Full Speed Ahead!

So much has happened in the past month!  We got an offer on our house!  We found a new house!  If all goes according to plan, we should be settled in our new house in the next 3-4 weeks!!  It is going to be CRAZY for awhile.  I'm just glad we are going to be able to enjoy the holidays before we move! :) Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

So...

What a difference a day makes or maybe I should say what a difference a few thousand dollars makes.  We lowered our price at the end of last week and we've had two showings this week and another showing lined up for tomorrow.  Most importantly, we have an OFFER!!  We signed a counter offer today and should hear something by tomorrow afternoon! :)   Hopefully, I'll have one more thing to be thankful for next week...a house under contract!

I've been working on my Christmas cards the past few days and I LOVE them!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Still Here...Moving On! (haha)

I guess in this market it is no surprise that we still haven't sold our house.  People are not knocking down our door to see the house either.  We've dropped our price again in hopes of generating some interest, but at this point I don't really want to sell our house until after the new year.  Who wants to move during the holidays?  NOT ME!  So, for the foreseeable future, I am going to write about more enjoyable things like the upcoming holidays!

I LOVE the holidays...especially CHRISTMAS.  I think I like Christmas more than my birthday. :)  I started my Christmas shopping a couple of weeks ago, and I am almost done buying for the kids!  Right now, I am trying to decide what I want to do for our Christmas card this year.  For the past couple of years I have done a handstamped card.  A few days ago, I mentioned to my husband that maybe I would just buy cards this year.  He was surprised and said that I should definitely do a homemade card again.  So, I guess I'll be making our cards again this year.  Personally, I don't think he really cares if it's homemade or not...I think he's just trying to keep me busy with a project!  Usually, my card planning process is to just go to Hobby Lobby and buy whatever stamps "speak to me" in the moment and worry about the "design" later.  This year, I think I am going to do some internet research for ideas BEFORE I go shopping.  Hopefully with a little more thought and effort,  this year's card will be the best one yet! 

I can't believe Thanksgiving is in less than two weeks.  I definitely have much to be thankful for!  Today, I am thankful for my family, friends, and the fact that we haven't sold our house yet and get to spend another Thanksgiving with our loved ones!  

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Ready, Set, Wait!

Maybe I should rename this blog Ready, Set, Wait!  I knew that selling this house would take time, but I'm frustrated because we haven't had much traffic.  We had our third showing yesterday and the realtor said our house was on their list of houses they would want to see again when they were ready.  Apparently, their realtor doesn't know what their timeline is for buying.  Isn't that like one of the first questions you ask potential buyers?! Oh well, I guess we are just sitting ducks at this point.
I'm getting into a good routine of keeping the house ready at all times for last minute (virtually non-existent) showings and it is nice not to have to do big marathon cleaning sessions anymore! :) I guess all we can hope for at this point is that we can get settled before the snow starts to fall up north!

Happy Waiting!

Waiting!

UGH!  Selling this house is becoming one big massive HEADACHE!  We haven't had anymore showings.  I don't know if the market is just slow or what!  We've dropped our price twice so far and really don't want to have to drop it much more.  This is so frustrating!  School will start here in a month, but doesn't start in Wisconsin for two months.  We really don't want to have to start the kids in school here because it would make for a super long school year for them since Wisconsin is on a different schedule.  :(  We had hoped to be moved by now.  Our best case scenario would be to get an offer in the next couple of weeks, so, we could still move before school starts in Wisconsin and maybe not have to enroll them here.  I am trying to be patient and tell myself that things will fall into place, but it's hard to stay positive sometimes.

Just Checking In

I'm beginning to think I should change the title of this blog to Ready...Set...Wait!  We've had one showing since our house was listed 9 weeks ago!  The showing went well, but the couple is split on which house is their favorite. Their move depends on whether or not the husband gets a job he interviewed for.  We should know something one way or the other on Wednesday.  The realtor is hoping that nicer weather will produce more showings...I hope so too! :)  We know that the right buyer will come along...eventually!  We just have to be patient!

