House Pictures

So far, everything has continued to run smoothly and closing on the house is set for March 17! The inspection went well and nothing alarming stood out. Of course, there are a lot of cosmetic upgrades we'll want to do, but all in all, we feel very confident about this purchase and are excited to be moving in within 3 weeks. I wanted to post some 'Before' pictures- so that eventually when we get around to the 'After' shots you'll be able to see some of the fun changes. Some of the renovations, like hardwood flooring, the updated kitchen and stair balusters/ handrails and removing the popcorn ceilings won't happen for another year, but I've become better at being patient. HA HA! I'm sure Perry would beg to differ....

Entry Way- lots of 80's pine goin' on......
We'll eventually widen the kitchen doorway, update the cabinets w/ 42"ers, install new countertops and enlarge the peninsula so it seats 2-3 comfortably.

The family room- directly off of the kitchen peninsula. This will be a perfect place for kiddos to play, while I've got view of them from the kitchen. We love the beams and the fireplace but will need to update the wood treatment on the beams, relocate the track lighting and add a "punch" to the fireplace. Perhaps a larger framed mantle, glass tile and slate hearth would be fun! In the meantime, my mom has generously agreed to donate her time and is willing to paint the fireplace white; that will be a perfect update for now.

Formal Living and Dining room. I want to install some funky modern wallcovering on the accent wall (only if it's washable vinyl b/c of kiddos) and use this as a dining space, extra kids' play area and possibly a small office/design studio... if ever time allows, that is....

Master Bedroom- I'm not loving the mirrors on Perry's closet! But am thrilled there's a walk in closet and master bathroom. I'm not sure we'll know what to do with so much space!

Anyway- this is a quick tour of our home. I'm excited to make renovations as time and budget allows, but need to be realistic as I'm unable to do many projects right now. Lucky for us, my mom is coming to "save the day" and wants to work on some painting projects while here. It will feel like home before we know it and I'm looking forward to hanging out with mom while she generously gives of her time and helps with moving. Moms are the BEST!

Housing Update

It feels like a long time that we've been waiting to hear about the house. Our 8 day wait turned up with good news yesterday afternoon when we finally heard that the seller's bank approved the selling price and set a closing date for March 17. So if all goes as planned, moving day would be Saturday, March 21st. Anyone want to help?

As for the next steps for Perry and I- we need to get final confirmation from our lender, meet with the house inspector this Saturday and secure our home owners insurance- all of which should be pretty easy. I still won't feel like this all is actually going to happen though until we've got the house keys in hand, but I know that's normal.

For now though, I'll start some preliminary packing and organizing and maybe even look at paint samples...

Happy Valentine's Day

Valentine's-Hallmark style would tell us this day is about spending money on loved ones and wining and dining the day away. In contrast, our Valentine's Day started out with Simon waking us at 6:15- so much for sleeping in on a Saturday! We didn't eat breakfast in bed but still enjoyed our crepes with whipped cream, bananas, nutella and strawberries.

The highlight of my day came next when I went shopping all by myself and realized I haven't left the house without Simon in tow for a month- it was wonderful to be on my own! I got some more maternity clothes at Arc Thrift and was happy to find a pair of jeans that aren't maternity but still fit me. I also splurged on two club chairs for $18 that I'll reupholster and will hopefully go in our new house.... one day soon.

Our afternoon entertainment combined grocery shopping and loading up on free samples at CostCo. Tacky, but fun AND I crossed a bunch off my grocery list! Score!

Lastly, our Valentine's meal this evening was not the romantic candle lit dining I'd hoped for, but was kid friendly Baked Ziti , with Perry doing the dishes afterwards. Now, while Perry is putting Simon to bed, I'm reflecting on how our lives have changed with the addition of a family and I feel such gratitude for so many blessings. The hallmark Valentine's focus has certainly shifted from amorous hearts/chocolates/gifts to seeing gifts in the little things- Simon's sweet voice waking us up and saying "Mommy, Daddy, all done sleeping", a much needed break where I could shop undisturbed, a somewhat calm meal where Simon ate his ziti without too much drama and an awesome husband who pitches in around the house. More importantly I feel such gratitude for a family to love and grow with. In my book that includes immediate family, extended family and friends!

So on this day, I'm so thankful for all my friends and family who have surrounded us during the last years. You've been there through the ups and downs- though it sounds so cliche, it's true! On this day and all others, I'm thankful for your friendship in our lives and we love ya lots! Happy Valentine's day to you!

Could this be our new home????

Could we actually have our own home- rather than moving every year? The last few years of our lives have been very transitional and are getting increasingly difficult to bear with a 2 year old and one on the way. As Perry and I made the decision to continue his PhD- we felt it only made sense to bite the bullet and purchase a house, since we will be here longterm (at least 5 years).

So the quest for a house began a few weeks ago. With this being a "buyer's market" and low interest rates, it would behoove us to get serious about it now, rather than this fall after the our little guy has arrived and is a few months old.... Are we totally crazy?

With this decision, came a slew of questions... such as, should we buy close to Perry's work where we can get a 1980's larger house for our money OR should be buy between work and school where the houses may have more character and are older and cuter, but smaller? The more we looked, the more we realized that I can make any house look awesome, I can't however, create a larger space on a little floorplan, add a garage and provide the space we need with a 2 bedroom house (which is all we could afford in the more affluent area closer to Perry's university). This is all assuming that the neighborhood we purchase in is promising, safe and prosperous, for resale value, of course...

We stumbled upon this one and imagined our happy family in it, so put a bid on it about 10 days ago. We bid significantly less than the asking price, ended up being second in line for the house and were outbid. Our realtor told us it was a "long shot" and "not to count on this one". So we looked at other houses, but compared everything we saw to this one. Well, Saturday afternoon our realtor called us, sounding very shocked and said it fell through with the first bidders- if we were serious about it, the sellers would lower the asking price by $10,000 b/c they absolutely need to get rid of it NOW or it will be foreclosed upon.

We jumped at the chance- although still very shocked ourselves. It's now a short sale- which means if everything clears w/ the inspection and with our closing costs/downpayment, we could move in March 7th! Less than a month! Freak out!

There are still a few items that need to fall into place, such as the inspection, but it's become a very real possibility. I'll keep you posted. Hopefully this isn't a roller coaster ride b/c I'm not sure my pregant emotions can handle such turmoil, but we'll go with the flow and follow God's lead. If this all really does happen, I'll be thrilled to redesign this place on a shoe string budget and will be sure to send before and after photos b/c this 80's house needs some updates!

Winter Fun

We made this Simon-sized snowman a few weeks ago. I think Simon was thrilled to have a snow buddy and daily kept an eye on him from the warmth of the living room. As it melted, Simon called him "Broken Eyes Snowman".

Passing the time- trying to find entertainment inside the house. It was all fun until he bumped his head, of course.

Baby Bump

We're happy to be past the half-way point and feel the baby move so often. I am surprised, however, that sleeping at night is already uncomfortable, because I'm not that large yet! The snoogle pillow that Perry got me helps quite a bit, but takes up most of the bed and then its impossible to roll over without a huge production. Oh well- it's all getting me ready for sleepness nights in 4 months!

As for other stuff- we're moving along into February, but have had a sick household for about 13 days now. Perry has been sick off and on and now has a horrible sinus infection and has been off work for 3 days. I guess Simon and I are lucky to have only the normal winter sniffles. Yuck!