Our Home is For Sale

Our counter to the counter was accepted. In a flurry of activity, we've pre-qualified for the new loan, officially put our house on the MLS, and dug through most of our disorganized piles to make our home a bit more presentable. Today, Photoguy started to touch up the interior paint and ended up re-painting an entire room. It looks great! I think we should put our house up for sale every few years because it is such a fabulous way to get all those little projects we've been putting off completed. Throughout the coming week, Photoguy is going to touch up all of the interior paint. So it's a win-win whether we stay or go.

My house is oh, so clean. I love it! And, once again, I learned today that it really is possible to have a clean house. All you have to do is send all of the kids outside and do nothing but clean for two days straight. Then, wallah, it is sparkly clean for at least as long as the kids remain outdoors and no one prepares food or eats and a load of junk mail doesn't arrive. It's awesome.

We have loved our little bungalow, and it has grown right along with our family. We started out with a whole lot of mess. After 6 months of dedicated sweat, tears and mullah, we had one bedroom, a family room, kitchen, bathroom, and office. The back of the house was only roughed in (the third bedroom doorway was actually sealed off) and the basement completely unfinished looking like something from a horror film.

Right around the time we had our first baby, Photoguy finished off the back of the house adding a 3rd bedroom (the new office -- the old office became the nursery), and a "bonus area" that's been used for different things -- like a place for the kid's computer -- over the years. Next came the front yard . . . eventually we planted the backyard too.

We figured we would have to move before we had a 3rd kid. Our second bedroom is really teeny, but we did manage to squeeze 2 kids (and inexplicably all of their toys) in there for a few years. Just before baby #3 was born, Photoguy had a revelation to finish what had always been considered our "un-finishable" basement. He did such an amazing job, enclosing ductwork under built-in bookshelves so the ceiling is all one level. Our once spider ridden abyss of concrete was miraculously transformed into a cozy office, comfy reading nook, and large family/playroom. For a long time, I would wander downstairs in the middle of the night and sit in the rocking chair and stare in disbelief at the transformation I had never thought possible.

When we moved to China and four college gals lived in our place, Photoguy made the bathroom in the unfinished laundry room nicer, installing a vanity and new sink. In all, we really love our home. But, it's also hard to imagine being here forever. We only planned to stay for 1-2 years and now it's been 8 1/2, so I guess now we'll see if it is finally time to go.