State of Affairs

So, our house has been on the market for a month.  Not one single showing!  I know the market is slow, but geez I thought we'd at least have some interest in the property.  The realtor says it is just a slow time right now. :(  I know the right person will come along...eventually! :)  

I have been keeping an eye on the real estate listings up north since we came back from our trip.  Unfortunately, there just isn't alot available in our price range.  We are almost to the point where we are ready to write an offer on one of the places we saw during our visit.  Of course it will be contingent on inspections and selling our house.   Hopefully, the seller isn't in a terrible hurry to sell and will be willing to wait until we sell our house.  If not, I guess we will have to resume our house hunting! :(  I'm trying not to stress about the timeline of selling our house, but with summer fast approaching it's kind of hard not too!

Back from Wisconsin!

We had a great trip up north!  Unfortunately, the house hunting wasn't that great. :(  You wouldn't believe the state of some of the houses we looked at!  We found one place that looks promising and our realtor is going to get more info for us about utilities, etc.    The house that we liked is the only house we saw that I could potentially see myself living in.  We may have to continue searching depending on what our realtor comes back to us with.  The housing prices are crazy up there, so, that limits our selection big time.  Hopefully we'll find something...worse case scenario is that we may have to rent for a year.  Right now, I am more concerned about selling our house!!  :o

A New Lawn Decoration

So, our lawn is sporting a new decoration...a For Sale sign!  Our house is officially on the market!  It really makes this move seem more real now!  We are gearing up for a trip up north to check out the area and look at some houses.  It should be an interesting couple of months.

I am THOROUGHLY convinced that moving will be a piece of cake compared to the process of readying our house to be put on the market! :)  I organized my top kitchen cabinets this morning and will hopefully get to the bottom cabinets later today.  My to-do list seems to be getting longer instead of shorter!  We have three days until the realtors come!  Is it time for panic mode yet? :o

HAPPY CLEANING, ORGANIZING, SORTING...

Moving

So, now that we have had a chance to look over the relocation proposal I guess I can say that we are officially moving.  Of course if won't be "technically" official until he signs the paperwork, but that should be within the next few days!  The last week has been a bit of a blur....

• contacted realtors (local and in Wisconsin)
• started organizing and purging (I refuse to box up and move things that we no longer want or need)
• started boxing things up that we don't really need right now 
• started "depersonalizing" the house (putting pictures away, etc.)

We've only got about a week and a half until the realtor comes to check out our house!!  It makes me tired just thinking about all the things that need to be done before then! :o  I know it will all get done...eventually.

Happy Moving Preparing!

Snow, Snow, Go Away, Don't Come Back Another Day!

Dear Snow,

You are driving me crazy!  You make the roads slippery and make us housebound!  I don't want to see white everywhere when I look outside.  Please feel free to melt away and not come back again.

Sincerely,

Tired of Winter Ready for Spring

So, tomorrow will the the third full day of school that the kids have missed this week.  I highly doubt that they will have school on Friday either.  At this rate, they will be in school until June!  

OK, enough about the snow!

On the relocating front....we still haven't gotten the relocation package yet, but are hoping to get the info soon (hopefully by the end of the week)!  I am just so ready to get moving on things...tired of waiting!

Sweet Potato Hash w/Adobo and Fried Tomatoes

I totally stepped out of my box tonight by trying this recipe that I found on vanillakitchen.blogspot.com

The meal was delicious even though it took me forever to prep and cook everything.  It was definitely worth the wait!  My hubby is already talking about me making it again!!  There is enough leftover for him to have it again for breakfast..it will be interesting to see how it is reheated.  The only downside to this culinary experience....cleaning up the mess I made in the kitchen!  Guess I better get started!

Well....Today's Not the Day!

So....my hubby talked to his boss this morning and it looks like we probably won't know anything until the end of this week or beginning of next week!  UGH!  Apparently some key people involved in compiling the relocation details were not in the office, so, it got delayed!  Don't people realize that time is of the essence...we've got a house to sell in a not-so-great market?!

Tomorrow's the Big Day!

So....tomorrow my husband will get his relocation proposal and if the terms are acceptable, we will be relocating to Wisconsin.  Life is about to get super crazy!!!  Our hope is that we can move in early summer, so, the kids can get acclimated to our new home before school starts.

I am super excited because I won a giveaway on Kelle Hampton's blog  http://www.kellehampton.com/. I know my little girl will be so excited because the giveaway was a tutu from http://www.etsy.com/shop/lovingshop.  I decided to keep the tutu a secret from her, so, I can't wait to surprise her with it!

