times certainly are interesting.  I just hope they don't get even more interesting anytime soon.