My No Name Blog

So, I've decided to keep my blog unnamed for the time being.  I think once I find out for sure if we are moving, I will be able to choose a direction for my blog to head in.  We should know something in the next couple of days...I hope!    I know once we know for sure that things are going to get super crazy around here.  We have a house to get ready to put on the market, a trip to plan up north over Spring Break, and a new house to find.  We are hoping to be able to move in June, so, we have a couple of months to acclimate before the kids start school and I start looking for a job.  YIKES...entering the workforce for the first time in about 7 years while getting used to a new place should be rather interesting!  Oh well, you gotta do what you gotta do, right!

A Proud Mama

So, I am always a proud mama and think I have the best kids in the entire world, but today I am an especially proud mama!  My son, got second place (he should have won, but that's another story) in the school spelling bee and will be competing in the district spelling bee in three weeks.  Last year he was second in the school spelling bee and went on to win the district spelling bee and got a chance to compete at the state spelling bee, but was eliminated in the second round.  I'm sure the next three weeks will be spent pouring over the spelling bee study guide and the dictionary!

Progress

I actually read from my new writing book this week AND completed a writing practice session per the book's suggestion.  The book suggests that you do your writing practice the old fashioned way...pen and paper!  As I wrote the writing prompt supplied by the book at the top of my blank piece of paper, I couldn't help but feel excited.  I set a timer for 15 minutes (another of the author's suggestions) and wrote and wrote and wrote until the timer shook me out of my story and back to the present.  To my surprise I was disappointed that my time was up!  I thought about continuing with my writing, but I knew I was at a good stopping place in the story and felt that if I pushed myself to continue it might actually stifle the creativity.  So, I put my pencil down and read my story and relished in the fact that I had taken a small step towards rediscovering my love for writing.

I have done a total of five writing practice sessions this week!  I actually look forward to those 15 minutes each day and can't wait to see what the prompt of the day is.  I still haven't felt like revisiting my cobwebbed files, but I know that will come in time.  For now, I am just enjoying writing again!

A Small Step

So, today I took a small step that I hope will lead to unearthing those unfinished files that are collecting cobwebs in the corner of my hard drive....I  bought a book.  I know what you are thinking, "hmm.. how in the world is a book going to help her with unfinished document files".   Well, I'll tell you!   As a child I LOVED to write stories and poems and I was pretty darn creative if I do say so myself!  During high school and college, I stopped writing for enjoyment and focused on my school assignments.  That was probably a big mistake because now that I want to write again I am having trouble getting the words to play nicely together on the computer screen.  So, that's why I headed to my local Barnes and Noble in search of a book that could help get the creative juices flowing again.  The book I bought is called
A Writer's Book of Days and I am hoping to find inspiration and guidance living in its' pages because all of those neglected files contain words, sentences, character names, story plots/ideas, and poems...all waiting to be brought to life.

A Blog Title....FINALLY!

I have thought and thought about what I wanted to name this blog for a long time.  I think it was harder for me to name this blog than it was to name my own children!  I mean how ridiculous is that...it's just a website for crying out loud.  I guess that's just my nature..I'm an over-thinker!


The name of my blog comes from my tendency to start projects and never finish them.  That's not to say that I never finish projects, but I need look no further than my Documents file on my computer for proof of my unfinished projects.  I can come up with great ideas, but the execution of those ideas is where I struggle.


The sense of accomplishment is one that I savor because it means that I was able to see something through to the end.  Sometimes that good feeling is short-lived because it is diminished by the sense of failure/defeat that is associated with all those unfinished projects.  I know many people say that in order to succeed you must first fail, but that doesn't make failure any easier to accept.


Maybe if I can stick with this blog some of that stick-to-itiveness will carry over into the unfinished files housed on my hard drive.

Happy 2011!

I'm not big on resolutions because I always feel like I don't live up to them and am always disappointed at the end of the year.   So, this year I resolve to be better!  I think I might have a shot at keeping this resolution because it is short, sweet, and very vague! :) I can't believe the holidays are over and the kids are back in school! It feels nice to be back in a routine even if it means getting up at 6 and shepherding everyone out the door around 7!  I find comfort in the monotony of everyday life.  Maybe it's because I know that in a few short weeks when Chad accepts his relocation package our lives are going to be turned upside down!  My head is already spinning with household lists of things that need to be done before we put the house on the market, but I'm trying not to let it go into overdrive just yet!  I hope 2011 is full of many blessings for everyone!